William Buck Premier Men’s SHOWCASE ROUND Preview

Round 3 is the VAFA’s inaugural William Buck Premier Men’s SHOWCASE ROUND, with all five matches live streamed on VAFA.com.au for the first time. Who will shine on the big stage?

Here’s a closer look at the match-ups:

OLD SCOTCH vs COLLEGIANS (Friday 1pm – Camberwell Sportsground)

Round 3 kicks off with the annual Anzac Day clash between the Cardinals and the Lions.

And while it’s the 2023 premiers versus the 2024 champions, only one of them looks to be in flag form – Old Scotch, who have started their title defence in style with wins over St Kevin’s and De La Salle.

Mark Gnatt’s team is far from unbeatable, however. SKOB had their chances and failed to capitalise in Round 1, while De La Salle booted the last 5 goals of the game in Round 2 (albeit after the Cards had the game well in hand).

But the most telling reason for the reigning champs to be on guard this week is recent history. Twelve months ago, Collegians started 0-2 but managed to spark their season with a back-to-the-wall win over an inaccurate Old Scotch, who controlled the game but didn’t put their rivals away.

That delivered Jordie McKenzie’s first win as Lions’ coach, and he’ll be hoping his team can deliver a similarly gritty performance after finding themselves in a 0-2 hole once again.

The Cardinals ultimately ended Collegians’ premiership defence with a commanding victory in the First Semi-Final last September. The Purple & Gold Army has circled this date on their calendar ever since.

The Lions had won 10 straight over Old Scotch before that First Semi, including both home & away games last season.

This promises to be a typically spirited clash between two great rivals!

Watch the LIVE STREAM on VAFA.com.au from 12.50pm Friday.

UNIVERSITY BLUES vs UNIVERSITY BLACKS (Saturday 2pm – Melbourne University Oval)

Speaking of passionate rivalries, they don’t come any grander than Blues versus Blacks.

Recent history suggests the Blues get off to a great start and then fade, while the Blacks are the opposite —slow starters who come rattling home in the back half of the season.

Currently, that seems to be true in 2025, but Dale Bower’s Blacks outfit will be eager to change the narrative with a victory over their arch rival, ensuring they don’t fall behind and find themselves chasing the season once again.

Both these teams lost to St Bernard’s at Melbourne Uni in the opening two weeks of the season, providing a form line (albeit small) to gauge where they may sit relative to each other.

The Blues pushed the Snowdogs to the final siren and beyond – it took a Joey Agresta goal after the siren to secure victory for the Dogs. But Matt Smith’s Blues unit learned their lessons quickly and managed to hold on in a Round 2 thriller against a fast-finishing Collegians to square their ledger at 1-1.

The Blacks didn’t stretch St Bernard’s quite so much. After leading by a kick at quarter time, the Blacks conceded 15 goals to 6 as the Dogs ran away with a comfortable victory.

But if ever there was a game to ignite the Blacks’ season, it’s a clash with their Melbourne Uni rivals and will be up for the fight here.

Watch the LIVE STREAM on VAFA.com.au from 1.50pm Saturday.

DE LA SALLE vs ST KEVIN’S (Saturday 2pm – Waverley Oval)

It’s been a tough reintroduction to Premier Men’s for De La Salle, facing Old Xavs and Old Scotch in the first two rounds. Things won’t get any easier in Round 3 as they host perennial contenders St Kevin’s at Waverley Oval.

After being annihilated in the opening round, De La showed some promising signs against the reigning champs in Round 2, including a 5-goal-to-3 final quarter that added some respectability to the scoreboard.

Coach Nick Hyland will have focused on defence because while his team has shown offensive glimpses (12 goals against the Cards), they are being scored against far too easily (47 goals in two games).

So expect De La to clamp down a little on the free-flowing football to try to gain some control and be able to hang in for longer before the opposition opens up a lead.

SKOB is battle-hardened after a challenging couple of matches, including a close loss to Old Scotch and a close win over Old Xavs in a nailbiter.

The visitors will start as favourites, but if the likes of Christian Algeri, Fraser Cameron and Rob Amendola can get off the chain, the De La faithful could find themselves in for a memorable afternoon.

Watch this game LIVE & FREE with our award-winning VAFA SEN Match of the Day coverage from 1.45pm Saturday on VAFA.com.au & the SEN app.

ST BERNARD’S vs OLD BRIGHTON (Saturday 2pm – The Snake Pit)

The Match of the Round might be at St Bernard’s College as two undefeated teams go head-to-head.

The Snowdogs have started the season superbly, doing the Melbourne Uni double in the opening fortnight as Steve Alessio’s tight-knit young group continues to grow and evolve.

Experienced campaigners such as Tom Sullivan and Matthew Watson have provided the Dogs with an edge. They are steadily putting together their puzzle after demonstrating some promising glimpses in 2024.

Now they get to test how far they have come by hosting last year’s minor premiers, who have also made an impressive start to 2025.

The Tonners put Blacks to the sword in the opening round, then comfortably accounted for Old Haileybury in Round 2. With established experience across all lines, they have few weaknesses.

But the young emerging Snowdogs play without fear and will be determined to find ways to force Old Brighton out of their comfort zone. That means denying them the football, because when the Tonners control possession, they control games and become virtually unbeatable.

They do this by controlling the inside game – Old Brighton ranked #1 for Contested Possessions, Ground Balls, Hard Gets & Clearances – so the contest will be critical.

St Bernard’s are ranked #3 in Contested Possession themselves, so if they can get their hands on the footy and effectively shift it out into space, they can disrupt the Tonners’ plans.

That’s easier said than done, but this promises to be a fascinating contest between a team we know will be a contender and one with ambitions of becoming one.

Enjoy this one LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.50pm Saturday!

OLD XAVERIANS vs OLD HAILEYBURY (Saturday 2pm – Toorak Park)

The final game of the round will provide an interesting gauge of where two potential finalists are at.

Old Xavs have added to their already impressive core of senior talent and are confident they now have everything they need to challenge for their first top-flight title since 2016.

They delivered a clear statement of intent when they dispatched De La Salle by 129 points in Round 1, before being brought back to Earth in a low-scoring slog against St Kevin’s, which they ultimately lost by 3 points.

The Bloods are also 1-1 in their return to Premier Men’s after storming away for a big win over Collegians, followed by a reality check from the Tonners at Brighton.

Now we get to see how they stack up against each other at the newly redeveloped Toorak Park.

The ruck battle promises to be a beauty with Jack Bell taking on Alec Spralja in a battle that Big V selectors will surely keep a close eye on.

The Bloods have won slightly more contested footy in the first two weeks, while Xavs have controlled the outside a touch more with successful kick-mark movement, including a whopping 40 Marks Inside 50 in the first fortnight.

They have multiple avenues to goal, with Charlie Knott, Charlie Macisaac, Ed Delaney, Stirling Phipps-Parsons, and Campbell Lane all regularly hitting the scoreboard.

Lane is also leading the competition for Disposals, with 77 across the first two games. He will have occupied plenty of Daniel Ward’s planning time this week.

At the other end, Durras Seccull is coming off a 5-goal performance, while Harrison Jones also has 5 for the season, with Charlie Harrop contributing 4. Can they crack the Xavs’ defence, which has only conceded 50 and 52 points so far this season?

So much to look forward to in this clash and you can catch it LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au from 1.50pm Saturday!

VAFA MEDIA LIVE COVERAGE – ROUND 3 (APRIL 25-26)

EVERY Premier Men’s match STREAMED LIVE & FREE on VAFA.com.au:

FRIDAY APRIL 25 (1pm):

Old Scotch                             vs             Collegians                 VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 12.50pm

SATURDAY APRIL 26 (2pm):

University Blues                   vs             University Blacks       VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.50pm       

St Bernard’s                           vs             Old Brighton              VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.50pm

De La Salle                             vs             St Kevin’s                   SEN MOTD & VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.45pm

Old Xaverians                       vs             Old Haileybury            VAFA.com.au LIVE STREAM – 1.50pm       

Watch matches on-demand on VAFATV