Joel Kennedy

Round 6 of the Holmesglen Under 19’s Premier Men’s competition delivered a handful of exciting games with close margins; from the winless De La going down to the wire against Old Xavs, to the top two sides doing battle for bragging rights.

Touted as the match of the round, it was Old Brighton who snuck past Old Scotch at Camberwell Sportsground on Saturday. The top of the table clash didn’t disappoint with a seesawing affair and the game had its expected streaks of brilliance.

Offering up a 14-point-deficit at quarter time, Old Brighton rallied to snatch the lead back at the half. With just 5 points in it heading into the final quarter, the stage was set for a fiery contest and with both sides in form, it was anyone’s game. The Tonners were all too good when it counted, racing home to a 12-point victory to make them the clear outlier at the top of the table.

It was Sebastian Watter, Oliver Aloi, Jonah Campigli, Oliver Goodger, Tommy Keyte and Flynn Bongiorno who led the way throughout the game for the travelling side, being named best afield. Whilst Jake Phillips and Finn Nankervis earned the recognition for Scotch.

Despite the loss, Old Scotch will draw confidence from the day, matching it with the premiership favourites for a large majority of the game. With the victory, the Brighton boys have extended their season winning streak to 6 and remain two games clear at the top of the ladder.

In a match up at Stradbroke Park that could have been a one-sided affair, De La Salle was able to match the strength of Old Xaverians in a back-and-forth tussle that saw Xavs prevail by just 9 points.

Entering the final quarter leading by 16 points, it looked almost certain that the winless De La Salle would register their first victory. If it weren’t for a last gasp effort from Old Xavs, they would have done just that. The Old Xaverians were clinical in the final minutes, kicking five goals to one. Thomas Gorman, Charlie Hall, and Xavier Austin were pivotal, whilst Charlie Christopher led the way down forward, slotting 3 majors.

For De La Salle, Mack Higginbotham and James Harper shone bright to put their side in with a fighting chance. De La will carry the belief in their ability to compete with the top teams into Round 7 as they search for their first four points.

On home turf at TH King Oval St Kevin’s outlasted Williamstown CYMS after an extremely slow start. Williamstown CYMS shot out of the blocks to start the game, kicking 3 goals and 5 behinds, settling into the first break with a handy 21-point buffer.

Challenged by the coaching staff at the quarter time address, it was St Kevin’s who responded by kicking a flurry of goals, whilst keeping their opponents to just a single major for the quarter. They entered the main break with a 5-point lead.

SKOB continued the trend, pulling away late in the contest to conclude the game as 27-point victors. Samuel Jones and Conor Lynch were influential for SKOB getting them back in the contest, with Hudson Lefoe, Jack Luscombe-Gluyas, and Samuel Mazza all multiple goal kickers for the afternoon. At the other end, Jackson Daley was the only dual goal scorer for the CY’s, while Noah Hannaford was best on ground in his best performance of the season.

University Blues continued their excellent form, defeating Beaumaris by 33-points. Despite trailing late in the penultimate quarter, the Blues stormed home in a dominant display. Uni Blues register their third win and are now building some required form, with the likes of Oliver Scalzo and Grant Walker delivering best on ground displays, ably led by Luca Di Lallo in front of goals, slotting 4 majors for the afternoon.

For Beaumaris, Flynn Groves, Carlos Reynolds, and Luka Pecer played solid roles in keeping their side competitive. The final score line of 93-60 does not accurately reflect the closeness of the contest, but all credit to the University Blues it signifies their ability to get the job done and motor home to victory.

Rounding out the weekend, St Bedes/Mentone Tigers narrowly edged out Caulfield Grammarians at home.

The contest was neck and neck all the way through to half time, with Caulfield narrowly ahead. The second half was a different story as St Bedes turned the table in their favour and Caulfield was challenged comprehensively to stay in it. The Tigers held a 14-point lead at the final siren to register their third win of the season.

Harry Shepherdson and Tommy Lomagno stood tall in the victory while Simon Taylor was prolific in front of goals. For the opposition it was Chris Pietsch who was named best afield, alongside James Hill and Jack Pinder, meanwhile Kayne Watt booted another 4 goals.

Looking ahead Old Brighton will open the Round 7 campaign when they host Old Xaverians at Brighton Beach Oval. St Bedes/Mentone Tigers will travel just down the road to face off against their evenly matched neighbours in Beaumaris.

Over at Waverly Oval, De La Salle will be drawing on home ground advantage as well as their hunger to get a win on the board when they come up against Williamstown CYMS. Old Scotch and Caulfield Grammarians will do battle with both sides looking to get back on the winners list, while University Blues host St Kevin’s in a middle of the table clash.