Three Xavs team, two grand finals and two more premierships for the Red 'n Blacks.

The Under 23s won their eighth and the Old Xaverians their 94^thpremiership when the Glock23s took down Old Brighton at headquarters to secure the Thirds Div 1 title.

There’s no doubt that Elsternwick knows how to turn on a party, but when the calendar turns to September, it becomes a little fickle. The wind there, whether in a summer or winter pattern - and it moves between the two weekly - provides little joy.

Still, the ground looked lush as the Glock23s set about trying to defeat Old Brighton for the third time in five weeks. The Red ‘n' Blacks dominated the opening term kicking 1.6. with Tom Curtain the only one to split the tall uprights midway through the stanza. Still, the Tonners registered just 0.3 for the term.

They changed ends. Will Exell landed and early major inside two minutes, but Brighton pegged one back as they crossed seven minutes. After the teams swapped points, the quarter ebbed away without drama until the mercurial Frankie O’Callaghan kicked the Glock23s third as they entered time on.  However, the Tonners kicked straight again for their second goal at 23 minutes. And the tight first half seemed like it would finish there, but at 25 minutes, Tommy Davine snagged a late one to give the Red ‘n Blacks a 34-17 lead as they trudged to the sheds.

The third quarter commenced in a 56 kph westerly that gusted to 65 kph. At 5 minutes, the Tonners struck first, pulling the margin to just 11 points. It took another six minutes of fighting the wind before Will Sheedy split the sticks and then another two for him to repeat the dose. Xavs by 24 halfway through the third, but then it was back to the arm wrestle. While the Tonners couldn’t trouble the scorers, the next ten and a half minutes were nearly as barren for the Glocks, who could manage just three behinds. Then, as he has done so many times, O’Callaghan stepped forward at 23 minutes and kicked his second. At the lemons, the X-Men led by 33 points, having won the term 3.4 to zip.

Coach McLaughlin and his staff urged the boys to keep the pace, knowing that every minute of dominance would reduce the Tonners’ chance of a meaningful fightback. At 21 shots to seven, the X-Men had been the better team, but games, finals particularly, are played out over four quarters, and finishing ahead is required only at the end of the last.

And then they went out to play again. Will Sheedy struck in the first minute, adding his third. Seven minutes elapsed before Xavs made it a 40-point ball game with another single calico. Willy Exell kicked truly at 12 minutes to stretch it to 45 points, and though the quarter was just half over, the game was almost done. Not quite. The Tonners had the next four shots and scored 2.2 to bring them inside six goals with perhaps ten minutes left. At 19 minutes, they kicked another. This was a long clock to try to burn, and surely the Red ‘n’ Blacks would respond. Tom Curtain did, almost immediately, booting his second at 20 minutes. The ticking grew louder, the Beach Boys launched one final shot that missed, and just to make it official, Exell kicked his last goal od the year on the siren, and the Glock23s had won it all.

‍

‍

‍

VS

HEADLINE

The Crocodiles are the champions of the VAFA’s Premier Thirds section, defeating their stablemate Thirds in rugged conditions at Elsternwick Park. This title is their 25^th overall, and the 95^th for the Old Xaverians in 96 completed seasons since 1923.

It was another of those brother vs brother, mate vs mate games that club officials and supporters often loathe, but the especially players love. After all, we are the cruellest towards those whom we love the most and it is the lot of four of the Old Xavs’ five Thirds teams to be pitted in a sectionagainst a stablemate, and Grand Final derbies are no new thing.

It was a sparkling first term from both teams, whose skill levels made a mockery of the conditions. The Crocodiles, with two early goals to Jon Merlo, set the tone. Alby Hewitt responded for the Thirds, but Tiernan O’Brien and Merlo, again, split the middle again. The Emerald Hose were out by 17. The Thirds scored a brace, one to and one to Harry Warfe, and the margin was less than a goal, but Sean ‘Stinga’ Stanley finished again and the ‘Reps’ led by 11 points.

The Diles increased the lead again in the second term. The margin had blown out to 24 points and the Crocswere looking sound. Merlo, completing his first season with the Crocs, and his first season of football anywhere in a decade, struck again, and the teams wentto the rooms separated by 29 points.

Thirds Coach Matt Bourke was undoubtedly looking for some of the third-quarter magic that his team had displayed last week, but not a minute had elapsed in the third term before the Diles put another one on the board. A minute later, there was a response from the minor premier to reduce the difference to an even 30. The teams traded minor scores, and the clock continued to run. Conditions weren’t proving any type of aid to a comeback. The only goal remaining in the third went on the Crocs’ side of the ledger. 34 points the difference at the lemons.

Again, it was the Reptiles who opened the scoring in the final term, booting three consecutive behinds. With 11 minutes gone, Truck Speakman sent another one through the bigger sticks and everyone just wanted this one to be over.

In the end, the Crocodiles by 46 in a stunning victory.

‍

‍

‍

‍