May 4, 2026
SCOTT'S WINES
Welcome to our new Bronze Partner
A Century of the Red & Black
It was a very good day for the Red 'n' Blacks with nine wins from 11 games. The Reserves took over top place and the Seniors went to second with big R4 wins. The WOX lost a heart-stopper at Toorak Park while the WOX 2s had a great win at Ormond. All five Thirds teams performed well. The U19 Twos had a tough day, but the U19 Prem team won well in the twilight.
Caulfield Grammarians fought hard all afternoon but proved no match for a slick Old Xaverians at Toorak Park today.
The visitors opened with some promise but it was Xavs who goaled first. Will Goss kicked one at the Orrong Hotel end from the arc at seven minutes, but Caulfield went forward with intent for an instant reply. From the restart, first gamer Ollie Sestan, effected a clearance and the X-Men goaled again after Charlie MacIsaac leapt to take a high ball.
But the Hoops hit back and a big grab in front of the sticks saw them score their second. A minute later, they might have scored another as Xavs’ lazy use of the ball in the back arc gave the visitors an easy opportunity. A strong tackle from Alwyn Davey produced a free kick and a goal to break the tie at 17 minutes. Another shot from Goss fell short and Caulfield cleared, but it came right back. MacIsaac goaled from 50 metres after being held without the cherry and into time-on, the X-Men led by two goals. Two minutes later, Julian Gangi goaled from a similar spot after the Red ‘n’ Blacks swept forward with purpose. At 26 minutes, a chain of handballs ended with Wade Brusnahan, who slammed through the home team’s fourth in a row.
Again, risky moves with the ball from Xavs’ defenders nearly cost them a goal as the quarter closed with the Claret and Stout leading 38-15. Ignoring the two really poor choices down back, the home team had plenty coming out of the middle and were hitting targets and combining well, particularly in the front half. In addition, their pressure was causing the Hoops to turn the ball over with some regularity.
Guiney rebounded strongly, and a lovely handball from Oscar Duncan gave Davey his second at two minutes of the second quarter. Xavs did all the attacking, but three times drew just the single calico. At 10 minutes, the visitors found a way forward and booted their third. At 16 minutes, Xavs were back in business when Davey was caught high and kicked his third from the arc. Seemingly annoyed by some careless balls in the midfield, Goss went forward, snatched the handball and without any messing around, smashed it through for his second. At 26 minutes, the visitors kicked long to the square and goaled to bring the margin into 33 points, which didn’t quite match the Red ‘n’ Blacks’ dominance.
After going forward twice without success, the Xavs conceded another goal at four minutes into the third term, but Campbell Lane gave Brusnahan the chance for a big grab. The Celebrant took it, and goaled. MacIsaac booted it long and Ed Delany went up for the strong grab. He goaled too. And at 12 minutes, so did Stirling Phipps-Parsons, who baulked twice and clipped it through with the outside of his right foot. Xavs’ best passage of play for the afternoon – an overlapping run and chain of handballs through the centre of the ground - was spoiled by an errant shot. Five minutes later, another coast-to-coast run, and some beautiful ballhandling from Davey, was dimmed by another poor finish from a hard-running defender. Still, an eight-goal lead to the Claret and Stout at the lemons after a 3.5 to 1.2 term.
Jack O’Sullivan added another to the Xavs’ account inside the first minute of the final stanza. Phipps-Parsons missed narrowly but Brusnahan didn’t after a courageous mark in the scoreboard pocket. At eight minutes, Nick Guiney ran forward and smashed a long one home after taking a handball at full tilt. The Fields responded at ten minutes, but O’Sullivan threaded the needle at 12 minutes.
Then the Red ‘n’ Blacks swept forward at speed and Delaney led, marked and goaled. Sestan marked and flipped it on to Brusnahan, who booted his fourth. MacIsaac added another one and Davey booted his fourth with a long set shot and the lead was out to 93. Bobby Knott made it 99. Goss sixed again from the scoreboard pocket after Sam Ralph honoured his run-by, and the X-Men had posted ten for the quarter. The Hoops went forward for their seventh to pull the margin under the ton.
The Claret and Stout had good players all over the park. Sestan was elite with his choices and his disposal, and Goss again very effective with three goals from a back pocket. Davey sparkled and was ever dangerous.
With Blues going down to St Kevin’s, the Red ‘n’ Blacks moved into second spot, with next week's clash against Uni Blues (3-1, 3rd) looming large.
Old Haileybury (124) clubbed Old Scotch (81) at Parc des Princes to send the Cardinals into further danger. At Daley, Old Trinity (87) survived a massive challenge from St Bernard's (81). Hitherto unbeaten Uni Blues (69) fell to a disciplined St Kevin's (92) under the spires, while Old Brighton (76) lost for the first time at BBO in nearly 1000 days as previously winless Uni Blacks (78) pipped them in the round's closest affair.
Caulfield came to Toorak Park at 1-2 and announced their intentions with an early opening shot. It went wide. It was to be their only score for the term as the Claret and Stout sprang into action. And after the opening stanza, things got worse for the Fieldsmen. Much worse.
Will MacIsaac opened the Xavs’ with a goal three minutes in and then approaching halfway in the first term, Atticus Scally and then Ted Kennedy goaled too. Ollie Britten-Jones followed up with the X-Men’s fourth and Bailey Whelan the team’s fifth. The reigning premier was playing hurry-up football, with four goals in four minutes and 20 seconds. The storm before the calm, perhaps, but brief was the respite, as MacIsaac nailed his second with four minutes to play. And they went to the quarter time huddle at 38-1. The Fieldsmen, who had conceded an average of just 56 points per game on this young season, had been summarily swamped.
The Senator returned to the chamber and slotted his second goal six minutes into the term, but the home team’s radar had gone missing. Caulfield goaled at 10 minutes to end a skein of seven unanswered majors from the home team, but Xavs struck again at 14 minutes and then again four minutes later to go to the half with a nine-goal lead.
The Red ‘n’ Blacks began the day in second position as one of three unbeaten teams. The others, Old Brighton and Uni Blacks, were meeting at BBO, and the half-time score suggested the Tonners were about to be knocked from their perch.
Caulfield’s two losses had seen them slowed to a walk in the second half, and given the Xaverians’ penchant for post-pep talk poundings, many might have been asking ‘just how far’ for Dan Richardson’s team.
The margin would be determined first by the strength of thevisitors’ resistance after the break as well as the accuracy of the X-Men’s kicking. It had been on the money in the first term, but prodigal in the second. Will MacIsaac opened with another goal after 90 seconds but the Fieldsmen responded minutes later. At eight minutes, the Red ‘n’ Blacks kicked their eleventh to stretch the margin to an even ten goals and with Kennedy and Britten-Jones getting into the act again, it blew out to 12 goals at the lemons.
This Xavs team is not one to rest on its laurels and it added another three majors in the first eight minutes of the final stanza before the Hoops seized one back with ten minutes to play. In the end, the X-Men won by three figures when Caulfield scored the final major after Xavs had booted seven for the stanza.
Kye Walford, down from the seniors, was best afield and slotted another three. Wills Bowen and MacIsaac were effective again, the latter booting five to take the lead in the Prem Reserves goalkicking. Ben Moyle was again in the best, and Liam Danielis-Morley impressed again. Charlie Holmes showed plenty again, while Ted Kennedy and Ollie Britten Jones played Batman and Robin, and slotted three each.
The word came from the beach: Uni Blacks had beaten Old Brighton easily, and the X-Men were in top spot.
Old Xaverians managed just two shots on goal, and that was not enough to get the points at Toorak Park. The Red 'n' Blacks failed to bother the scorers in the first half, while OMs had put up an early goal. So the outlook wasn't brilliant for the WOX XVIII today: the score stood eight to zip, with but one half yet to play.
Then came Lia Siniakov, who goaled at six minutes in the third to give the Claret and Stout some hope, and then again at 19 minutes to put them in front. OMs had kicked just three points in the middle terms, so they went to the lemons with the home team just one point to the good.
The last stanza was territorial struggle. There were just two further scores in the term, both minors and both to the Dark Blues, who didn't kick straight, but in the end, did enough.
The WOX fall to 1-3 on the season.
Ormond kicked their first goal minutes after the game's first ball-up, and they booted their next just before the final siren. In between these, the Monders' only shots, the crowd at EE Gunn was treated to a fine early morning display from the Red 'n' Blacks.
The visitors scored two late goals in the first term to seize the lead. Neither team landed a major in the second, but Xavs scored one in the third and topped it off with two in the last. Praan Kulnides led the goalscorers with two, and Audrty James was adjudged best on the park.
The WOX Twos are on a roll at 3-1, their only blemish being a forfeit in Round 2 due to insufficient numbers.
After a very competitive first half, Old Xaverians kicked clear of the Fieldsmen to win their twilight contest at Toorak Park by 34 pints.
Charlie Landrigan and Harry Tilley booted three apiece and Dan Welford was named BOG, though the team had solid performers all over the park.
The Claret and Stout are fourth, but one of four teams sharing a 3-1 win-loss record. Next week, they will battle SKOB (2-2) at TH King.
Max Quin and best -on-ground Connor Spears landed four each as the Xavs dominated their contest with St Bernard's at West Essendon.
The Red 'n' Blacks led at each quarter and won going away. Next week, it's a battle with fourth-ranked SKOB.
Adam MacIsaac doubled Uni Blues goal output as the Big Lizards routed Blues at Crawford Oval. The top-ranked Xavs meet eighth-placed Old Scotch next week unless the VAFA redraws the section in the interim.
A good day for the Wills, with W Exell booted five and W Troy leading the pack that lashed the Lions. It was a wire-to-wire win for the Red 'n Blacks, who remain the top-ranked team in the section.
The Ménages improved to 3-1 with an easy win over Old Geelong. The Xavs took their opportunities early and were never troubled. Next week, they meet the second-placed Old Brighton.
The Red 'n' Blacks got hold of the Seasiders early at Stradbroke Park and never let up, registering a massive 139 point win. The Xavs sit in third spot, a game behing the top-placed Uni Blacks, wjho might well find themselves regraded very soon.
Charlie Hall slammed through five and was BOG, as Harry West nailed four in the goal riot.
