June 13, 2026
R8: STRANGE DAY INDEED
The action returned with some strange results
A Century of the Red & Black
Ones, Twos, WOX Twos and U19 Premier all salute.
Old Xaverians defeated Uni Blacks by 17 points in a hard-fought affair at Toorak Park today. The relative positions on the premiership table suggested a one-sided affair but the wind and promised showers cast doubt on those expectations. Campbell Lane’s withdrawal had the oddsmakers winding in the price for the visitors.
Whatever, the X-Men did all the early attacking to the High Street end but conceded the first at six minutes. Blacks won the restart after a centre bounce scramble and promptly added a second.
At 11 minutes, Alwyn Davey took an intercept mark on the forward mark and banged it home post high. They went forward again. Charlie Holmes bowled a bouncer from the outside of his right foot, Wade Brusnahan went up and tapped it to Charlie MacIsaac, who kicked his first. Brusnahan had his own chance from the restart and delivered Xavs’ third in three minutes.
Blacks replied immediately and added another two minutes later to retake the lead at 18 minutes. Into time-on, the Xavs’ defence held firm. Julian Gangi’s kick to the midfield was scooped by Delany, who opened Jack O’Saullivan, whose pass to King Charlie’s back shoulder saw the X-Men take the lead. A minute later, Bobby Knott goaled.
Blacks went forward only to look a gift horse in the mouth from 20 metres. Xavs went forward at the end but the siren beat them. A goal the difference at the first change, with Xavs looking smoother up forward, but the visitors doing well in the middle and applying pressure to the Red ‘n’ Blacks’ defence.
The second term opened with much of the play within the arcs. C MacIsaac had two plonks but neither quite made it to the line. Delany grabbed a Davey setup and slipped it through at nine minutes. MacIsaac marked in front of the scoreboard and kicked his third and gave Xavs a 20-point lead. The margin was short-lived as Blacks kicked their fifth with 13 minutes gone. At 18 minutes the visitors missed another opportunity, and two minutes later, missed again. Third time lucky it was, as defensive fumbles cost Xavs another goal. A goal the difference at 22 minutes. And a minute later, it was all tied up. Not for long. Loose checking saw the visitors nail another one to put them back in front and they went to the sheds with the visitors ahead by seven points.
The Red ‘n’ Blacks had some great performers in the first half, but also several players virtually unsighted. There were plenty of uncharacteristic errors and concentration lapses and return by some to bad habits. All in all, Coach Donati would have had plenty to discuss with his charges during the break.
They resumed in rain and at seven minutes, Gangi snapped a left-foot beauty from the southeastern pocket. Blacks missed, but the Claret ‘n’ Stout raced down the ground and Brusnahan goaled. King Charlie was pushed out of a contest and kicked his fourth as they hit 13 minutes. At 15 minutes, a brilliant spoil from Brusnahan started a passage that ended with MacIsaac being scragged again. Goal number five for the sharpshooter and the X-Men had built a 16 point lead. For the next several minutes, Xavs pressed, but couldn’t goal. Bobby Knott did at 29 minutes, a well measured set shot from near the Blacks’ dugout. Charlie was in everything at a late throw in near the Xavs’ goal, darting around like a sheepdog. He was interfered with as well, and he posted number six. Out of the middle, a long bomb from Sam Ralph spun harder than a thousand Nathan Lyon off breaks and Xavs were up by 35 points as they went to the lemons.
Blacks had managed just five quarters in the third term, while Xavs, perhaps chastened by their ordinary first half, smashed through 7.4, in the process doubling their own score.
Three minutes into the last, Blacks snapped their first major response. They got another one a couple minutes later, bringing the margin inside four goals. Scrambles and pack football dominated the next minutes, but at 13 minutes, the visitors kicked another.
With the margin into sixteen points, and the home crowd was restless, but the X-Men couldn’t find a way to clear the ball from their defensive zone. As they hit time on, they did, scooting down the far side, but the shot missed. At 23 minutes, the skies opened again and the game descended into a scrum. Wet ball, wet ground, and Xavs missed at 26 minutes.
Time ran out with the home team retaining top spot with the victory. It wasn’t pretty, but Blacks, who seem destined to win more contests soon, competed hard and troubled a team that looked, somehow, a little nervous.
Brighton have now lost consecutive games and, more importantly, have been held to 62 and 70 points. The Blues reminded everyone why they remain such a dangerous side: when their ball movement is functioning, they can pull apart even the strongest defensive structures. Cotter bootd five and Stewart four for the victors.
Since Round 3 Caulfield has become one of the competition's most improved teams, and this result reinforces that trend. Their pressure profile, work rate and ability to score from turnover continue to improve.
Scotch had looked shaky after conceding 107 and 119 in successive weeks, but they responded magnificently. Holding Trinity to just 45 points suggests their defensive structure remains capable of troubling quality opposition when their pressure game is functioning.
A demolition. Haileybury were competitive against Blues only two weeks ago, but St Kevin's completely overwhelmed them. The result further strengthens the view that the competition now has a clear leading group and that SKOB is in it.
Much had been made of Uni Blacks’ fine early season form and justifiably so. They had strung together seven Ws in a row, an improbable recovery by a team that had taken some serious drubbings in recent campaigns. Yes, the Phoenix had risen in the autumn.
Whether they were strong enough to take on the Old Xaverians, who had slipped just once this season was another matter, but the strong cross-breeze conditions certainly offered them an opportunity to bounce the Red ‘n Blacks’ off their rhythm and keep things tight.
Uni Blacks struck first but Xavs got away with their big fellows, Oscar Duncan and then Ted Kennedy, booting majors. Harry Warfe, making his Reserves debut, plonked through the X-Men’s third towards the end of the term and the reigning premier led by 14 points at the first change.
The hosts opened with a couple of stray shots early in the second term and then Will MacIsaac, who sits atop the competition’s goalscorers, booted his first for the afternoon at six minutes. The visitors answered five minutes later, but Duncan slotted his second in response. Sam Bowen landed his first and the X-Men were out by a match-high 28 points.
Blacks, having been restricted to just three shots against the home team’s eleven, looked to be in some strife with eight minutes to play in the first half. They had the only two scoring shots later in the term and managed to pull back a goal one minute before time expired.
Will MacIsaac kicked his second with eight minutes elapsed in the third stanza, but less than 90 seconds later, the visitors pounced for their fourth goal, and then their fifth. The X-Men led by 15 points with nine minutes to play in the third. Harry Warfe chimed in for the Claret and Stout with his second major to curb the Blacks’ momentum, but then the visitors nailed another one and the game seemed still in some doubt. That feeling grew stronger as the Varsity kicked its fourth for the term as the clock wound down to the lemons. Four shots to three for the term, favouring the road warriors,who had drawn twin calicos with them all.
Ten points separated them as they began the last quarter and the arm wrestle resumed. In the fifth minute, Xavs managed a behind. At eight minutes, they kicked another, the ‘valuable point’ to put them two goals clear. At ten minutes, the ‘really valuable’ point’ gave the home team a 13-point surplus, while wiser heads questioned the real value of missed opportunities. Not to worry. At 11 minutes, Will MacIsaac booted his third to give his team even greater breathing space. Goal umpires shivered for the next nine minutes as the close combat was restored. Matt Exell and Kennedy scored goals in the final two minutes to finish a quarter that had offered Xavs eight shots and Blacks none.
Final margin was 32, with the Claret and Stout going away when the result was no longer in doubt. Xavs took top spot and the further bad news for Blacks was that they now fall to third as their stablemate Uni Blues beat Brighton by a point. Still, there’s a long way to go, and it looks as if the two University teams will provide the Red ‘n’ Blacks with the strongest opposition the rest of the way. No-one will be under-estimating them.
Sam Bowen again stood out in a solid team win. Will Bowen was effective too and with the triple tall options up front, the targets for the midfield are not insignificant.
In a low-scoring game at Basil Reserve, the WOX failed by a whisker to take down top team, the unbeaten Beaumaris.
Poppy Lawrance was best for the Red 'n' Blacks, who came back after the Sharks had a strong second term.
The WOX are no far off the pace. They are sitting third and a win at Williamstown next week will further strengthen their claims.
A very steady performance from the Red 'n' Blacks saw them overcome an initial Albert Park advantage to win by 17 points.
Prior to the contest, the Falcons enjoyed a surfeit of half-a-game plus plenty of percentage over the Xavs, but this was forgotten as the visitors roared into action after half-time. In difficult conditions, they added two goals in each term while their hosts snagged just one goal after quarter time.
Chloe Psyhogios was best afield and booted two goals, showing the way for her committed teammates who never stopped until the game was won.
The WOX are proving to be very competitve and have played some attractive football. Their biggest threat appears to the availability of players. As has happened many times, the playing squad took the field today in an important clash without a full complement.
Old Xaverians beat a 6-1 St Bede's Mentone Tigers at Brindisi Street, hanging on in a tense final term to seize the points.
It was a gutsy win from the youngsters. Their third quarter was superb but much of it was taken up on the chase to erase their halftime deficit. At the lemons, the only question was 'had they done enough'. Not quite, but a fourth quarter goal and a resolute defence ensured Xavs took the points.
The U19 Twos trailed Parkside all game, with the big difference being accuracy around the sticks.
