August 15, 2026
R16: VILLAGE SPLITS
Three wins, two costly losses
A Century of the Red & Black
Old Xaverians has from all evidence sealed the double chance and still has a shot at the minor premiership after the Premier section's R16 clashes. While top-ranked Uni Blues were stunned by bottom team St Bernard's, second-placed Xavs did for St Kevin's at Toorak Park by 39 points. It was a comprehensive win by the X-Men, a continuation of the form they showed last week, but displayed against a far superior opponent.
It took six minutes to get the party started. Charlie MacIsaac snapped beautifully over the shoulder to bring up the Xavs first, but Kevs replied two minutes later when they set up a loose man and ran it through the corridor.
At sixteen minutes, after a frustrating lack of return from boundary line sorties, the X-Men took it down the middle and Oli Sestan won the race for a Nick Guiney long bouncing ball and kicked it through. As they hit time-on, Sam Fisher tackled well and slotted a long goal from the arc. They scrapped for eight minutes without a result as Xavs played it wide again, but at 28 minutes, Bobby Knott snapped a ripper from a stoppage in front of the sticks. At the first break, Xavs led by 19 points.
That margin lasted just 90 secs as the visitors kicked their second after they stopped a promising Xavs entry and worked it back up the park with purpose. The Red 'n' Blacks attacked twice in succession, but both times couldn't finish. However, as SKOB looked to sweep forward, the home team picked off a kick, went forward and Sestan scored his second. A minute later, Delany went back and marked strongly in front of the tall uprights. He goaled and with 11 minutes gone, the Claret and Stout led by a game high 26 points. It should have been 32 moments later when the Kevins turned it over again, but confusion reigned and the shot missed. At 16 minutes, Kevs responded after they managed to retain possession in their forward arc for a couple of minutes.
The X-Men went forward again and Julian Gangi goaled from a snap after Fisher was manhandled. At 23 minutes, Sestan marked and kicked his third from close range as the Red 'n' Blacks attacked with purpose, and moments later, Gangi snapped another beauty after the home team pushed forward again. At 28 minutes, the X-Men had a lucky let-off when they passed the ball backwards with the sole intent of running down the clock. This tactic has proved costly on several occasions this year, but this time, they escaped punishment and went to the sheds up by 40 points.
St Kevin's opened second half proceedings with a goal at four minutes. Alec Spralja marked in traffic and belted it home from outside the arc. At 15 minutes, the Red 'n' Blacks moved the ball along the boundary line with precision and finished it with a straighten-up pass to Charlie MacIsaac, who goaled. Kevins dodged two successive bullets as the X-Men missed twice, but Nick Guiney bombed it from 50 metres to blow the lead to 56 points. King Charlie went around the corner and goaled again and the lead was beyond ten goals. Kevs replied at 27 minutes, their first since early in the term, and at the lemons, the margin was 57.
Early in the last, there were three woeful disposals by Xavs' defenders, but they escaped (again) with a couple of minor scratches. Eventually, at 11 minutes, Kevs scored their first goal of the term. Half way into the stanza, MacIsaac took a beautiful contested grab and kicked his fourth. And that was that for the X-Men's day. The errors set in as the gas exited the balloon, the umpires missed some things that others claim to have seen, and SKOB was left to rein in the margin before the siren ended it.
It was a comprehensive win for the Claret and Stout, who welcomed back Nick Guiney and Will Goss to add some further steel to the defence, this week led by Tommy Dunne. Campbell Lane and Marcus Stavrou, the latter playing game 100, were prolific in the midfield. Sammy Hansen continued his remarkable seaon, his tough inside play foiling opposition clearances and forcing a few for his own team. Oli Seastan and Charlie MacIsaac were dangerous forwards, while Alec Spralja shaded the competition's form ruckman and curbed his influence on the game.
There is still plenty of improvement left in the Red 'n' Blacks, who need to eliminate the laxity in their disposal, and give themselves a better chance of scoring goals by avoiding low percentage shots. Still, sometimes we have to settle for what is given to us, and what the Xavs served up, in the main, was Micelin-star fare.
Next week, the return bout with a desperate Haileybury, who cannot afford another loss. They will be strengthened with the return of some VFL players and will give it everything to give themselves a shot at remaining in Premier section.
Old Trinity (42) were clubbed by Uni Blacks (98) at the Daley, Old Brighton (132) belted Old Haileybury (60) at BBO, Old Scotch (126) did the business against Caulfield (92) at Glen Huntly, and in the surprise of the day, (for some), Uni Blues (37) went down to bottom-placed St Bernard's (49) in the Uni mud. The Snow Dogs are still alive (just).
The final four is set and we know Brighton and SKOB will play in the first semi-final. Blues and Xavs will have the double chance, but the minor premiership is still in the balance, as Blues are home to Caulfield, then finish at TH KIng. Xavs play at Haileybury next week and then meet Scotch at home.
At the bottom, Bernies play Brighton, then Trinity. Both are home games for the Snow Dogs.
Haileybury are home to Xavs, then away at Blacks, but they should be strengthened with a few VFL inclusions from next week.
Trinity host St Kevin's, then meet Bernard's at the Snakepit.
Caulfield meet Blues and host Old Brighton.
Uni Blacks, by dint of today's win, are safe.
St Kevin's won't be playing finals this year, but given the numerous players with good senior experience this campaign who played in today's curtainraiser, the Tricolours can look forward to some strong depth again in 2027.
Still, their immediate task at hand was to knock off the reigning premier, the table-topping Old Xavs, who had not dropped a game to the Kevs since April 2021. And after 88 minutes of battle today, that situation is unchanged.
Attacking the scoreboard end, Kevs scored the first goal at four minutes after two early chances for the X-Men drew single calicos. Xavs landed sixpointers through Hugh Basset and a couple of minutes later, Ted Kennedy, but the Kevins came hard late and bundled through two further majors in short order. The X-Men punched through another with just eight seconds left on the clock to snatch back a narrow advantage at the first change.
The visitors struck again with five minutes gone in the second, but it was their only shot of the term. The home team dominated possession and territory and had the final seven shots of the term for 3.4 to take an eight point lead to the long break.
The Glendaloughians owned the scoring early in the third stanza, adding 2.1 in the first five minutes before the X-Men picked up a minor score. But at 12 minutes, the Kevs goaled again and it was 44 each-of-two. The home team had five more shots to this stage, but no advantage. The teams swapped minor scores before Harry Bird goaled wth a minute to play in the term. At the lemons, the X-Men by five points with an 11 kph southerly blowing to their end in the final stanza.
The league-leader took just over a minute to more than double that lead. Mid-term, they scored another to re-establish their half-time advantage. Kevs added a behind, Xav added another two, and then kicked another goal to wrap their day. A 25 point win to the Red 'n Blacks. Next week, Old Haileybury, who played Brighton with 18 players and lost by 174 points.
The WOX needed to win by a few goals more than Williamstown, but they could manage only a one point victory. Meritorious as it was, Willy pulled out their best and won by a staggering 110 points, which was more than enough to keep them in fourth spot.
One week from their knockout semi-final against Wattle Park, the Red 'n' Blacks went down to Brunswick. The WOX never found a higer gear as they conceded goals in each quarter, while failing to kick one themselves. This team has showed a remarkable penchant for bouncing back and next week will provide a more accurate picture of their abilities.
The Red 'n' Blacks had a narrow win over Old Brighton back in R9 at Stradbroke Park, but today they left no doubt, smacking the Tonners by 33 points at BBO.
Apart from goals conceded in time-on in the second and third terms, the visitors largely dominated territory. However, this supremacy did not register on the scoreboard and he game remaiined close until the lemons.
In the final term, the Claret and Stout poured it on. A six goals to two final term underlined the improvement of this team since the early season.
Dn Welford played a masterful game in ruck, Angus Taylor was a great forward target, and Harry Tilley moved smoothly and used his left foot with deadly effect.
Now the Xavs are just a game back with two to play, and a win against Parkdale Vultures or St Bede's Mentone Tigers should enable a second-placed finish, a double chance and another crack at the Tonners in the second semi.
Kew came from behind to snatch victory in a high-scoring affair after trailing at every break. Xavs squandered too many opportunities and a seven goal last term from the visitors did the trick, sending the Red 'n' Blacks to a surprising defeat.
