May 31, 2025
BIG WINS BEFORE BREAK
Week 8 Wrap
A Century of the Red & Black
Football returned after the break and for the Old Xaverians, the day meant eight of our ten teams pocketing the points. That included the WOX, who had a big win over Marcellin, and the Premier Thirds, who had the bye. Only our injury-ravaged U19s missed out on a day that was cold and windy, but featured plenty of goals nonetheless.
Old Xaverians cleaned up De La Salle by 56 points on a windswept Waverley Oval in Round 9 action. Fielding a team that was ten players removed from that which played against De La Salle in R1, the Xavs were comparatively slow to move into their work, but once they edged ahead, they were dominant.
Overuse of the ball was an enemy to efficiency on this day when few players were strangers to turnovers, but the X Men were strong enough to withstand some errors and went on to win going away. De La was plucky, perhaps a promising sprint prospect, but certainly not ready to take on the stayers.
Xavs conceded the first goal inside two minutes when De La swept out of defence and scored. A couple of minutes later, the Bellers repeated the dose, showing speed and precision. In the first five minutes, the home team landed three tackles that were rewarded with free kicks. Other than that, the Blue and Golds were first to the ball and looked very dangerous. The Red 'n’ Blacks moved forward with method, and Bobby Knott slotted one home after a great tackle. Nick Guiney was swamped illegally and goaled to level it up at 17 minutes. At 26, Knott’s hand-off to Sam Fisher resulted in Xavs’ third. The X-Men led by a goal at the first change.
Nick Guiney opened the scoring in the second with a long one on the breeze at 6 minutes. Xavs missed twice from set shots, but Fisher found himself on the end of a handball chain and slammed through his second to give the X-Men a 20 point lead. As time-on approached, the home team got one back. At 27 minutes, Guiney thumped home another from a restart. As tempers flared, Fisher ran into an open goal for Xavs’ seventh. A dubious decision gave the home team a late reply, and the Red ‘n' Blacks went to the sheds leading by 23 points.
The first half had been a scrappy affair, but a look around the grounds indicated similar elsewhere. In fact, Xavs’ score of 7.7 was the biggest in the Premier section and their margin was the widest.
Charlie MacIsaac goaled after Xavs dominated early going inthe third, but De La replied at 13 minutes and scored their sixth three minutes later. Fisher pulled one back at the other end, with a long bomb after a strong mark. Hamish MacIsaac worked hard to earn a free kick and kicked a beauty from outside the arc. The X-Men assumed a 29 point margin, their biggest of the day, at 22 minutes, but again the dogged Blue and Golds added their sixth. But at 33 minutes, Fisher roved the Tex Wanganeen leap and snapped it home again. Xavs went to the lemons with a 29 point advantage, with the choppy breeze favouringt he Chadstone end to which they would kick in the last.
The last quarter produced plenty of effort from the players, but little joy to the large crowd. At ten minutes, Charlie MacIsaac slotted a snap after pouncing on an errant sideways pass. A minute later, Charlie pulled the same trick, intercepting and then kicking it home from a mark. Xavs by eight goals. Jack O’Sullivan goaled as they entered time-on. King Charlie hammered another one to bring up the hundred for the X-Men. Late in the piece, De La booted a belated six-pointer, but Josh Cumberlidge, who played some seniorf ootball with DLS but was on senior debut for the Claret and Stout today, goaled from another Fisher centre break to finish the day’s proceedings.
A second debutant, Connor Dunne, was very impressive, while Josh Kennedy provided plenty in the clinches in his first showing.
However, there is little doubt that Sam Fisher pocketed the votes. His midfield impetus and five goals saw him stand out. Hamish MacIsaac and Tommy Dunne were solid at the back, while Bobby Knott and Charlie Westcott were creative closer to goal. Alec Spralja won the ruck and did plenty of his own roving in a solid performance. Charlie MacIsaac, who found little space early, came to the fore later and was unstoppable.
BEST: Samuel Fisher, Nick Guiney, Hamish MacIsaac, Charlie Knott, Thomas Dunne, Alec Spralja
GOALS: Samuel Fisher 5, Charlie MacIsaac 4, Nick Guiney 3, Josh Cumberlidge 1, Charlie Knott 1, Hamish MacIsaac 1, Jack O’Sullivan 1
Under the spires, Old Brighton (64) lost its first game of the year to Uni Blacks (67) in a boilover. Half way through the last the margin had been three points, and the teams traded two goals each before the clock expired.
St Kevin’s (82) won at the King, beating Old Scotch (71).The Reds lead by 26 points at quarter time, but by the lemons, Kevs led by 16. At 29 minutes, the Caledonians missed a shot that would have seen them take the lead, and the Tricolors responded less than a minute later with a goal that gave them the points.
At Harry Trott, Collegians (37) led for three quarters but fell eventually to Old Haileybury (71), who finished off the Lions with six last quarter goals to none.
Uni Blues (54) didn’t break their West Essendon hoodoo, and St Bernard’s (54) failed to win their first at the Snakepit for the season as the teams battled to a draw. The Swamp Hens had taken a six-point lead at 25 minutes, but the Pitters tied it up 90 seconds later before the umpires raised both hands to call ‘no mas’.
Old Xavs wreaked havoc from the beginning, destroying De LaSalle by 143 points at Dairy Bell.
The visitors’ 24.19 was their biggest road score and biggest win of the season, now half-way complete, though fell short of their biggest score of the season by 8 points.
The Red ‘n’ Blacks have regularly been a bit slow out of the blocks, but then again, they said that more than once about Usain Bolt. This day the Xavs bounced out, with five goals in each of the first and second terms. Matt Exell and Ted Kennedy were instrumental in this, with ‘Monkey’ and the ‘Senator’ scoring regularly before the long break.
After half-time, the Claret and Stout rolled on. No-one could match it with Bolt over the final 50 metres or so and that has proven the case too with the Red ‘n’ Blacks of recent vintages.
While De La did manage another goal mid third stanza, the X-Men kept pumping away and kicked another six goals to lead by 99 points at the lemons.
The heavy artillery took an even greater toll in the last term. Again, De La scored, but the visitors kept up their offensive with another eight goals. It really was a pounding.
Jack Kennedy was the pick of a fine bunch, and Exell, Ted Kennedy and Ed Delany kicked four apiece in the goal bonanza.
BEST: Jack Kennedy, Will Goss, William Egan, Hayden Troiani, Nicholas Brown, Charles Holmes
GOALS: Ed Delany 4, Matt Exell 4, Edward Kennedy 4, Sam Hansen 2, Charles Holmes 2, Hayden Troiani 2, Hugh Basset 1, Nicholas Brown 1, Charlie Cranderson 1, Liam Danielis-Morley 1, Will Golds 1, Will Goss 1
The WOX led from start to finish, disposing of Marcellin at Basil Reserve. Amelie Menegola found the sticks three times in the win, which saw the Xavs jump up the ladder into fourth spot on percentage.
Mels Poulton and Clarke picked up where they left off before the break, and Emily Callinan was also very effective.
Apart perhaps during the goalless second term, the WOX looked in control, and they finished emphatically with three goals in the final stanza.
BEST: Melissa Poulton, Emily Callinan, Mel Clarke, Amelie Menegola, India Harries, Chiara Chiarelli
GOALS: Amelie Menegola 3, Bella Villani 2, Anabelle Gangi 1, Julia Halaseh-Russo 1
A strong performance, but no cigar from a team missing plenty of its stars.
BEST: Charlie Landrigan, Xavier Austin, Tommy Trist, James Godde, Ted Hansen, Adam Rizzo
GOALS: Charlie Landrigan 2, Xavier Austin 1, Gerard Forrest 1, Ted Hansen 1, Alby Hewitt 1, Charlie Hummerston 1, Patrick Kenny 1, Tom Scalzo 1
Another tough day for the young ones, falling to old rival De La Salle.
The Reptiles took care of Uni Blues at Stradbroke, winning comprehensively after leading at every change. Ed Ralph was the star and Adam MacIsaac booted four in the R9 win. .
BEST: Edward Ralph, Adam MacIsaac, William Bryce, Samuel Stynes, Jack Lowe, Seamus O'Shannassy
GOALS: Adam MacIsaac 4, Matt Perrett 3, Samuel Stynes 3, Josh Lyon 2, Nicholas Harries 1, Tiernan O'Brien 1
The Menages had no trouble with the Phoenix, with Rory Calvert striking hard again with ten big ones in a BOG performance.
BEST: Rory Calvert, Tom Paul, John Kenny, Harry McCarthy, Nick Nunan, Edison Ponari
GOALS: Rory Calvert 10, Will Mantesso 2, Oliver Bringans 1, James Forrest 1, Nate Kaige 1, John Kenny 1, Edison Ponari 1, William Reed 1
The Red ‘n’ Blacks had a meritorious win at Fearon Reserve, spurred by five goals from Frankie O’Callaghan. Connor Briscoe was best, and had some decent assistance from many, including Oscar Smart and Tom Curtain.
BEST: Connor Briscoe, Oscar Smart, Tom Curtain, Francis O’Callaghan, Ned Lyons, Oliver Sheehan
GOALS: Francis O’Callaghan 5, Tom Comer 2, Connor Briscoe 1,Tom Curtain 1 William Exell 1, Sam Purcell 1, Oliver Sheehan 1, Will Stevens 1, Will Troy 1
The unbeaten and top-of-the-table T-Birds walloped the Jackers at Gary Smorgon, running away to win by 112 points. Matt Tyrrell’s boys had ten goalkickers in the win, which sees them three games clear at the top of the ladder.
BEST: Oliver Britten-Jones, Charles Ralph, Aaron Ivak, Joshua Hynes, Charlie Bourne, Will Beattie
GOALS: Eddie Paul 3, Charles Ralph 3, Connor Spears 3, James McCarthy 2, Atticus Scally 2, Charlie Bourne 1, Ashton Evans 1, Joshua Hynes 1, Aaron Ivak 1, Angus McCormack 1
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