All seven men's teams took the field this afternoon and five got the chocolates. The Reserves fell to a tough OMs and the Crocs lowered their colours to Chadstone in a game that finished early due to James Meehan breaking an ankle. Less painful were the massive wins by the Seniors and the U19 Premier teams.

DUCK QUACKS: OMs CRACK

Alex Browne and Harry Batten played their first, and Cauley Beetham, Kenny Ralph and Dan Stanford played their finest, as Old Xaverians crushed Old Melburnians at Toorak Park today.

The Dark Blues began in aggressive fashion, Red 'n' Blacks' skipper Noonan went down after a big collision and all of a sudden, the visitors led by two goals. Fourteen minutes in, K Ralph finally got Xavs on the board, but the visitors replied. Clay Johnston majored, but again the Carmine Hose went forward and took the margin back to 13 points. Matt Merlo and then Alex Browne both split the uprights and they went to the huddle tied away.

Despite Jason Holmes dominating at the stoppages, OMs had won the clearances in the opening stanza.  The Claret and Stout reset and there were no longer any easy pickings for the visitors.  The second term saw Tim Golds and Denis Symeopoulos kick truly before OMs scored again. Matt Margin added another after the half-time siren, and Xavs went to the sheds leading by 13.

The four-goal turnaround in the first half was merely the foundation. Xavs pressed harder in the third term. Golds slotted his second and from the resultant centre bounce, Chris Margin dashed through the middle and slotted the goal of the day, a long, scything drop punt from distance. The Dark Blues added another, and had a trio of opportunities from set shots to begin a climb back. Matt Margin kicked truly and right on the bell, Lucas Soccio found Tomi Johnston, who chipped it through to give the Red 'n' Blacks a five-goal lead.

The final term was a whitewash. Debutant Batten kicked his first, Alex Browne added a pair, Jordan Kelly snapped a beauty after some special work to win the cherry, and Tim Golds plucked one and kicked his third. At the other end, the defence held firm and provided a springboard for many forward thrusts. The home team added 5.7 to 0.1 in the final term, and was in charge all over the ground.

The post-game plaudits rightly were accorded for Cauley Beetham, who silenced star on-baller Tom Paule, hassling, tackling and hounding all afternoon and winning plenty of the ball himself. Kenny Ralph matched up with talented OM defender Josh Freezer and proved a constant threat. Dan "Inspector Gadget" Stanford used his long arms and long leg to good effect, providing a link between the back and front halves.

The Claret and Stout had eleven goalkickers. For the second week on end, Matthew Handley didn't split the sticks. History suggests that the genial giant will bounce back with the vengeance and fury possessed only by a very few mortals.

The team's 5th victory moved it up three spots on the ladder into sixth position. Strangely, finals are still a proposition, but the first task is to secure a ticket on the Premier bus in 2019. A win next week should do that.

Old Xaverians        4.2-26    7.5-47    11.7-73    16.14-110
Old Melburnians    4.2-26    5.4-34    6.7-43    6.8-44

Goal Kickers: T. Golds 3, A. Browne 3, M. Margin 2, C. Margin, J. Kelly, C. Johnston, M. Merlo, H. Batten, T. Johnston, D. Symeopoulos, R. Ralph
Best Players: C. Beetham, R. Ralph, D. Stanford, C. Johnston, D. Noonan, C. Margin