November 19, 2024
RALPH'S NEW ROLE
O'Shaughnessy is Xavs' Footy GM
A Century of the Red & Black
The WOX Twos defeated top team Fitzroy at Peterson Oval, won a double chance and will now meet the same opponent next week. The U23s, Menages and Crocs all won Second Semi-Finals and are through to the Grand Final. The Reserves and the U19 Premier team had massive wins. Then there's the bad news . . .
University Blacks stunned Old Xaverians at Toorak Park, taking the game by seven points and throwing the Red 'n' Blacks season into some jeopardy. The visitors took over early in the second term and although the home team kept the Varsity on a short rope, they couldn't haul them in.
Fro early in the first, it seemed that the clash would be a battle. At seven minutes, the recently un-retired Denis Symeopoulos opened the Xavs’ goal scoring and at eleven minutes, Wade Brusnahan kicked the Red ‘n’ Blacks’ second. Charlie MacIsaac kicked his first as they entered time-on, but the Red ‘n’ Blacks, seemingly reverting to an early-season bad habit, conceded two late goals. The teams went to the huddle with just four points between them, and the home team was yet to develop any ascendancy.
At five minutes of the second, the visitors kicked their third and took the lead by a point. Almost immediately, they struck again and there were plenty of Red ‘n’ Blacks scratching their heads, bemused by the seeming inability of the competition’s in-form team to get things going.
Stirling Phipps-Parsons got on the board at nine minutes, but the Blacks responded with another six-pointer after a seven-minute lull. Xavs were being beaten badly at the stoppages, with Blacks throwing extra players around the ball. The vigour and fluency of recent weeks had seemingly evaporated with their poor disposal by foot making life difficult.
Again, the Red ‘n’ Blacks allowed another goal in time-on. Xavs’ response at 31 minutes drew a single flag only, and the siren sounded with the home team 13 points adrift. Rarely has such a small margin appeared so big.
It looked larger still when the Varsity kicked the opening goal of the third. Ed Delany responded for the X-Men and big Alec Spralja slotted one too. Inside five minutes and the margin cut to seven points. A televen minutes, Blacks kicked their eighth and they were back to the half-time margin. The status quo remained until time-on, when Xavs scored a point. Then another. Meanwhile, Blacks kicked another late goal. Another point for the X-Men saw them 16 points down at lemon-time and the game, if not their season, was in peril.
Xavs missed in the first minute, but Jack Hewitt kicked truly after three minutes. Then another point, which marked the first time all afternoon that the Red ‘n Blacks had three consecutive scores. Still, they trailed by 8 points. Then yet another behind. And another. A goal down at 11 minutes of the last despite having four more shots. Ah, skill errors!
The visitors missed, but led by 7 points. Not for long. They goaled after the Red ’n’ Blacks failed to clear it from the kick-in.
The X-Men missed again and were down by two goals as the clock clicked over twenty minutes. They’d surrendered four majors in time-on over the first three terms, and, at a minimum, could afford no further lapses. At 24 minutes, Sam Ralph goaled, a sizzler from the scoreboard pocket. At this stage, the X-Men would have settled for a draw. But Blacks scored a behind at 27 minutes. And another. Then the X-Men missed. 2.6 for the quarter! Seven points down as they crossed 30 minutes. And that’s how it finished some 4 minutes later.
The Red 'n' Blacks had many down on form as they fell to their first defeat here to Uni Blacks in 9 years. Skipper Marcus Stavrou was the pick of the midfielders and he had help from Hayden Troiani and Alec Spralja. Hamish Bowen, Tom Dunne and Jed Feneley were solid enough in defence but the front half could do little to kick straight or manage a winning score.
A bye next week precedes trips to West Essendon, Brighton and Camberwell that will decide the fate of this team that has looked so good in recent weeks, yet quite ordinary on other occasions.
.png)
Fitzroy (77) defeated Old Melburnians (69) at Elsternwick, almost ensuring they'd be taking the Dark Blues down to Premier B.
Collegians (103) shook off Uni Blues (75) to come within percentage of Xavs in fourth spot.
Old Brighton (128) shook a fast-starting St Bernard's (71) and won big.
Old Scotch (99) easily beat St Kevin's (51) and maintained a shot at the double chance.
Dimitri’s Gladiators completed their quest for the minor premiership with a 139 point win over tenth-ranked Uni Blacks at Toorak Park.
Having tortured Uni Blues and left them 99 points adrift last week, it remained to be seen how the Varsity’s lesser-credentialled stablemate would perform on Orrong Road. The last clash between these two had produced a relatively quiet first term before the X-Men ripped them to shreds.
This time, Xavs started well, with four straight goals totwo behinds in the first. Oscar Duncan and Nick Brown booted singles, and the Senator was in the chamber early, the big left-legger slotting two.
Matt Exell kicked the first of the second term but then the X-Men were wayward, scoring four minors on the bounce. Hugh Basset broke the chain with a goal at 9 minutes and then Ted Kennedy conjured his third to take the margin to 44 points, which widened by another six when Charlie Whitehead put one through at the term’s halfway mark. Bobby Knott and Harro Bell added majors as the first half came to an end. The margin had blown out to 65, with Blacks still on two lonely behinds.
A quick glance at the live scores revealed that as comfortable as the X-Men’s margin appeared, it wasn’t the comp’s biggest. Old Brighton led St Bernard’s 89-2 at the half, suggesting that the fifth-placed Snow Dogs might prefer frozen rain in the mountains to dry sand by the beach.
Back at Toorak Park, Whitehead goaled again in the opening minute of the third quarter, but the X-Men missed their next six shots and then at the 15 minute mark, conceded Blacks a third minor score. Kennedy sent home his fourth, ending the drought. At the lemons, it was 85-5 after the visitors picked up another two minors.
If the third term had disappointed, there was reason for new optimism in the last. Sam Turner goaled, then Knott, Exell and Kennedy all added to their tallies in the first seven minutes. Sammy Hansen, Basset (a second for ‘The Hound’) and Liam Danielis-Morley all drew twin calicos as Xavs pushed their advantage out to 125. Whitehead chimed in with another late double and the Red ‘n’ Blacks won 144-5.
(Down at BBO, the Snow Dogs attempted a rescue but went down to the Tonners 133-25.)
The WOX closed out their 2024 camapaign with a loss at Fitzroy. Again, the numbers and the luck weren't with the Red 'n' Blacks as they couldn't prevent a strong Lions team from scoring. This WOX team did not enjoy much success over the season but the players never gave up. Better days arre ahead.
The WOX Reserves beat top-ranked Fitzroy, earning another crack at the Lions in next week's 2nd semi-final. The Red 'n' Blacks began early and never let their grasp on the game slip away. Lia Siniakov and Katta Mullins were the standouts, with the former kicking three goals in the win.
It was a big win against a good team and should fuel some confidence about next weekend's second semi final.
Old Xaverians kept their finals chances alive with a four quarter destruction of Beaumaris.
They opened with five goals in the first term, but this proved to be their quiet quarter, as they proceeded to pile it on: six goals in the second term, eight in the third and and seven in the final saw the X-Men win by 124 points.
Ollie Britten-Jones and Charlie Christopher booted four each and Aaron Ivak was named best.
Next week, a trip to Mentone and a must-win game with SBMT before the R18 clash with the Cardinals. The Red 'n' Blacks are also relying on one of Scotch, Kevs or Blues dropping their final two.
A solid contest that ended with the Xavs falling short of victory despite some strong perfrmances. Will Gossan and James Spirodonos were the pick of the bunch and Charlie Wright-Smith kicked four in the loss.
De La Salle clobbered the Red 'n' Blacks at Stradbroke Park, taking the chocolates by 63 points in a one-sided affair.
The U23s led at every change and gave themselves plenty of wriggle-room as they beat second-placed St Kevin's in their second semi-final at Basil Reserve. The Tricolours had their best period late in the game after the Red 'n' Blacks had established a lead at lemon time that was never going to disappear.
Wills Wrigley and Sheedy led the way, while Ollie Tehan's four goals proved very handy.
The Menages advanced to the 2024 Thirds Division 1 Grand Final when it beat St Kevin’s by 42 points at Toorak Park.
This was a play in four acts, with a story arc that we’veseen before: Fall behind, Catch Up, Secure, Smash.
Xavs missed twice to open proceedings, and then the Kevinshad two shots for two goals. Halfway through the first, the unbeaten X-Men wereslipping back. Again, the home team missed twice. The Tricolours popped though anothergoal before Oscar Silk drew twin calicos to close the quarter, which saw thev isitors eight points to the good.
SKOB’s early second quarter offensive yielded them another two goals before Lucas Soccio’s first goal at 6 minutes pulled the deficit back to 14 points. The remainder of the quarter belonged to the Claret and Stout, with veteran David Nash adding a goal and Soccio another pair. They went to the sheds seven points apart, this time with the Red ’n’ Blacks in front.
The third term was relatively calm after a busy second term that had delivered 13 pings at the sticks. A quick behind to the Xavs to start the stanza was the sole score for 13 minutes as both defences held firm. Silk goaled again and the X-Men were out by 14 points, clearly not enough but headed in the right direction given SKOB hadn’t scored in 30 minutes of play. At 17 minutes, Soccio struck again, his fourth snag increasing the margin to 20 points. Two minutes passed before Will Mantesso slipped one and to prove it was no fluke, he repeated the dose at 20 minutes. Mantesso-mania was avoided when he missed this third shot at the poles. Kevs scored a behind with a minute toplay, but that was all. They adjourned for the lemons with the X-Men 32 points to the good, their grand final ticket perhaps as good as purchased, but with some work still to do.
Xavs opened the final stanza with a behind in the second minute. Josh ‘Tooka’ Hanger, the team’s greybeard, kicked a goal five minutes in. It was his 284th major in 243 games for the Xavs since commencing with the U19s in 2008. What a legend, what a stalwart, what an example to younger teammates he has been. Mantesso slotted again two minutes later.
Again, the guns fell silent. Kevs managed a couple of behinds mid-term, their first consecutive scores in over a half of football. Mantesso missed again. SKOB responded with their sixth major as they crossed 17 minutes and netted another at 20 minutes. The Red ’n’ Black cues were now well and truly in their racks. But not all of them. Captain-coach Will Honan added another goal just for emphasis with just 4 minutes to play and with a minute left, Nathan Kaige booted their 13th to close out a ten-goal turnaround since early in the second term.
Savanna Villis gallery here
The Emerald Hose received plenty of opposition from Old Carey in their Thirds Div 2 North 2nd semi-final. The unbeaten Reptiles, playing under lights at Torak Park, led by just two points at the first change, then trailed briefly early in the second term before shutting down the Panthers and adding two goals to grab a nine point advantage at the long break.
The second half belonged to the 'Diles, who shut down the Panthers and pulled away to secure yet another grand final slot. Will Veljkovic was the best of of the solid bunch, and skipper Matt Perrett kicked four.
