Round 16, Saturday 12 August 2023.

St Kevin’s Old Boys FC vs Old Melburnians FC at T.H. King Oval, Glen Iris

1st quarter: SKOBFC 2.3.15 OMFC 0.4.4

2nd quarter: SKOBFC 5.5.35 OMFC 3.6.24

3rd quarter: SKOBFC 10.6.66 OMFC 5.8.38

4th quarter: SKOBFC 14.8.92 OMFC 8.11.59

Goals: Ben Haysman (2), James Regan (2), Sam Kelly (1), Ned Nichols (1), Jackson Paine (1), Will Richards (1)

Best players: Ben Harding, Ned Nichols, Jackson Paine, Will Richards, Dan Coffield. 

Seniors.

By Lurch.

Team: Dan Coffield (7), Justin De Steiger  (18), Will Dethridge (26), Charlie Dowling (28), Josh Freezer (5), Ben Harding (8), Ben Haysman (10), Lachie Haysman (9), George Hurley Wellington (31), Sam Kelly (38), Will McIntyre  (53), Robbie Morrison (15), Ned Nichols (3), Will Nichols (1), Jackson Paine (Captain, 39), James Regan (43), Will Richards  (40), Adam Richardson (56), Ed Smart (42), Jack Spargo (24), Stuart Watson (21), Josh Wills (6).

Gus Borthwick (4), Tom Cameron (12), Dylan Clarke (19) and Ed Michelmore (20) were replaced in this week’s team by Justin De Steiger, Will McIntyre, Will Richards and Adam Richardson. 

Quite unlike recent games, this one began under dark grey skies with showers that began before the game and came and went during it. The 11–12-degree temperature range was said to feel like 10 to 12 with a negligible breeze (and sometimes no breeze) in the single digits that ranged from SSW to SSE and ENE but had no real effect. Conditions became very dark in the second half. 

The OMs lost a lot of the firepower that helped them win the game the previous week against the Old Xaverians, putting them even more on the backfoot against powerhouse reigning premiers St Kevin’s. In recent years some epic battles have been fought out at T.H. King Oval, with some very narrow losses. Few predicted that that would be this game’s outcome. 

The Skevvies appeared to set the scene by dominating the opening stages of the game and goaling at the three-minute mark. Eventually the OMs broke away along the eastern wing to James Regan who kicked to Jackson Paine directly in front, about 10m out, and he kicked into the the goal post at the southern end. It was 7-1 at the 12-minute mark. The showers stopped, leaving conditions slippery for the remainder of the game. The OMs followed up with a snap and a near miss in play. They kept the footy in their forward line for a while but were unable to capitalise. Ed Smart and Will Nichols combined to set up Charlie Dowling with a set shot from the SW, but he handballed to Regan, who kicked and missed. 

It was 8-3 at the 20-minute mark and although the OMs weren’t doing much damage to the scoreboard, at least they had stopped St Kevin’s from doing much either. That changed as the Skevs ran up the ground and goaled two minutes later. From the centre bounce the OMs set up Jacko, who won a free kick for being held (the rarest VAFA free kick there is), but he missed his set shot from the SW. Good movement by the OMs through the middle got them into the SW pocket, where a free kick sent the Skevvies back up the ground. Desparate defence by the OMs in front of goal forced the Skevs to hit the post. 

The quarter was very different to that of the manic and congested first quarter the previous week. The game was much more open with good ball movement by both teams. Although St Kevin’s had possession for the majority of the quarter, the OMs had some good opportunities that all went begging, with all four misses capable of being goals. There was some overuse by the OMs but nothing like that of the recent past. Overall, they did surprisingly well to curtail the Skevs. 

The second quarter was a stalemate until Smart won a free kick in the NE, centred to Will Dethridge, who took a sliding mark, and he proceeded to emulate his teammates by missing his set shot. The OMs kept the footy in until Ned Nichols got it, threaded through traffic, threw it on the boot and goaled to make it 15-11 at the nine-minute mark. A good contest in the NE ended when Jacko kicked an awesome goal over his head on about a 45 degree angle from around 20m out, only just sneaking the ball inside the left goal post. It gave the OMs 15-17 lead! Who’d have thought it – the lead against St Kevin’s at home in the second quarter! Maybe, just maybe, an OM miracle was in the making. 

Any illusions of a miracle in the making were put on hold as St Kevin’s goaled two minutes later, added another at the 17-minute mark and another after 20 minutes for a 33-17 lead. The OMs won in the centre, The White Ghost marked and centred it to Ben Haysman, and Ben 10’s set shot went through from almost directly in front, about 40m out at the 22-minute mark for the last goal of the quarter. The margin was unchanged from the first quarter, with the OMs still having costly misses, but at least St Kevin’s was also being inaccurate to give the OMs a sporting chance. 

It was showering at the start of the third quarter and the lights were on. The Skevvies totally dominated from the first bounce, goaling five minutes in and adding another minutes later. Dethridge had a set shot that missed to the right and dropped short, with St Kevin’s responding by kicking truly at the 11-minute mark for a 60-24 lead. In a mere 11 minutes the game had gone from being winnable to being over for the OMs. The Skevvies had lifted and the OMs hadn’t gone with them. Regan marked and centred to Will Richards, whose long kick from directly in front missed to the right. The OMs kept the footy forward, and Richards marked, kicked from about the arc in the SE, and this time kicked truly. Now 60-31 and with some attacking footy from the OMs, there was still a glimmer of hope. 

St Kevin’s was keen to snuff out that glimmer, and four minutes later it goaled from the goal square after a 50m penalty given away by the OMs. A fracas on the western wing gave Jacko a free kick with a bonus 50m penalty. He kicked to Ben Haysman in the SW and Ben slotted his set shot. Now 66-37 at the 27-minute mark, the OMs remained in attack until the end of the quarter, but the Skevs manned up and prevented them from adding any further goals. 

It was extremely dark at the start of the fourth quarter, and looked as bleak as the OMs’ chances seemed to be of winning the game. There were a few spits of rain, and St Kevin’s was first into attack, but the first five minutes were a stalemate. The OMs then kicked forward, the footy bounced over a Skev, Regan got it, threw it on the boot, and goaled, with Skevs’ desparate claim they’d touched it receiving no interest from the umpire. The OMs attacked from the centre bounce, got it to Regan again, in the NE, and from a position in front of the right point post he screwed his set shot around to perfection for a second goal in about as many minutes. It was suddenly – incredibly – 67-50 at the seven-minute mark, and that glimmer of hope was reborn. Yet again, though, the Skevvies rose to the OMs’ challege, goaling at the 10 and 15 minute marks to take the score to an insurmountable 80-50. 

The boys in Dark Blue did not give up. Ben Harding kicked out of the middle, Kelly tackled a Skev near the right point post, and despite Kelly’s opponent remonstrating with the umpire, Kelly wasn’t put in the goal square to take his kick. It mattered not, as Kelly’s difficult kick for goal was perfect. Briefly 80-56 at the 17-minute mark, the Skevs responded with a goal two minutes later to make their win certain, and added another at the 22-minute mark to completely ice the game. Despite that, the OMs kept fighting, with Regan marking but missing a difficult set shot. Jacko received a free kick directly in front, but missed to the left. He soon received another free kick, but this time missed to the right, with the siren ending the game not long afterwards. 

Ben Harding yet again played a key role in the midfield. In the midst of any action that was going, he clocked up 38 disposals. 

Ned Nichols was used in the midfield, where his 20 disposals and 14 tackles were a great combination of attacking and defensive footy. 

Jackson Paine had an injury that reduced him to one useful leg yet had 19 contested possessions as a key forward. It was a brave effort, but he was unfortunate in his difficulty with converting many opportunities. 

Will Richards is one of the OMs’ most promising youngsters. He put in yet another quality effort, drawing from his bottomless tank to cover lots of ground with speed. 

Dan Coffield continued his excellent return from having a broken hand and did a good job at holding the backline together in conjunction with an equally effective Josh Freezer. 

It was a rollercoaster game, with the brief lead in the second quarter giving (ultimately false) hope that the OMs could actually win, only to have it dashed, reignited, and dashed again by the Skevs, who always had another gear, and the answers to each OM challenge. Despite the loss, it showed that the OMs’ best – even with many key players missing – is potent. Post-match, a Skevvie stalwart said that the OMs had really challenged them at times and were difficult to shake. Although St Kevin’s lost some handy players from the previous week, it does not completely explain how the OMs got a lot closer to them than did Old Scotch, which was soundly flogged at home last week. 

With both Old Haileybury and the OMs losing, their ladder positions remain 8th and 9th with five wins each, but the Bloods’ heavier loss decreased their percentage lead over the OMs to 74.35% compared with the OMs’ 71.40% 

This week the competition has a bye. On 26 August 2023 the OMs go to Melbourne University to face University Blues (4th) which suffered an upset loss against Xavier at Xavier and a slide down the ladder. Rarely a happy hunting ground for the OMs, they will come up against a Blues’ side smarting from its loss and needing to cement its top four spot, with Old Brighton mathematically able to take its place. A win for the OMs would be enormous, and potentially enough to ensure they stay in Premier A for 2024, with only Caulfield Grammarians (10th, one win) left to play, at home, in the final round. The Bloods will host Old Xaverians in what might be a 50/50 game, followed by St Kevin’s at T.H. King. While other results may yet save the OMs, they are also still masters of their own destiny. 

Enjoy the weekend off. 

See you at Melbourne Uni. 

Lurch.