History repeated on Saturday at the Uni Oval when the Seniors went down by under a kick to Uni Blues in another classic encounter between these two sides. Last season the two home and away fixtures were decided by 3 and 2 points - with the margin 4 points on Saturday - all games going the way of the Blues. Patrick Kerr's potential match winning shot drifting just wide with seconds to go denying SKOB the win. The Reserves and Academy both had better results against Uni Blues winning convincingly in both their encounters. Again it was a perfect 3 from 3 for the Saints - with the Blues kicking a ton in a great follow up to last week's breakthrough. Our Under 19s Premier team bounced back from a last week's tight loss, and after a sluggish start got the better of Willy. The earlier games at TH King saw the 19 Div 2 come up against pretty strong opposition who had the better of SKOB, while the Div 4's went down in a nailbiter. The Stingers are yet to play their fixture (Wednesday night) so the return for the round was 6 from 9 across the grades.
Heartbreak High
Uni Blues have once again broken SKOB hearts with a late 30th minute winner proving the difference between these two very evenly matched teams. It was a tight battle all day with momentum swings and lead changes aplenty.
Two changes to the team that ran out in the previous win against OMs, SKOB welcomed in youngsters Billy Galimberti and Billy Bryan (for his first Senior game in 2024).
It took some time to get their first goal but after a strong mark, Oli Gill opened proceedings for SKOB by converting from the set shot half way through the first quarter. It would be the only six pointer in the term as SKOB found goals hard to come by. This was much the theme for the entire half as despite a wealth of possession in their forward line and many opportunities, SKOB could not muster enough goals to put scoreboard pressure on the opposition. A return of 3.11 to the main break was the tale of the tape with SKOB finding themselves 11 points down despite having four more scoring shots. After a word from the coach, SKOB had their best phase of the game, coming out after half time and kicking three quick goals through Hodges, Pfeiffer and Kerr to wrestle back the lead. Alas the opportunity to stamp their authority on the contest was wasted with the next 4 behinds in a row that showed they might have owned the football, but not the space between the big sticks. Momentum swung again to the home side as Uni Blues booted two quick ones to regain the lead before Angus Hart kicked one for SKOB to take them to the last huddle with a slender advantage. It was all to play for in the final stanza and Blues got the first one early to once again head on the scoreboard. An arm wrestle ensued for the next dozen or so minutes. Another goal to Uni was matched by Pat Kerr to keep SKOB in the hunt. The pressure from both sides was intense as they threw everything at each other. A clearing kick from the Blues was marked by Billy Galimberti in the pocket and he coolly went back and slotted a classy finish to give SKOB the lead once more. Again the pressure gauge went up a notch and after the clock hit 30 mins, the Blues snapped a brilliant goal to snatch the lead for the final time. The Blues kicked another behind before SKOB went coast to coast and Pat Kerr was infringed in the marking contest and awarded a free. The kick looked good off the boot but faded late and was adjudged a behind. From the kick in the blues marked the ball and seconds later the siren went as players slumped to the turf in exhaustion. It was a great contest and SKOB will feel gutted to be on the wrong side of the ledger. However, they will get to dust it off and head back to the King next week to battle Fitzroy.
BEST: Liam Gunson, Ollie Gill, Cam Hodges, Robert Larcher, Callum Jones, Billy McGee Galimberti
Reserves Deliver a Full Four-Quarter Performance
Yanni was at Uni this week and filed his report:
"The SKOB’s reserves headed into the game hoping to bounce back from the previous week. The picturesque view of the city backdrop set the scene for the game.
From the opening bounce, it was a hotly contested affair, with SKOB’s boys gaining an early edge through superior ball movement and stronger forward entries, creating the opportunity for William Pierce to kick the opening goal, followed shortly after by another from Thomas Williams.
The second stanza started with the boys on the back foot as they found themselves against the scoring end, but they were able to withstand the pressure. Liam Mahoney celebrated his one-hundredth game for the club with a vital goal that kept the score close.
After the halftime break, the SKOB’s boys looked to bring the hammer down, and even Thor himself would have been proud of their delivery. They dominated the quarter with an abundance of forward entries. Tom Jok was welcomed back with an outstanding performance, having a great influence on the game and leading the boys to outscore the opposition five goals to two by the three-quarter time break.
The boys capped off a great second-half display, having every aspect of the game on their terms, piling on another four unanswered goals which left Coach Clough beaming on the sideline.
Overall, it was a great way to kick off Saturday as a SKOB’s fan, with a full four-quarter performance from the boys as they left in high spirits, eager for their next clash at the King against Fitzroy."
Academy back in the four / Stingers play midweek
In Round one the lads from the Academy went to Crawford Oval and left empty handed and downhearted following a one point loss. This time around they were ready for the Blues and although they faced a quarter time deficit eerily similar to the round one margin, they lifted their intensity around the contests and slowly but surely wrestled advantage away from the home team. Three goals to two, four goals to one then three goals to nothing in the subsequent quarters saw SKOB well in control and 46 points to the good when the final siren sounded. A solid day out for the Academy who on the back of three wins on the trot are square with the ledger and into the top 4 for the first time this season. For Coach Ollie, he was best served by Harrison Trotter, Joshua Willmott (3 goals), Daniel McCarthy, Matthew Canning, Charlie Pammer and Jack Liszukiewicz.
The Stingers have had their fixture with AJAX postponed to Wednesday night at Packer Park. Game starts at 7pm.
Another perfect day for Saints as Blues kick a ton
A couple of foundation members of the VAFA women's competition met at Old Rigret on Saturday when SKOB Saints Gold took on Melbourne Uni. The MUGARS as they are well known have had some great contests with the Saints over the years and Coach Tommy would have had his team well primed to meet the challenge at the home of the Saints. The first quarter had plenty in it as both sides rose to the occasion. A couple of goals to each team saw the sides hit the huddle with little between them. From that point the Saints got down to business and ramped up their pressure around the contests and started winning more of the ball. Last week the Saints uncovered a new target up forward with Hannah Smith booting 5 goals - this week another was found when Ash Summers bobbed up for 4 goals. With another regular target Kate Stanton (3 goals), SKOB had too much firepower for their guests and they were able to build their lead throughout the day. The defence was rock solid, letting in just one goal after the first quarter and SKOB were able to pull away to a 53 point victory and retain second spot on the ladder in the process. Best for the Saints were Jessica Cox, Jessica Joyce, Emily Condon, Ashleigh Summers, Zara Guss and Bree Doyle.
Blues go back to back and beyond the century
If the Blues were happy just to break their duck last weekend it certainly didn't show as they applied the blowtorch to the MUGARS at Old Rigret finishing 102 points ahead, on an impressive scoreboard for the hosts. Coach Strauss sniffed an opportunity for his team who had gained great confidence from last week’s performance. After a tight first quarter the Saints put their foot down in the next two stanzas, booting five goals in each, before rounding out with another three in the final term to crack the ton for the first time since July 2022. Steph Taylor was chief destroyer with 4 goals, with Bethany Carr and Alice Straford booting 3 apiece. The Blues look like they have their groove back and are climbing the table rapidly. Best players were: Ainsley Rintala-Apps, Isabelle Worth, Alice Straford, Paige Duffy, Charlotte Waller and Lucia Bancovich.
Nothing grose about the Green Machine
Stanley Grose was the venue for the Greens who prevailed over old rival St.Mary's in a close fought encounter. The Salesian's have come down to Div 4 after a tough time up the grades and they look better suited in this comp. The Saints needed to be at their best as St Mary's pushed them hard for 3 quarters until the machine pulled away in the final term to run out 17 point winners.
Best for the machine were Rachael Wilson, Sienna Vallejo, Sofia Zielonka, Lucy Straford, Lauren Barnes (2 goals) and Steph Chong (also 2 goals).
Premier bite back after sleepy start
When you come off a 1 point loss, the next game can feel like forever away, but footy offers the vanquished a chance for redemption every seven days, and so it was for the U19 Premier team who got back to winning ways at TH King against a very plucky Willy CY’s. It was the visitors who looked a million dollars early - completely outplaying SKOB in the first quarter and but for some better conversion up forward, may have enjoyed more of a lead at the opening break. After a few words at the huddle SKOB responded and broke out of their slumber, putting on 5 goals to one to hit the sheds with a slender lead. The Willy boys were not done with just yet and put up another strong showing in the third term, however SKOB’s structure was holding up better and they were able to hang on to a slender break as the combatants turned for home. The boys from TH King finished strongly in the final quarter to run out 27 point winners, but not before overcoming a massive scare.
Sam Jones, Conor Lynch, Hudson Lefoe, Mark O'Mahony, Noah Spiteri and Hamish Toohey were the better SKOB players on the day.
It was a tough time for the Div 2’s in there match against Parkdale at the King. The Vultures were too strong all day for SKOB, but the home team battled right through to the end, none more so than Noah Pearce, Sam Crack, Angus Kerr, Nelson Conwell, Justin Willmott and Sam Mulcahy.
After cracking through for their fist win of the season last week, the lads in Div 4 were hopeful of going back to back against an evenly matched Therry. After a brilliant first half and a solid third term, SKOB held a handy buffer at the final break, but Therry were finishing stronger and hauled in the home team in the shadows of the siren to prevail by 3 points. A bitter pill to swallow for the young SKOB side, but it’s only 7 days until the next contest when they will get another chance. Best for the Div 4s were Hugo Birrell, Will Hearn, Sebastien Salom, Lachlan Manning, Iggy Murphy and Joel McMahen.
Comments