Round 8 Match Review, 2026

 

Senior Men's Match Report

Old Haileyburians       1.0       1.3          2.3         5.6   (36)

St Kevin’s Old Boys     7.5     9.12     14.16     17.25 (127)

Goals: D.Seccull 2, J.Chilcott, C.Goonewardene, S.Stefanakis

Best: B.Seccull, J.Chilcott, D.Seccull, N.Higgins, N.Conway, H.Nosiara

Debuts in 1sts: Archer Harrop, Jasper Waring

 

It was a disappointing afternoon for Old Haileyburians, with St Kevin’s Old Boys proving too strong from the outset and never allowing the Bloods a way back into the contest.  With a strong breeze at their backs in dry conditions, St Kevin’s burst out of the blocks to kick seven unanswered goals in the opening quarter, effectively setting up the game before quarter time. From there, they maintained their control regardless of the conditions, whether dry, wet, windy or calm, and demonstrated why they are one of the competition’s form sides.

The statistics reflected what was evident to anyone watching. St Kevin’s finished with over 140 more possessions and held a significant advantage across virtually every key measure. More importantly, their class, experience and cohesion were apparent all over the ground as they consistently won contests, controlled territory and punished mistakes.  For Old Haileyburians, it was the first game of the season where the side was unable to genuinely challenge for long periods. While a handful of the usual contributors continued to battle away, the Bloods were largely outplayed and unable to generate any sustained momentum. On a day where the majority of the game's best performers wore St Kevin’s colours, the six-time consecutive winners showed exactly why they are among the competition's benchmark teams.

The challenge now is for the Bloods to respond. Every side experiences difficult days throughout a season, and this was undoubtedly one of them.  The focus shifts to learning from the performance, regrouping, and ensuring a much stronger response next week.

How the VAFA saw the match:

The final game of the weekend saw St Kevin’s continue on their merry way, racking up their sixth straight win with a commanding 91-point win over Old Haileyburians at Princes Park.  The Bloods actually booted the first goal of the game through Cody Goonewardene seven minutes in, but from there it was all SKOB as the visitors rattled off the next ten goals across the next two quarters of the match.  They led by 41 points at quarter-time and 57 at the half time, before Joel Chilcott finally found Haileybury’s second goal six minutes into the third term.

St Kevin’s were temporarily slowed by the conditions in the third term, going 16 minutes without a goal before bursting back to life with another four in eight minutes entering time-on to rocket away to an 83-point lead at the last change.  The margin ballooned out beyond 100 points when Angus Hart slotted a goal 19 minutes into the last quarter, however the Bloods managed to rally late and save themselves from the humiliation of a triple-digit defeat courtesy of two goals to Durras Seccull and another to Seve Stefanakis.  In the end, it was a statement-making 91-point demolition – St Kevin’s largest victory since they put the winless De La Salle to the sword by 102 points in Round 17 last year.  Their 42 scoring shots (17.25) is the most they’ve had in a game since they defeated Caulfield by 155 points in Round 14 of 2023. They kicked 26.17 that day, and this margin could have been similar if they’d kicked straighter in the tricky conditions.

Old Haileyburians need to regroup after four straight losses have left them sitting in eighth position at 2-6, just 1.03% out of the drop zone approaching the halfway point. They host Caulfield in a huge game at Princes Park this week, followed by visits to Old Xavs and Old Scotch in an enormous three-week stretch to the bye.

Guy Martyn (Old Haileyburians): “It was always going to be tough going into the game with seven changes against arguably the best team in the comp on current form.  In saying that, our inability to compete was really poor.  SKOB were impressive in all facets and across all of the conditions we were faced with on Saturday. A real lesson for us.”

For full pictorial coverage of the Seniors' match against St Kevin's Old Boys go to the Gallery

 

Hearts Match Report

Parkdale Vultures     0.0     0.6     0.6     1.7 (13)

Old Haileyburians     0.4     0.5     2.8     2.8 (20)

Goals: G.Folwell, K.Langford-Jones

Best: S.Phillips, J.Carty, Z.Clavarino, E.Main, G.Elcock, J.Bettess

Debut: Natalie Carbonaro

 

The Hearts returned from the long weekend break full of energy for a much-anticipated top-of-the-table clash against Parkdale. With a
strong wind favouring the Tasmania end, conditions promised to challenge both teams throughout the day.  Winning the toss allowed the Hearts to kick with the breeze in the opening term. After Parkdale won the first clearance, the Hearts' defence quickly applied pressure and turned the ball back towards goal. The quarter was largely played in the Hearts' forward half, but despite creating plenty of chances, four behinds were all they could manage, taking a four-point lead into quarter time.

The focus at the first break was on making better use of the wind advantage and preparing for the challenge of kicking against it in the
second quarter.  As expected, Parkdale controlled territory with the breeze, but the Hearts' defence stood tall. Tackles, spoils, smothers and countless one-percenters repelled repeated attacks. Against the run of play, the Hearts registered the only score at that end for the match when a shot hit the post. At half-time, they trailed by just a point.

With the wind still favouring the Tasmania end after the break, the Hearts looked to attack. The breakthrough finally came when Kate kicked the first goal of the game, sparking celebrations from teammates and supporters. Gypsy soon added another major, and with three more behinds, the Hearts stretched their lead to 14 points by three-quarter time.

The final message was simple: stay positive, keep moving the ball forward, and defend relentlessly. Parkdale pushed an extra player
forward, setting up a tense final term. What followed was arguably the Hearts' grittiest defensive quarter of the season.  For the first 15 minutes, Parkdale could only manage a behind as the Hearts' pressure remained immense. Eventually, the Vultures broke through for a goal with less than five minutes remaining, narrowing the margin and setting up a nervous finish.  The Hearts responded with smart, composed football, locking the ball in contests and creating repeat stoppages to run down the clock. Every player contributed as they kept Parkdale at bay.

When the final siren sounded, the Hearts celebrated a hard-fought seven point victory — a result built on determination, discipline and an
outstanding defensive performance.

How the VAFA saw the match:

Both the Hearts and Vultures struggled to find the goals in the first half with both teams going into half time goalless. It was the Hearts who took control in the third, with goals from Gypsy Folwell and Kate Langford-Jones, before the Vultures clawed a goal back with five minutes left in the fourth to create what Old Haileyburians coach David Lappage described as “a tense last three minutes” for the Hearts.  The Hearts withheld the late run by the Vultures to run away seven-point victors, handing Parkdale their first loss for the season.

 

Men's Reserves Match Report 

Old Haileyburians       0.1       0.1         0.2          0.3     (3)

St Kevin’s Old Boys     7.3     13.8     21.10     30.12 (192)

Goals: -

Best: J.Black, A.Bonwick, Matthew Cowell, J.Gillon, J.Gown, B.Oakes

 

Under 19's Match Report

Old Haileyburians     3.4     3.7     7.9     10.10 (70)

Ormond                      0.0     3.5     3.9       6.13 (49)

Goals: J.Paitaridis 3, T.Carty 2, L.Jamieson, E.Jones, N.Law, J.McNamara, K.Mountford

Best: J.Paitaridis, E.Jones, L.Jamieson, T.Hendrie, J.Chamberlain, K.Mountford

 

After a week off, the U19s took on Ormond at home. On the back of a big win the fortnight before, the boys were optimistic about what they could achieve. Last time we played Ormond, we walked away with a 100-point win under lights. However, previewing the game, we came to realise that we couldn't be complacent, especially with nine changes to the lineup from that earlier encounter.

With co-captain Ben Hardeman back for his first game of 2026 — and chalking up his first win with the toss — we kicked with the wind. Will Hardeman lit up the forward line, and the boys kept the opposition scoreless in the first term. At quarter time, it was OH 3.4 to Ormond no score. The second quarter saw Ormond give us a lesson in how to move the ball effectively with the wind by playing direct football. Our backline held up under fierce pressure, leaving OH up by two points at half time.

The third term was much the same as the first quarter, with OH having most of the play. We would have liked to put on more scoreboard pressure coming into the final term, but JP, back from senior duties, began to light the game up. At three-quarter time, we were ahead 51 to 27. A couple of little tweaks to the way we had previously played against the wind, combined with the coaches asking for a lift, proved to  pay off. Keegan Mountford had a massive last quarter all over the ground, and the Bloods ran out victorious by 21 points.