A five goal haul from Patrick Kerr has helped SKOB bounce back to winning ways quickly on Saturday, propelling the Seniors to a 50 point win over Old Melburnians and jumping them back to second spot on a tightly contested table. The Reserves went down in a close one, but it was a perfect 3 from 3 for the Saints - with the Blues breaking through for their first win of 2024. It was 2 from 2 for the thirds with the Academy and Stingers getting the points and an almost 3 from 3 in the Under 19s - only the Premier team tasting defeat going down by the narrowest of margins. It meant a first win for the 19 Div 4’s who were the toast of the town with their win against the Unicorns. Overall a very satisfactory score of 8/10 for SKOB across the grades on another stellar day for football.
Four quarter effort fuels the fire
The SKOB Seniors were called upon to produce a four quarter performance after failing to fire a shot in the previous round, and back on home soil they did just that, winning every quarter and building their lead throughout the day to prevail over Old Melburnians. A trip back home and the injection of another two debutants gave the spark to SKOB with Flynn Clark and Will Pfeiffer the latest to debut for the green gold and blue.
Thirty seconds into the contest it was the visitors who looked like they had brought the spark - kicking an early goal inside a minute before a SKOB player had managed to record an effective stat.
It might have been the spark to get SKOB going and they certainly had the better of the next phase of the quarter but OM's tight defence was not about to wilt - holding SKOB at bay until the 20 minute mark before Zane Greenham was able to register the first 6 pointer for the home team. Oli Gill followed up with another goal from the next centre break and despite OMs responding, SKOB finished the quarter out best, kicking three late goals (including a rare long bomb from Sam Critchley) to hit the huddle with a handy break.
With a handy 21 point buffer at quarter time, SKOB set about building on this quickly, kicking the next 3 and soon the scoreline read 51-12. Pat Kerr got on the scoreboard late in the first and followed up with another to begin the second. Bill Coates joined the list of goal kickers before Sam Critchley (now with a taste for the big sticks) doubling his tally. The remainder of the quarter was goal for goal, with some late strikes from OMs keeping SKOB honest as they headed for the main break. OMs landed the first blow early after the break, reducing the margin to just three goals, but SKOB soon entered their best phase of the afternoon - kicking the next 6 goals in a row to wrestle back full control of the game and ensuring a winning break was established before the jelly snakes were handed out. Multiple goalscorers were in abundance - Gill, Greenham, Critchley and Tucker all dangerous with Kerr having a day out in front of the sticks. A great response all around by the playing group who helped improve SKOB to 3-1 for the season. As is always the case, the table in Premier is incredibly tight with six teams snapping at the heels of SKOB on 2-2 so every week is crucial, with a trip to Uni to take on the Blues the next challenging assignment.
BEST: Patrick Kerr, Sam Critchley, Jack Andriske, Liam Gunson, Liam Walters, Ollie Gill
 Ressies Tough Day at The King.
As always our man Yanni was at the King to capture all the action in his report:
"SKOB's Reserves returned to their spiritual home, TH-King Oval. The boys arrived eager to get onto the field after two very positive sessions on the track. The game began with a fierce opening stanza, both teams pushing to gain early ascendancy. Thomas Williams had a huge presence, kicking two goals and setting up good opportunities in the forward half. The game was played at a frantic pace, with the ball seemingly flying from one end to the other as the game turned into a high-scoring opening quarter.
The second quarter swung around as the SKOB's boys vied for momentum. However, as the speed of the game began to slow, so did the boys' ball movement, and they began to lose out on the physicality within the contest, leaving the 50-50 balls in their opponents' favor. Nevertheless, spirits remained high as the boys voiced that there was still a second half of footy left.
During the halftime break, Coach Clough urged his charges to ramp up the intensity of the game and play their brand of footy, and the boys delivered in spades. Dominating the third quarter in every aspect—forward half entries, faster ball movement, increased physicality in the contest, and heightened vocal presence—the play was fast and decisive, accurately reflected on the scoreboard, leading to a slender lead with four unanswered goals for the SKOB's boys.
The final term was an 'edge-of-your-seat' affair as the boys sought to capitalize on the dominance they found in the third quarter. The ball spent most of the term in SKOB's boys' forward line, but unfortunately, they couldn't convert these opportunities onto the scoreboard, leaving them vulnerable on the counter, ultimately dictating the result.
The SKOB's boys left with a clear understanding of what to improve before their next encounter with University Blues.
Academy boots a cricket score / Stingers make the grade
Following their first win of the season last week, you'd be excused for hoping the Academy could just repeat the dose. Well repeat it they did in some spades....In familiar, yet unfamiliar home surrounds of Basil St, SKOB were up against the enigma that is the Snowdogs. The boys from St Bernards have been on the reciving end of a few punishing defeats, but have also knocked off the top team Xavs in Round 3. Not really being sure of what to expect, Coach Ollie had his men on full alert, and they jumped out of the blocks registering 8.2.50 in the first term. Adding another 35 then 47 and finally 37 points in the subsequent periods, the Academy held their opponents scoreless. There were plenty of goalscorers in the frenzy with Xander Dietze leading the charge with 6. Best were Matthew Canning, Michael Naughton, Jack Romanin, Flynn McCallum, Sam Doyle and Harry Mulcahy, but surely it was a great team performance all around. Kudos to the St Bernards boys who never stopped trying on a difficult day.
During the week the thirds comp had a bit of a rejig with the Stingers jumping not one, but two grades to land in Div 1 from Div 3 South. Their early season form (4-0) was the catalyst for the upgrade, but the jump to Div 1 might have been daunting for Will Co and their chargers. Running out onto Old Rigret proved a happy homecoming for the Stingers who took charge of the game from quarter time and proved too strong for Collegians. Best for the Stingers were Noah Montague (5 goals in a match winning performance), Seamus Skehan, James Fabbro, Cooper Lanyon, Toby Russell and Nicholas Walker
Perfect day for Saints as Blue break through
Two great rivals went head to head at the Heath when SKOB Saints Gold took on Caulfield Grammarians. The two regular finalists have had many great clashes over the years and this one was looking much the same as nothing separated the teams on the scoreboard at quarter time. Coach Tommy must have given a good ol fashioned gee up as the Saints responded with a devastating burst booting 3 goals in each of the next two terms keeping their opponents scoreless in the process. Hannah Smith was a real handful and helped herself to a handful of goals in a brilliant display. The Saints were playing irresistible football and only some wayward kicking in the final term prevented a larger margin. Undefeated through four rounds the Goldies are showing they’ve lost no appetite for success. Best for the Saints were Sarah Cameron, Hannah Smith, Emily Condon, Zara Guss, Jessica Cox and Jessica Joyce.
Blues Cruise
For the Blues it was a day to celebrate. The early morning fog wasn’t enough to hide their enthusiasm for the contest and the Blues were showing a steely determination as they broke huddle and got down to business.
The Grammarians were first to register a six pointer but it would be the only one for the day as the Saints took over after quarter time booting 6 majors without reply as they stormed to their first victory of the season. It was just reward for a team that has tried hard every week but not had things go their way until it all clicked on Saturday. Congrats to the coaching staff and all the team - most roundly led by Paige Duffy, Poppy Somerville, Michaela Weinstein, Charlotte Stoltz, Bethany Carr and Lucy Kehoe.
Green Machine keep record clean
A cheeky post on the Canterbury Cobras Social Media caused a fright to SKOB fans following the Green Machine’s score from afar. The scoreboard showing Canterbury ahead by 279 points!
Fortunately the game isn’t played on the scoreboard and the Green Machine were much closer when the goal umpires checked score at quarter time. This was a tight tussle all day with nothing separating the combatants at the final change. The Greeners kicked clear in the last to record a hard fought win and keep their unbeaten record intact. Best for the machine were Rachael Wilson, Sienna Vallejo, Sofia Zielonka, Lucy Straford, Lauren Barnes and Steph Chong.
Premier miss by a whisker but Div 4's break duck in style
Heartbreak for the U19 Premier team who went under by the merest of margins against Old Scotch at Camberwell. Always a tough proposition at the old home of the Cobras it was neck and neck all day, although at each change of ends SKOB were holding sway - if only just as the margin was never more than a single goal. The Cardinals booted 4 on end in the final term to go out to a 14 point lead and looked home, before SKOB kicked two late ones to fall short by 1 point. A tough pill to swallow but they have next week to bounce back. Jack Luscombe was best for SKOB with George Delimitrou, Jackson O’Malley, Ben Ball, Liam Hepburn and Fred Noble all handy.
A big day at the King was started in fine style by the U19 Div 2’s who put in a massive performance against Old Ivanhoe to win by just shy of three figures. Gus Simpfendorfer and Jack Ball both booted 4 goals and were dominant along with Daniel Deguara who was best afield. Jacko and Krusher also got great output from Francis Mancini, Sam Crack, Angus Kerr and the entire team.
The big story coming out of the Under 19s was in Div 4 where the mighty SKOB had their first win of the season in fine style against the unicorns of MHSOB. It was pretty tight for a half, but SKOB turned on the burners after the main break as the fog lifted, booting 11 goals to 2 to run out big winners on the day. Joel McMahen kicked 5 and Jack Hillyer 4 as the goals rained down in the second half. Best for SKOB were Jack Ellsworth, Seb Salom, Will Hearn, Lachlan Manning and Xavier Borovec. Congrats to all the boys and the coaching staff for their breakthrough win.
