Making Hay

Despite a gloomy day overhead, it was another strong weekend for SKOB, with the club recording seven wins from 11 games as teams continue to build momentum heading into Round 9.

At Princes Park, the Seniors and Reserves both took full advantage of an injury-depleted Old Haileybury side that was short on numbers and experience. Both teams posted commanding wins over the Bloods, with the strong percentage boost proving especially valuable. The Seniors’ emphatic performance lifted them into second place on the ladder and extended their winning streak to six, setting the stage for a blockbuster clash with reigning premier Old Brighton next weekend.

Over at Old Rigret, the Blues produced a terrific result with a dominant win, while the Golds were unable to secure the points against a determined Old Geelong outfit.The Green Machine continued its impressive season, holding its nerve in a one-point thriller at Basil to remain on top of the ladder in its division.

One of the moments of the weekend came at TH King, where the Stingers claimed a dramatic win over Old Xavs thanks to a Jesse Battistella goal after the siren, sparking plenty of celebration on and off the field. The Under 19 SD1 side was then desperately unlucky to fall to Willy CY’s by the narrowest of margins, before the Under 19 Premier team finished the day strongly with a comfortable win over Caulfield in the feature match.

Elsewhere, the Under 19 SD3s kept their season alive with an important victory, while the Academy and SKOB Dogs were both unable to get the job done away from home.

All told, it was another positive weekend for the club, with seven wins from 11 matches and plenty to look forward to as winter sets in and the season reaches an important stretch.

Young forwards feast on beleaguered Bloods

The SKOB Seniors were on the road again for the fifth time in the first 8 rounds and they faced an Old Haileybury side who have emerged from the break with injuries and availability issues galore. A quick squiz at the Ressies scoreboard when the players ran out would give a hint that the home team might be having their depth tested at this time of year. With a howling gale at their backs, SKOB sensed a swift kill, and after conceding the first goal, made short work of their opponents, posting the next 10 goals before OH came up for air again. At that point it was early in the third quarter and the game was well and truly dusted. It was the young forwards who did the damage for SKOB. Doug Kerr added another 4 goals to his growing tally in Senior football as he continues to thrive having come up from the Under 19s in Round 3. Will Pfeiffer was electric all day. If he wasn't kicking goal of the day contenders, he was setting them up for his teammates as the home team were unable to find a match up to contain the small forward. Ollie Gill was another youngster to hit the scoreboard mulitple times, as was Tom Ferguson who relished being back in the SKOB colours this week.

At quarter time, SKOB had already established a big lead on the back of the breeze, but the efforts of the defenders in the second quarter completely shut out Old Haileybury, even though they were now kicking to the scoring end. Angus Hart was a rock at Centre Half Back and took home the media award as he demonstrated why he was picked for the Big V, proving impassable for the Bloods. Some wayward shots at goal kept the margin from blowing out completely, and the home team responded well after the main break, but with the wind dying out and the rain starting to tumble, there was not a lot left for fans in the second half. SKOB were able to keep attacking and brought up 100 points on the 3/4 time bell - just after Angus Hart roosted through a huge goal on the back of a 50 metre penalty to record his first major for the year. To their credit, the Bloods fought it right out and reduced the margin below three figures as it got to late in the game, but SKOB were simply too strong on the day. The percentage boost and results from around the comp meant that SKOB jumped up into second place on the table, having been 9th at the end of Round 2.

The win also sets up a massive game next weekend when SKOB finally return back to TH King and welcome the reigning premier Old Brighton for a match that will have plenty of bearing on the season as we reach the halfway mark. One not to miss for sure.

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Yanni was there for the twos game and filed his report below

SKOBs Run Riot at Princes Park 

SKOBs football returned as the Reserves looked to attack the second half of the season and push for a finals spot. Their first assignment after the bye was a clash against Old Haileybury away at Princes Park.

The SKOBs boys started hungry at the contest as their game clicked into gear. They were quick to stamp their authority on the play, both physically and on the scoreboard, sharing their scoring opportunities among seven individual goal kickers and setting the stage for a season-record first-quarter score of seven unanswered goals.

The second term began with the goal fest continuing for the SKOBs. The boys continued to get first hands on the footy, led by the midfield and supported by some impressive transitional ball movement. The team piled on another half-dozen goals for the quarter as they looked to make a statement and secure a valuable percentage boost.

After the half-time break, the SKOBs continued their attacking prowess with fluid, attacking play that was appealing to the eye. It seemed like the majority of the team was joining in the snag fest as they pushed the lead past the magical 100-point mark. Special mention goes to the back six, who kept Old Haileybury goalless for the entire game with their outstanding defensive efforts.

The SKOBs continued to put Old Haileybury to the sword and decided to break their goal-scoring record for the third time in the match, with an astonishing nine unanswered goals in the final quarter, pushing the lead to a mammoth 189 points.

Jack Luscombe and Thomas Williams began battling for the privilege of starring on Yanni's Yarns, trading goal for goal between them and kicking a whopping seven and eight goals respectively.

The SKOBs produced an outstanding and complete four-quarter performance and will look to ride this wave of positive momentum heading into their next clash at TH King Reserve, which shapes as a pivotal game in their push for finals

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Wayward Saints rue ones that got away

the Saints Gold couldn't quite get it done against a determined Old Geelong at Old Rigret on Saturday afternoon. In tricky conditions that made scoring difficult, it was the visitors who were more efficient up forward and found the big sticks when it counted to sneak away with a tight win. Earlier in the day, the Blues dined out and registered a huge win over the hoops with Elizabeth "Jungle Junior" Macey booting 4 goals.

Seniors	17.25.127	Defeated	Old Haileybury	5.6.36
Reserves	30.12.192	Defeated	Old Haileybury	0.3.3
Saints Gold	1.6.12	Lost to	Old Geelong	3.1.19
Saints Blue	11.12.78	Defeated	Old Geelong	0.1.1
Saints Green	3.4.22	Defeated	West Brunswick	3.3.21
U19 Premier	14.14.98	Defeated	Caulfield Gram	3.7.25
U19 SD1	9.7.61	Lost to	Williamstown CYs	8.14.62
U19 SD3	13.21.99	Defeated	South Melbourne	4.7.31
Academy	6.8.44	Lost to	Old Trinity	10.6.66
Stingers	7.13.55	Defeated	Old Xaverians	7.9.51
SKOB Dogs	7.9.51	Lost to	Old Camberwell	8.11.59