Wild about Harry

The Seniors prevailed in a tough slog fest against Collegians on Saturday and walked away from Harry Trott with 4 points for the second successive season. The venue has long been a graveyard for SKOB teams in the past, but recent visits have been more fruitful and nowadays the deck holds no such demons. Our Ressies turned it up a notch and came away with a big win over the Lions to make it a handsome pair of wins at the Trott. At TH King it was Pride Round and SKOB emerged with 2 wins from 3, although the Golds defeat in the feature meant they have surrendered top spot - for now. The Saints Blue had a stirring win over the previously unbeaten Caulfield Grammarians which followed the Stingers pounding of Old Xavs who they kept to a single major for the day. Over at the Pit, SKOB went 1-1 with the SKOB Dogs saluting early, and the Academy dropping points to their Bernards brethren. The Under 19s keep sailing with a strong breeze - both teams getting the result - the Premier team shaking off a slow start and the 19 2s finally getting the better of a plucky Parkside at Old Rigret. Lastly, the Green Machine took the party bus out to Westbourne, and although they didn't get the points on the field, clearly won the battle of the good times. All in all it was a return of 7 wins from 10.

Happy Hanrahan

Winter arrived on Saturday (yes, Winter, remember that?) and it meant a return to good old fashioned wet weather footy conditions for all teams. The big question obviously was, who could handle it best. SKOB Seniors were at Harry Trott facing the always dangerous Collegians on their home deck. Critchley and Ferguson were out for SKOB but the veteran and youngster were replaced by a veteran and a youngster in Sam Cameron and Tom Feehan respectively. With rain tumbling down at the start it was goal for goal in the first term. The home team struck first, but SKOB responded and then repeated the dose after Collegians got another. At the first break it was a single point lead to SKOB.

The second term was much like the first. Both teams hit the contest hard and possessions were hard fought and won on either side of the divide. A couple of goals each as we entered time on before the Lions landed one to nudge in front on 17 minutes, then after launching wave after wave, the home team booted another on the stroke of half time to head for the sheds with the biggest lead of the day - 13 points. On a day like this, those 13 points would be hard to reel in.

After a half time reset, SKOB got to work and slowly brought the ascendency back their way. It was a territory game if ever there was one, but the territory most sought after was the space between the two big posts. Sensing the urgency, SKOB took the route through the corridor and it almost came unstuck, before Sam Tucker intercepted at half back, kicked long and on the end of a handball from Barnett, Gus Hanrahan slotted an absolute beauty from the boundary to trim the margin back under a kick. Having played the role of provider once, Barnett reprised the role two minutes later with a clever pass to Tom Feehan. With a calmness that belied his two games experience, Feehan nailed the set shot and put SKOB ahead. As they headed for the jelly snakes container it was a two point margin to the visitors and anyone’s game. 

With rain belting down, fans were huddled tightly on the balcony, where real estate was hard to obtain, and far less likely to be put on the market. A couple of misses at each end raised the tension higher as players slugged it out in heavy conditions. The ball was mostly parked in the SKOB front half - which suited the visitors - and after another forward half stoppage, it  was kicked to the top of the goal square, where Will Pfeiffer pounced on the crumbs and snapped one through mid-air to give SKOB some breathing space. Collegians hadn’t kicked a goal since late in the second term, but a 50 metre penalty brought them close and they nailed the chance to ensure a tight tense final ten minutes for the balcony crew. Again SKOB had the ball in their forward half but couldn’t land the fatal blow. With time ticking into 25 minutes the break finally came. A kick to the wing saw some quick SKOB play where a free kick was won, and taking the advantage the ball fell to Barnett who once again played provider with a handball over the top to Hanrahan who kicked the sealer. A hard earned win for sure, and SKOB will be thrilled to leave the Trott with 4 precious points that keep them within touch of second spot on the table - crucially so as the ladder now seems split in half with only percentage separating 2nd down to 5th. The Lions fought right to the end and never let their fans down, but SKOB found what they needed in the dying stages to grab the all important win.

Sam Tucker was a rock down back for Coach Lynch. Both he and Angus Hart have been tremendous since switching to more defensive roles this season. It was wonderful to have Sam Cameron back in the side, and with conditions to suit, he was a standout. Hamish Reimers in the ruck continues to develop on a speedy trajectory - showing that he can mix it with the best opposition. Others to feature amongst the best were classy campaigners Anthony Seaton and of course the match winner Gus Hanrahan.

Ressies rock solid

The Reserves started the day well for SKOB with a big win in the curtain raiser. Not to be deterred by the wintry conditions, our intrepid man Yanni was on the scene to capture it all in his weekly report

SKOBs Trott Away with a Big Win

SKOBs Reserves arrived at Harry Trott Oval on a wet and gloomy day, bringing their strong recent form as they looked to claim a fourth consecutive win.

Right from the bounce, the boys immediately started playing their brand of footy. All twenty-two players stood strong, and the midfield and forwards seemed to be having a field day. With quick, fast ball movement, the ball lived in the forward half for the entirety of the first quarter, which translated onto the scoreboard with six unanswered goals.

With a huge lead at quarter-time and the weather conditions worsening, the game began to slow down and turn into a scrappy affair. Collegians were hoping to get on the scoreboard, but SKOBs' defense stood tall, locking down the back half. The boys remained unfazed by the single goal conceded, adding two more goals of their own to stretch the lead.

Halftime came and went, but the scrappy contest continued into the third quarter. It was clear that whichever side could better handle the wet conditions would walk away with the four points. The boys pushed to extend their lead and put the game beyond doubt. The back six delivered again, looking outstanding both aerially and at ground level.

With an eight-goal lead at three-quarter time, the team looked to have a bit of fun in the fourth. The boys managed to push past the desired ten-goal margin. Their outstanding football from minute one proved to be the key to success at Harry Trott Oval this week. With the big win, SKOBs jumped to third on the ladder, cementing themselves as a finals threat this season.

The boys trotted off into the rooms to sing the song, satisfied with a complete four-quarter performance. Can they continue their red-hot form in their next clash at TH King Oval against Old Haileybury?

Best for SKOB: Oscar White, Tom Davidson, Lachlan Merrett, Liam Edwards, George Delimitrou, Jasper Conquest

Pride of Place right at home

It was a magical day of celebration at TH King for the Pride round, although Caulfield Grammarians spoilt the party a little by toppling the Saints Gold in a strong showing that leaves them alone undefeated on the top of the Premier Women's table. The Saints had a few big outs, but started strongly at home and were all over the 'fielder's in the early going. Twin strikes from Hannah Smith, including a great snap around the body from deep in the forward pocket, and another opportunistic snag from a goal square crumb gave the Saints the upper hand at the first change, but from then on it was all Caulfield, as they upped their game and completely shut out the Saints for the remainder of the contest. A disappointing loss for Coach Tommy's team, but they shrugged it off quickly and made sure the result didn't spoil what was a fantastic day and evening for the Club.

Kudos to Caulfield who were too good on the day and deserved winners. The Saints had plenty of good players in a tightly fought contest with Elysia Burvill, Emily Condon, Molly Wilson, Charity Russell, Belinda Woolcock and Freya Taylor the best of them.

True Blue

Back to back wins for the Blues after they hung on for dear life against the previously unbeaten Caulfield in the prelude at TH King. Winning can sometimes be infectious, and the Saints Blue proved that when they came out firing in the first quarter against a highly credentialed opponent. The visitors worked their way back into the contest and at half time it was all square, but the Saints lifted again in the third and put themselves in with a shot as they turned for home at the final break. The 'fielders threw the kitchen sink at them in the last quarter, but the Saints held them out and recorded a vital win to keep their season alive. Izzy Worth "her weight in gold" was star for the Saints, booting a vital 3rd quarter goal that ended up being the winner. Others to star were Alex Bland, Bridget Gray, Esther Seymour-Pessah, Lucia Bancovich and Stella Grundmann.

The way the Cookie Crumbles

No points for the Green Machine on their visit to Westbourne, but huge ups for their effort against a team that has been racking up cricket scores in their matches so far this season. The Dreamers took a bus out west, armed with cookies, colour and a can do attitude, and returned with smiles on their faces as the party continued at TH King. Mathanki Winayakan, Lucy Straford, Cara Davies, Molly Mclean, Genevieve Holden and Edenn Baczyk were all handy players for the Greeners who fought it right out to the finish.

Stingers get the Party Started

Pride Day at the King was started in emphatic fashion as the Stingers obliterated Old Xavs in the early game at home. Coming off a win over the other Xavs in the previous round, the Stingers resumed as they left off, booting clear early and then controlling the game from wire to wire. This group of Xavs were coming in hot, on a winning streak that ran back to about mid 2023, but the Stingers doused them early and never let up, finding plenty of good players right across the ground, none more so than Xander Dietze, Fintan Evans, Sam Mercuri, Julian Chaffey, Charles McCann and Tommy Briggs

Points split at the Pit

A big day out at St Bernards (aka the Snake Pit) with two thirds games on offer for local fans to enjoy. The SKOB Dogs and the Academy were both facing Snow Dogs teams and the two matches were fought out in good spirit. The Academy are in a bit of a funk at the moment and looking to recapture their best form from 2024. They are showing this in patches but not quite able to string it together for the full four quarters. They put in a good effort against the Bernies who are very strong at home and proved to be again on Saturday. Best for the Academy were Harry Mulcahy, Nicholas Jackson, Joey Martin, Max Mulcahy, Mamuch Chuol and Pat Croagh

In the early match it was a battle of the hounds with the SKOB Dogs taking on the Snow Dogs. A four goals to 2 opening quarter was the difference on the day, with Sam Doyle's pups holding their hosts out for the rest of the game - which was a close affair for the remaining three quarters. With Big Bad Ben Griffin being well held it was up to the likes of Dante Marangos (a man with one of the best names in football) to fill the void up forward. He finished with 3 and was one of the better players alongside Ronan Smythe, Jack Elsworth, Josh Bayley, Massimo Marchese and Gus Simpfendorfer

Young SKOBs keep the winning feeling

Our Under 19s are having a good stretch at the moment. Both the Premier team and the 19 2s have won their last few games and kept this record going with a pair of wins on the Glen Waverley line. Coach Greeny had to get the smelling salts out at quarter time as his chargers were a little sleepy out of the blocks against a determined De La Salle at the Dairy Bell. After heading into the break with a one-point deficit, the young SKOB team lifted after the first break to put their stamp on the game and run out convincing winners. Ged Saunders, Ben Palmer, Noah Spiteri, Mark O'Mahony, Ben Cantwell and Nick Hulls were all fine contributors for SKOB who hold their spot in the top two.

A few stops down the Glen Waverley line at Kooyong, the 19 2s shook off a very plucky Parkside in a tough encounter at Old Rigret. Coach Joey's team was made to work hard for their win, but always had a goal and a bit buffer over their opponent before pulling away in the last term to record a 25 point win at their second home. For the young SKOBs the better performers were Sam Chapman, Zach Ibrahim, Riley Ellett, Will Young (4 goals), Francis Mancini and Joe Smith