Work to do

The metaphorical moat that surrounded the King dome has been breached again - this time by ladder leaders Collegians who were too good for SKOB Seniors on Saturday. Having not lost a game there in season 2022, SKOB have now dropped 3 games at TH King and will need to take the long path through the finals as any hope of securing the double chance faded in a purple haze on the weekend. Elsewhere the Saints Gold will need to dust themselves off having surrendered top spot on the table in the final round of Premier Women's. In happier news the Reserves kept their finals dream alive with a solid win and the Under 19's had a clean sweep with all teams winning on the same day - for the first time this season. A sad note came from the Saints Blue with an awful injury to Remi Fiorentini spelling abandonment of the game at Victoria Park in Kew.

It was Life Members Day at TH King and the Seniors match was preceded by a terrific lunch at which three new Life Members were named - Carmel Browne and Jill Sands became the first female Life Members of the Club, whilst Peter "Happy" Hannan was also inducted.

The Seniors made 7 changes to their starting line-up and amongst these welcomed in Captain Sam Critchley from a long break. Sam and his team mates wore black armbands to mark the sad passing of Life Member Tony Buckley late last week.

The game was played at a high pressure tempo and this certainly had an impact on scoring as only 14 goals combined were scored for the day. Neither team was looking to give too much away at this late stage of the season, however, Collegians were too good on the day and proved themselves worthy minor premiers. Their ability to bookend their scoring in the quarters - starting and finishing each term better than their hosts - was telling. They were also better at the bookends on the field with their defence rock solid and forward line simply more efficient than SKOB. Whilst the home team enjoyed periods of momentum throughout the first half - and the share of spoils all day in the midfield - SKOB were unable to convert on the scoreboard. The Lions kicked goals early and late in the quarters and this proved to be the difference at full time. Turnovers across half forward were costly for SKOB who will need to bounce back quickly next week in the final game before the finals. Best for SKOB were Tom Jok, Josh Tynan, Sam Cameron, Cameron Hodges, Sam Tucker and Luke Winter.

In the Ressies it was a tight tussle for most of the day with SKOB having to reverse an early quarter time deficit to hold a slight lead at the main break. Their third quarters of late have been really strong and it was no exception on Saturday as they put the pedal down and drew away from Collegians after half time. With five wins on the trot they have destiny in their own hands as a win this Saturday will guarantee them a spot in September action. For Coach Clough his better performers were Christian Woolrich, Angus Mcquie, Vlad Stevancevic, Jack Byrne, Angus Hart and Ethan Beer.

It's a clean sweep in the Juniors

For the first time this season, all our Under 19 teams have saluted on the same day. The 19's Premier were the third of our teams playing for top and with victory over rivals Old Xavs have locked up the minor Premiership for the first time since 2016. It was a strong performance by SKOB as they reversed the result from Round 1 of the season. A long time to wait for redemption, SKOB were keen to make a late season statement knowing that no doubt these two teams will clash again in the finals coming up in September. SKOB held sway at half time and kicked away in the third with Will Pfeiffer and Oli Gill both kicking three goals and being dangerous all day. Best for SKOB were Xavier Duke, William Pfeiffer, Oli Gill, Flynn Clark, Pat Carracher and Cooper Chaffey. In the early game at TH King, the Div 2 team were too slick for Monash Blues and recorded a strong win after a dominant first half where they kicked 9 goals to zero. The scoreboard didn't really reflect the state of play as both sides shared possessions, but SKOB were cleaner up forward with Jasper Conquest and Zane Greenham kicking multiple goals between them. There were eight other players who hit the scoreboard in a solid team display with Conor Lynch, Jasper Conquest, Andrew Butler, Alex Smith, Max Demathieu and Henry James adjudged best.

Hell Yeah! - Hillyer kicks 10 at the Pit

A big bag for Jack Hillyer as he dined out on some great service from team mates up the field in a huge win for the Div 4's at the Snake Pit. It was an emphatic result for the young SKOBBERS as they back up a rare win last week with another to take some real momentum out of the end of the season. Oli Garlick helped himself to 4 majors and had plenty of company in the goal scoring category. In a truly team performance the standouts were Jack Hillyer, Aiden Posterino, Nick Noonan, Will Keely, Oli Garlick and Tom Whelan.

Gold dethroned on the final day of Home and Away

The Saints Gold were taking on Kew in a top of the table clash at Kew and it was the home team who emerged victorious after a barnstorming final quarter that saw them draw away from the Saints and claim the minor premiership. The Saints have been up for a long time having won the previous 8 straight games and whilst it's not great to have a loss leading into the finals, it will give them a chance to reset in time for the second semi against the same opponent next week. For three quarters SKOB were able to keep their opponents at bay, but were unable to stop the run in the final term. On Saturday the Saints were well led by Emily Condon, Kate Stanton, Margaret Gleeson, Isabella Hoal, Isabelle Worth and Bree Doyle. In the Saints Blue game there was a very unfortunate event where SKOB Saint Remi Fiorentini suffered a fractured leg that required the game to be halted and ultimately abandoned. A really sad way for the season to end for the Saints Blue with such a popular figure suffering injury. Remi is at the heart and soul of the Saints football program and our thoughts are with her as we hope for a speedy and full recovery.