ACC, AGSV, APS School footy preview 2023
The school footy season is just around the corner. Here’s the best guide to the ACC, AGSV and APS competitions including a glance at the top 5 rivalries to look out for.
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The return of school footy across Victoria in 2023 is set to bring more excitement and passion than ever before.
With school records and pride on the line, the players are set to give their best shots when they take the field.
Caulfield Grammar will be the school to beat this year after their girls first football side won the AGSV/APS premiership and the boys won the APS boys title alongside Brighton Grammar in a tie.
Leading Caulfield footballer Annabelle Embelton backed her team in to perform again this season while being aware of the teams that may pose a challenge.
“I think we will do well this season,” Embelton said, who also plays at Sandringham Dragons.
“I think the main competitors are definitely Haileybury and Carey.
“They have really strong sides and continue to improve every year.
“So I think they will be our main competitors but I think for us, we have been putting in the hard work during the pre-season and I think we will continue to do so during the holidays.”
The team is set to go on their first football orientated camp during the holidays in a “monumental” moment for the Caulfield’s girls football program.
The APS boys first competition is set to be intriguing one after a campaign which saw a tied premiership between Brighton and Caulfield.
In the last round of the season, the two teams went head-to-head in what was a grand final-like match.
But with the game ending in a tie at 15.6 (96) to 14.12 (96), it meant the premiership had to be shared.
Leading Caulfield firsts boys footballer, Ollie Murphy, who played in the game, said he would have preferred to win the premiership alone.
“We got the premiership in the end but obviously it was not what we wanted,” Murphy said.
“I mean, it’s kind of forged the rivalry between us and Brighton Grammar so it will be interesting to see how we go against them this year.
“It was a fun game and at the end of the day, we both came out as premiers so we were happy about it but obviously it was a bit of a disappointment for each team.”
Caulfield had gained a steady lead in the game before Brighton forged a strong comeback which led to an unexpected draw.
Heading into season 2023, Murphy was predicting a closely contested campaign.
“I think every team has a really good chance against any other team,” he said.
“You can’t underestimate any team, it’s all very even, anything can happen on the day.
“I mean you can have great players in one team and still lose by 50 points so it just comes down to whoever plays better on the day.
“The APS competition, it’s pretty tight, so each game is a bit of a thriller and it’s good.”
The ACC competition is set to be a tightly contested season following the last three campaigns which has seen three different sides lift the Division 1 premiership trophy.
Whitefriars are the most recent champions followed by St Bernards who won the ultimate in 2021 in a Covid interrupted season.
In 2019, it was St Bede’s who took home the top honour.
The addition of St Patrick’s College Ballarat to the competition this year is set to strengthen the standard of football and make the race for the flag even closer.
There was preview of strong competition fans and players could expect when St Pat’s took on St Joseph’s Geelong for the opening game of the season at GMHBA stadium on March 8.
The encounter finished in a tie at 6.9 (45) St Joseph’s to 7.3 (45) St Pat’s.
The season will continue on Wednesday May 3 when all the other schools play their first game of the campaign.
Whitefriars coach Kristan Height said many schools would be in contention for the ACC premiership this season.
“It’s a pretty tough competition,” Height said.
“St Pat’s will be strong, they have already had Round 1 against St Joseph’s Geelong and they actually had a draw.
“Even though at the end of the game, St Joseph’s had won the game by a point but when the goal umpires came together, they had the scores as a draw.
“Parade are going to be strong, they have some kids in their side who are touted to go high in the draft.
“So Nate Caddy is one of their players and Isaac Kako, they are two players who will be going high in the draft.
“Caddy’s draft year is this year and Kako’s draft year is next year so they are pretty strong.
“St Bede’s are always strong, St Bernard’s are strong and then there is us as well.
“Four teams will qualify for the semi-finals and two will miss and that’s going to be really difficult to say who will miss at this point in time.”
In the AGSV boys competition, Assumption College are the defending back-t0-back champions after defeating Marcellin by 39 points in last year’s grand final.
Assumption was also awarded the title in 2021 despite interruptions throughout the season due to Covid.
Prior to the pandemic, PEGS won back-to-back flags in 2018 and 2019.
Before that, Marcellin claimed three in a row from 2015 to 2017.
With a fresh season, comes new faces, and the 2023 school footy competitions across Victoria promise to entertain.
APS teams: Brighton Grammar School, Carey Grammar School, Caulfield Grammar School, The Geelong College, Geelong Grammar School, Haileybury, Melbourne Grammar School, St. Kevin’s College, Scotch College, Wesley College, Xavier College
AGSV teams: Assumption College, Camberwell Grammar School, Ivanhoe Grammar School, Marcellin College, Mentone Grammar, Peninsula Grammar, Penleigh & Essendon Grammar School, Trinity Grammar School, Yarra Valley Grammar
ACC teams: Division 1: Parade College, St Bede’s College, St Bernard‘s College, St Joseph’s Geelong, St Patrick‘s College Ballarat, Whitefriars College. Division 2: De La Salle College, Emmanuel College, Mazenod College, Salesian College, Simonds Catholic College, St Joseph’s Ferntree Gully, St Mary’s College.
TOP 5 SCHOOL RIVALRIES
Melbourne Grammar vs. Scotch College
The Cordner – Eggleston Cup is one of the oldest school rivalries having been contested since 1858. It is believed the competition between these two schools was pivotal in the establishment of Australian rules football. In the last 10 years, each school has won four each with Scotch winning the last match between the schools by 10 points. It was the first match between the schools after Covid halted the game from going ahead for two seasons.
Marcellin College vs. Ivanhoe Grammar
The schools are located just two golf courses apart and have been battling against each other in AGSV football for a long time. In recent times, Marcellin has had the wood over Ivanhoe. A big moment was the 2017 AGSV grand final which Marcellin won over Ivanhoe.
Parade College vs. St Bernard’s College
The two Associated Catholic College Division 1 schools go head-to-head every year for the Madden-Bedford Shield, named after two famous names who attended the schools. Former Essendon champion and St Bernard‘s student Simon Madden, a Norm Smith medallist who holds the games record at Essendon with 378 senior appearances, and 1970 Brownlow medallist Peter Bedford, a former Christian Brothers College (Parade) student who played 178 games for South Melbourne. Bedford also played Sheffield Shield cricket for Victoria.
Caulfield Grammar vs. Haileybury College
The two co-ed schools have forged a strong rivalry in the APS/AGSV girls football competition since it began in 2018. Caulfield has proven to be the stronger side having won two premierships although Haileybury has made themselves a tough opposition to beat in recent times.
Geelong Grammar vs. Geelong College
The two APS Geelong schools have been competing in the APS competition since 1908. The matches often attracts large crowds which sees some families travel long distances. In 2019, the game was contested on GMHBA stadium as a curtain raiser to a Geelong Cats match. In recent times, Geelong Grammar has had the rub of the green, winning the derby the last seven times since 2014.
TEAMS
TOP FIVE BOLD PREDICTIONS:
■
| APS SPORT | ||||
| TEAMS Brighton Grammar School, Carey Grammar School, Caulfield Grammar School, The Geelong College, Geelong Grammar School, Haileybury, Melbourne Grammar School, St. Kevin’s College, Scotch College, Wesley College, Xavier College | ||||
| AGS | ||||
| TEAMS Assumption College, Camberwell Grammar School, Ivanhoe Grammar School, Marcellin College, Mentone Grammar, Peninsula Grammar, Penleigh & Essendon Grammar School, Trinity Grammar School, Yarra Valley Grammar | ||||
| ASSOCIATED CATHOLIC COLLEGES | ||||
| TEAMS De La Salle College, Emmanuel College, Mazenod College, Parade College, Salesian College, St Bede’s College, St Bernard‘s College, St Joseph’s Ferntree Gully, St Joseph’s Geelong, St Mary’s College, St Patrick’s College, Whitefriars College | ||||
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