SFNL 2025: Murrumbeena stuns St Paul’s McKinnon to claim historic 41-point win

Few, if any, saw it coming, and it’s been touted as one of Murrumbeena’s best scalps in history. Inside the 41-point upset.

Dareo Rogers kicked four goals for Murrumbeena on Saturday. Picture: Valeriu Campan.

It’s been touted as Murrumbeena’s best win in 50 years.

The high-flying St Paul’s McKinnon were on a four-game unbeaten streak in Southern Division 1 and sitting pretty in second, only to be stunned by the Lions who ran away with a historic 41-point win.

Consider the fact that Murrumbeena were reduced to just two on the bench in the first quarter after losing Tyson Wills and Tom Buckley to injury and the 18.10 (118) to 12.5 (77) victory is all the more impressive for a club who had only won four top flight Southern/South East Suburban league games in its history before this season.

“People were saying it was probably the best scalp Murrumbeena’s ever got,” coach Michael Kinsella said.

“All the old blokes were saying it was probably the best win in 50 years, it’s pretty incredible to beat a team like St Paul’s, we respect them so much.

“(St Paul’s) have been up the top for the last decade and a half, them and Dingley are the pinnacle of Division 1 in our opinion, to get that scalp this season was incredible.

“We spoke about that at halftime and three-quarter-time, how this could essentially be our biggest game for the year and play it like a final and leave it out there.

“The boys did just that.”

Murrumbeena coach Michael Kinsella. Picture: Valeriu Campan

The Lions trailed by five points at halftime and had kicked just four goals before piling on 14 goals after the main break in a scintillating blitz.

Kinsella said the Bulldogs had dominated the second quarter.

“We were two down at that stage and were still adjusting, we weathered the storm in that quarter and probably missed a really easy shot in front,” he said.

“We went in at halftime and the boys regrouped and we just adjusted how we were defending the corridor and how we were entering inside 50, it really connected in the third and last (quarters).”

Potent tall Edward Standish piled on seven goals for Murrumbeena, while Steven Tolongs kicked four and small forward Dareo Rogers was “as lively as anything” and also booted four.

“We got in front in centre clearances and Steven and Ed were both firing, and they had really good match-ups today that we liked,” Kinsella said.

“We dragged Ed out a little bit more which helped him get in behind Stevie, he might’ve had three goals running into an open goalsquare. He’s a pretty hard match-up, he’s 6 ‘4 with the speed and endurance he has.

Edward Standish competes for the footy in this year’s interleague clash. Picture: Andrew Batsch

“Our mids probably won the battle for the day, Sam Michael was huge in there, Mitch Virtue, and Pat Bannister, they all stepped up massively.”

Ruckman Nicholas Minchin was also dominant. Kinsella added: “He was on top in the ruck massively, he was making sure we were getting territory”.

With the result all but sowed up late in the match, 18-year-old Connor Montgomery epitomised the fight Murrumbeena showed as he went back with the flight to take a courageous mark. Imposing Bulldogs skipper Matthew Kreymborg had been “running full steam” in the other direction.

“He was really courageous and really stepped up … just moments like that, that was in the last quarter when we were six goals up and just showed where the mindset was at for the day,” Kinsella said.

“We had everyone step up today, it was a really big team effort, being two down in the first five minutes, it was a really proud game.”

It was a proud day for the whole club, too, given it was the first time in history Murrumbeena had recorded 11 wins in a day, with all of its netball and football sides victorious.

Both Murrumbeena and St Paul’s McKinnon had donned Indigenous jumpers designed by Wade King’s sister, Aphton, to celebrate NAIDOC Round.

Murrumbeena has already recorded its most successful Southern league Division 1 season ever, with three wins and a draw to date, and it will look to improve on that record when it travels to Bentleigh next Saturday.