VAFA Premier: St Bedes/Mentone springs an upset by toppling finals contender Old Trinity
St Bedes/Mentone sprung a surprise by defeating fourth-placed VAFA rival Old Trinity Grammarians on Saturday, claiming a 45-point Premier Division win.
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ST BEDES/MENTONE sprung a surprise by defeating fourth-placed VAFA rival Old Trinity Grammarians on Saturday, claiming a 45-point Premier Division win.
Roaring back to life, the Tigers have now won three on the trot and the 21.12 (138) to 13.15 (93) win over the Ts means they have now beaten two of the top four sides back-to-back.
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The Ts didn’t seem to have any answer after a seven-goal opening-quarter barrage from St Bedes/Mentone and they were forced to play catch up football for the remainder of the game.
“We have certainly made it hard for ourselves after that performance,” a frustrated Old Trinity coach Bernie Dineen said after the game.
“To put it mildly they were too quick, too strong, too aggressive and too good.
“The way they were playing, particularly in the first quarter, they would have beaten anyone today.
“They were just so tough and fast and their ball use was really clean.
“They caused a lot of turnovers and we were pressured all game.
“With the clean ball use it was just easy for them to score. They kept the forward 50 open and it was tough for us to stop them.”
With seven-goal bursts in both the first and third quarters, and 12 individual goal scorers, the Tigers had winners all over the ground.
Liam Sumner, Michael Barnes and Josh Cowan snagged three each for the Tigers while, for the Ts, Ed Weatherson bagged four.
Though it was a dark day for the Old Trinity, Dineen still managed to find a few positives.
“We did have some good players today, which was pleasing,” he said.
“Ned Hunt did very well. He has come back from a severe spinal injury and he played his first senior game in two years after playing a few in the reserves. Harry Tinney was a standout all day for us today as well.
“We just have to go back to basics and get back on track next week against Old Scotch.
“It’s tight around the middle of the table and I think we are now only a game clear.”
Meanwhile, in Premier B, Old Carey was too good for Mazenod, wining 16.19 (115) to 6.3 (39)
Old Geelong can look forward to a clear run at the finals in Premier C, after a tough 14.13 (97) to 9.6 (60) win over Marcellin.
In Division 2, Whitefriars had a percentage boosting win over Eltham Collegians bolting away with a 22.16 (148) to 6.7 (43) whitewash, while Bulleen Templestowe went down to a clinical Yarra Valley Old Grammarians 19.12 (126) to 8.3 (51).
And in Division 3, the Manningham Cobras were overrun by Swinburne University 9.16 (70) to 6.11 (47).
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