GFNL 2025: St Albans wins first round 1 game in 18 years with triple-digit drubbing of Lara

Strong debuts from several recruits and a barnstorming performance from a key midfielder has helped St Albans end a longstanding round 1 hoodoo - and show up another GFNL battler in the process.

Fletcher Keck celebrates one of his three goals, alongside Bailey Brogden. Picture: Mark Wilson

They’ve been likened to a sleeping giant in the past and on Saturday, St Albans showed new signs of life under first-year coach Rick Munn with a 138-point rout of fellow GFNL battlers Lara.

Munn said the club’s first round 1 win in 18 years was just reward for those players who “stuck fat” in recent years, with just four wins celebrated by the black and white faithful in the last three seasons.

“We had to go back and have a look at when was the last time it happened and we had a real theme around that (this week),” Munn said.

“18 years since a round 1 victory, we wanted to reward those blokes who stuck fat – even before I signed, there was 90 per cent of the list retained.

“For them to stay loyal and enjoy just a little bit of success early (is nice) … but we know we won’t get carried away by this, we’re coming from a long way back but you’ve got to start somewhere.”

For Lara, the result proved a harsh reality check, their first-up performance under new coach Brett Henderson lacking any bite against a side who won one less game than the Cats last year.

Majak Daw takes a big grab with his first touch of the footy on Saturday. Picture: Mark Wilson

Ex-AFL player Majak Daw’s debut game for the Cats came and went with little impact, despite an impressive grab up on the wing with his first touch of the footy.

Rotating between full forward and ruck, the 34-year-old was limited for chances inside 50.

With many expecting a competitive hitout between two bottom-tier clubs hopeful of making strides up the ladder this year, it quickly turned into a Supersaints’ training drill, the home side running riot through the midfield and serving it up to their forwards on a platter.

Munn couldn’t have asked for a better start to his senior coaching career at Concept Oval, and while it took half a quarter for the home side to register the game’s first goal – via new recruit Tom Higgins – it was all up from there for the Supersaints.

Despite holding all the attacking ascendancy early on, the Supersaints couldn’t convert their chances before they slotted four late to take a 27-point lead into the first break.

In his first quarter-time address, Henderson encouraged his players “not to be sitting ducks”, and they quickly came out to get their first within the opening two minutes via new Cat Lachlan Grima.

New Lara coach Brett Henderson face a tough initiation to the GFNL. Picture: Mark Wilson

But it did little to move the needle, the Supersaints responding with the next six to put the game to bed by half time, up by 61 points.

The Cats didn’t score again until the 12th minute of the third, again through Grima, before the Supersaints finished the game with 11 consecutive goals to hit a triple-digit lead early in the fourth.

St Albans coach Rick Munn has started his coaching tenure at Concept Oval with a win. Picture: Mark Wilson

For the Supersaints, it was an exciting mix of old and new which got the job done on Saturday, as the club aims to challenge more mid-tier clubs this season.

Midfielder Fletcher Keck was cut-and-dry best afield, the number 58 an explosive force out of the contest, while popping up forward for three first half goals and setting up countless others for teammates, while he was well supported by a more unassuming Bailey Brogden.

The Supersaints showed they had added more strings to their bow up forward, newcomers Nic Clarke (five goals), Jim Botsaris (three) and Higgins (three) all hitting the scoreboard in their first games, whilerecruit Joel Grigsby, another tall, impressed in the ruck before going forward for a goal after an undisciplined act by Lara big man Ryan Bell gave away a 50m penalty.

“We really wanted to surround those guys with some speed, and power and fitness and selfless players – that was the plan,” Munn said of their recruiting strategy.

Tom Higgins impressed in his first game for St Albans. Picture: Mark Wilson

For Lara, there was but a few bright spots, ex-VFL player Darby Henderson a tireless worker through the midfield, recruit Majok Bol solid in defence and Max Chambers a shining light, the teen never taking a backwards step behind the ball and in the contest.

Estimating his side’s average age at around 21.5, Henderson said he’d keep getting games into his young players, but insisted his side needed to up its pressure and move the ball better.

“We played a really boring, stagnant game of football, we didn’t challenge the opposition at any time,” he said.

“We’ve got to get better at that, and hopefully bounce back and get a bit of confidence in a couple weeks.”

Henderson said he hoped to get 3-4 key players back within a few weeks, including Jack Borchard and Josh Sanders, while he was unsure of the severity of a quad injury suffered by Nicholas Beekmans.

Meanwhile, St Albans’ Nathan Cole went to hospital for stitches to a cut to his mouth.

Originally published as GFNL 2025: St Albans wins first round 1 game in 18 years with triple-digit drubbing of Lara