Live stream: Old Scotch take on University Blues in big VAFA Pemier Men’s R4 double header

At one stage Old Scotch had kicked more than four times as many behinds as goals. That they found their range late on and got so close only serves to add to their frustration. Relive all the action.

Eighteen of Old Scotch’s first 22 scoring shots were behinds.

That three of the last four were majors mattered little in the end as University Blues took advantage of the Cardinals’ wayward tendancies to pull off a seven-point VAFA Men’s Premier League victory.

The Blues, beaten last weekend by University Blacks, bounced back to winning form with a 10.8 (68) to 7.19 (61) victory. Old Scotch have now lost two games in a row by single-figure margins.

The Cardinals actually led by five points at halftime after a low scoring first half, but only kicked 1.6 (12) in the third term compared to their opponents’ 4.2 (26).

Uni Blues pushed their advantage out to 21 points at one stage in the final term only to see Old Scotch kicked three straight goals to get within one point.

James Stewart’s fifth goal of the game right at the end relieved a bit of pressure.

VAFA Round 4 - Old Scotch v University Blues (Reserves)

University Blues ended Old Scotch’s unbeaten start to the VAFA Premier Men’s Reserves season with an exciting 10-point success, 10.4 (64) to 8.6 (54).

Old Scotch had got their campaign off to a flying start with wins over University Blacks, Fitzroy and Collegians, but they met their match against an impressive Uni Blues side.

Uni Blues set the platform for success with a dynamic first half. They kept Old Scotch scoreless in the first quarter while piling on three goals themselves, and had added three more by halftime to lead by 22 points.

A late Matthew Muller goal pulled the Cardinals to within three points of a shock three-quarter time lead, but Uni Blues regrouped, kicked three goals in the final quarter and then held off Old Scotch’s determiend finish.

PREVIEW

At the end of the 2023 season, Old Scotch coach Mark Gnatt identified he “needed” to make changes to his side’s midfield.

Put to the sword by St Kevin’s, who he labelled as the “benchmark of the last couple of years”, Gnatt and his coaching staff went about putting plans in place to help the Cardinals go to another level.

Three games into the Premier Division, Gnatt is already seeing the benefits with Old Scotch able to score consistently from stoppage.

Now they’ll put it to the test against University Blues - and you can catch all the action LIVE as part of a big double header on KommunityTV from 2pm on Saturday.

Check out the full LIVE STREAM details below.

Off-season recruit and former VFL player Isaac Conway has been one of the key reasons for the Cardinals midfield making a leap.

“He’s a bull,” Gnatt said of Conway.

“He’s fitted in so well, on and off the field. He’s part of a small group of guys we’ve got from Queensland, who are all good friends at the club.

“He’s given us another dimension in the middle, he’s very strong on the inside. We’ve had to adapt our game.

Brodie Easton has been one of Old Scotch’s best this season.

“I think as a side we’ve played better every week, we’re still building cohesion across the ground.

“The connection between our midfielders and forwards is still growing. We’ve got a pretty quick side on the outside and we’re seeing the benefits of winning it on the inside.”

Conway has been one of his side’s leading ball winners to start the season alongside Ben Hays, Brodie Easton and Charlie Cormack.

In round two, the Cardinals kicked nine goals from stoppages in a big win over Fitzroy.

“It’s important we’ve been able to get our hands on it at the source,” he said.

Gnatt’s side currently sit second on the ladder and face a Uni Blues side who have produced what may be considered an underwhelming 1-2 start after a busy off-season.

Coach Guy Martyn added ex-AFL names, including James Stewart and Sam Hayes into his side, but the premiership contender is still yet to find its best.

“The competition is so even,” Gnatt said.

“You need to be on your game every week because we’ve already seen there’s no easy games.

“We’re looking forward to another big challenge.”

Former Port Adelaide player Sam Hayes has joined Uni Blues.

If the Cardinals are to walk away with the four points, limiting turnovers will be key.

In their opening three games, the Blues have pounced on opposition mistakes – scoring an average of just under eight goals per game from turnovers.

“They’ve obviously got some real fire power in their key forwards,” Knatt said.

“Guys like Marty Gleeson, Cam O’Shea and Tom Cutler play really important roles in creating a lot of drive off halfback. They’ve got some absolute weapons.

“Their midfield can’t be underestimated either. Across all lines they’re a very talented side.”