VAFA live stream: University Blacks and Old Haileybury chase first wins of season in grand final rematch (VAFA)
There would be no VAFA redemption for University Blacks as last season’s grand final nemesis again proved too strong. Relive all the action from the big Reserves/Seniors doubleheader.
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The ultimate grand final rematch turned into an unexpected blow-out as Old Haileybury opened their VAFA season account with a 58-point victory over University Blacks on Saturday.
Old Haileybury, who beat University Blacks in the Premier B decider last year, raced out to a 24-7 quarter time lead before Blacks worked into the game and reduced to deficit to 15 points at the halftime break.
The third quarter proved pivotal as Old Haileybury opened up a 38-point advantage before cruising home to win 120-62.
University Blacks v Old Haileybury (Reserves)
Due to technical difficulties, we lost the stream for a short period of the second quarter of the VAFA Reserves game between University Blacks and Old Haileybury. We apologise for any inconvenience and will have a full replay available as soon as possible after the end of the game.
PREVIEW
The scene is set for the ultimate grand final rematch between University Blacks and Old Haileybury at University Oval on Saturday.
Both sides head into the blockbuster clash eager to win their first game of the season after starting the new campaign 0-2.
Catch every minute of the action from the reserves (11.40am) and seniors (2pm) LIVE on KommunityTV as part of a two-year streaming partnership between News Corp and VAFA. Check out the schedule below.
Inevitably, the Blacks will be out to seek revenge on the Bloods who devastated their premiership hopes in a decider marred by rain last year. A scoreline of 2.10 (22) to 2.5 (17) was testament to that.
The result marked the Bloods’ first VAFA flag since 2006, while almost breaking the record for their lowest ever score of 20, set in 1998 against Old Xaverians.
It came after the B-grade premiership had the Blacks’ name written all over it all season, having lost just one match in the home-and-away season.
But when the rain heaved down on Elsternwick Park leading into the grand final, the Bloods took advantage of the unprecedented conditions and, frankly, stole the premiership.
The Blacks had won 26 of their last 28 matches leading into the grand final.
It is fair to mention, however, their two losses did come against the Bloods in Round 11, 2022 by 46 points and in Round 6, 2021 by five points.
Both coaches mentioned that their sides are set to look different to last year’s grand final while a few changes from last week’s teams are also set to occur.
TEAM CHANGES
University Blacks will make one change for the game.
Medium-size defender Baxter Aurisch will come into the side on debut with key forward-ruck Tom Larby to miss with an ankle injury.
Old Haileybury will make two changes for the match.
Bloods key forward Harrison Jones will miss this weekend due to concussion and on-baller Brede Seccull will miss due to a hamstring injury.
Defenders James Paul and Maxwell Sinclair are set to come in but the pair will have to get through training before they are given the green light.
In 2023, after earning promotion to VAFA’s top tier from Premier B, the Bloods and Blacks have both shown promising signs.
The Bloods fell short by a point to reigning premier St Kevin’s in an impressive display in the opening round before going down to Old Brighton by 58 points in Round 2.
The Blacks lost to Old Brighton by 34 points in the opening round before going down by 12 points to local rivals University Blues in the second round after being up by four points at three-quarter time.
Bloods coach Daniel Ward said the upcoming game against the Blacks was one his side “just need to win.”
“We are looking to get a win against a quality opposition,” he said.
“We aren’t happy with how we went last week, so we are looking to bounce back on Saturday.
“I think both sides, the brand of footy that we both play, is pretty contested.
“We’ve got to get back to (the first week).
“Really happy with the first week and the type of footy we wanted to play against the reigning premiers.
“Probably as happy as you can be with having a loss, but unfortunately that level of intensity and the way we wanted to play last week wasn’t what was required.
“And in this comp, at A-grade level, if you’re off five per cent, you’re going to get hurt.
“And Old Brighton were really good, really impressive and taught us a bit of a lesson on what it takes to play at this level.
“Whether it’s Uni Blacks or anyone else, we are looking to bounce back from last week and make sure we play our footy the right way.”
Blacks coach Dale Bower said he was expecting a tough game between the two teams on a ground that is heavy under foot but slowly getting drier.
“I think both teams will be keen to get the four points because we are both sitting on zero at the moment, so I think it will be a hard fought contest,” he said.
“We just want to continue to improve and put our best foot forward every week and just get that gradual improvement.
“And obviously we want to win every week, so we are motivated to win this week, for sure.”
Bower identified some areas where he side could improve following the last Saturday’s Uni derby.
“I thought we pressured and competed pretty well for a fair chunk of the game, but probably not quite long enough, so we need to be able to do that for longer,” he said.
“And we probably need to be able to use the ball the bit better at times when we get our opportunities.
“We think if we can stay strong in the contest and have good pressure, we will be thereabouts, but for us to win, we probably need to have a little bit more polish with the ball.”
PLAYERS TO WATCH
Campbell Moorfield (University Blacks)
Moorfield has had 50 touches and 23 rebounds from the first two games of the season. In the derby, the halfback had the most ranking points for the Blacks with 177.
Josh Gasparini (Old Haileybury)
Gasparini picked up 24 touches, including 14 contested in Round 2, against Old Brighton. He also had seven tackles and eight clearances in the match.
Joshua Steadman (University Blacks)
Steadman picked up 20 disposals and had eight clearances in his Round 1 game against Old Brighton. He was also best on ground in last year’s grand final against the Bloods.
With avoiding relegation always in the minds of newly promoted teams, this Premier B grand final rematch is set to be a blockbuster match.
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