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VAFA livestream: St Kevins face Collegians in blockbuster Premier Men's qualifying final (VAFA Finals Series)

Minor premiers St Kevins have qualified for the grand final after beating Collegians. Relive the action from our LIVESTREAM and make sure you return for Sunday’s big elimination final.

St Kevins have secured a spot in the VAFA Premier Men’s Grand Final after producing a strong performance to defeat Collegians by 17 points - 10.9 (69) to 7.10 (52) - at Elsternwick Park on Saturday.

It was a game influenced by wind as St Kevins gained a 20-point lead kicking with the breeze at their back in the first quarter before Collegians led by 15 points at halftime.

A five-goal third term saw St Kevins gather a 12-point lead at three quarter time.

Skipper Sam Critchley took the mark of the day, kicking a set-shot goal from 40 metres out in front following the spectacular grab.

The play put his side up by a goal in the 27th minute of the third quarter.

St Kevins contained Collegians in the final quarter, stopping them from playing a fast paced high-scoring game as they kicked with the breeze.

Thomas Jok was busy for St Kevins while Patrick Kerr, Sam Tucker and Philip Edgar hit the scoreboard and played impressive matches.

Collegians were impacted by several injuries throughout the game, which had players receiving treatment on the bench for extended periods. Kenny Ong and Luke Mccleary were among those affected.

PREVIEW

After three long years, VAFA Premier Men’s finals is finally here.

The top four teams in the competition weren’t decided until the final round when Old Brighton won to join Old Xaverians, Collegians and St Kevins in the finals.

The qualifying final will take place between minor premiers St Kevins and Collegians. The reward for the winner is passage through to the Grand Final.

Make sure you catch the game - and the entire finals series - on KommunityTV’s livestream on Saturday from 2pm

The loser will play the following week for another chance to book a ticket to the decider.

It is set to be a cracking start to the finals as both sides have hardly seen a loss in the last three months.

LIVESTREAM: Old Xaverians face Old Brighton in Sunday’s elimination final

Collegians captain David Mirra. Picture: Valeriu Campan
Collegians captain David Mirra. Picture: Valeriu Campan

COLLEGIANS

Collegians are on a 10-game win streak with their last loss coming more than three months ago on May 27.

The Lions have been on a hot run in recent times and have become one of the major contenders for the title.

They finished with a 13-5 record for the season, with all the defeats coming in a clump from round four nto round eight.

They have beaten every team this season to go with their win streak heading into finals.

The Lions hold the third best defensive record in the game, keeping teams to 63 point per game on average.

In attack, they are the fifth high scoring team averaging 77 points per game.

Players to watch

Skipper David Mirra has been a star for the Lions this season and he enters the finals in hot form having scored 19 goals in his last four games.

The ex-AFL footballer is second in the competition for goals scored with 46.

Midfielder Kenny Ong will be another gun to look out for. He has featured in the best players in 12 of 16 matches this season.

Midfielder Vivian Michie has been best on ground in five matches this season.

St Kevins Luke Winter (St Kevins OB). Picture: Valeriu Campan
St Kevins Luke Winter (St Kevins OB). Picture: Valeriu Campan

ST KEVINS

St Kevins have won nine of their last 10 games and have proven to be the competition benchmark, winning the minor premiership with several games to spare.

St Kevins have scored the most points of any team in the competition, averaging 86 a game and hold the best defensive record, keeping teams to 51 points per game on average.

They come into this game as favourites, although you can’t discount the Lions after they defeated St Kevins by 30 points the last time they met in round 12.

In round four, St Kevins had the better of them, however, winning the game by 21 points.

Players to watch

Luke Winter will be a player to watch for St Kevins as he has featured in his side’s best players in 13 matches this season.

Cameron Hodges and William Coates also bear close watching as the pair have both been in their side’s best player on nine occasions this season.

Former AFL footballer Patrick Kerr is third in the league for the most goals scored with 41.

Verdict

It is set to go down to the wire and will be a game you won’t want to miss on KommunityTV.

As Collegians have been able to keep St Kevins below their average offensive score of 86 in both their encounters this season, including in round 12 when they held them to a final score of 3.15-33, they will go into this with confidence.

And after Collegians fell short to St Kevins by five and three points in the 2018 and 2017 Grand Finals, it could be third time lucky in this clash.

Collegians by two points.

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Original URL: https://www.heraldsun.com.au/sport/live-streams/aussie-rules/vafa-livestream-st-kevins-face-collegians-in-blockbuster-premier-mens-qualifying-final/news-story/5366311a103438c70964d6c6f69f9eed