APS Insider: Top performers, father-sons on show from Carey v St Kevin’s in round 8

An imposing St Kevin’s key forward had a field day while there was an inspired third quarter showing from a Chargers draft hopeful, with plenty of AFL recruiters in attendance.

An inspired third quarter performance from midfielder Ned La Motte couldn’t lift Carey Grammar to a come-from-behind victory over St Kevin’s College as a key forward enjoyed a field day, booting five majors for the winning side.

St Kevin’s rallied late in the third term before kicking away in the fourth quarter to hold off Carey and secure a 32-point win in round 8 of the APS senior football competition.

Imposing key forward Charlie Abbott laid the foundations of the 14.10 (94) to 10.2 (62) win at the Carey Sports Complex, kicking all three of St Kevin’s first quarter goals.

Abbott finished a haul of five – he very nearly had a sixth with a monster set shot effort from the pocket narrowly missing – and was a strong mark of the footy.

“He’s incredible, he’s got the best hands, and he’s very hard to stop one-on-one. He’s a great set shot for goal,” said St Kevin’s head of football Nick Arnold of Abbott.

Gus Teixeira takes a mark for St Kevin’s. Picture: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos

Small forward Will Mazzeo was also lively and backed up his haul of seven goals last week with a further three majors, while Alexander Carni chipped in with two.

In the absence of skipper James Mikhael, Gus Teixeira and Archie Dollman continued their strong APS seasons for St Kevin’s in the midfield.

“They both work really hard both ways and they’re really clean, they never fumble and they’re really good in traffic, that Scott Pendlebury sort of evasiveness,” Arnold said.

“They find space when everything is going quickly around them.”

The win lifted St Kevin’s record to 5-3 this season, and was the school’s first win on the road.

“We had two injuries in the first half, we were down to two on the bench so that was a challenge, it was a fast-paced game,” Arnold said.

“To have two down, we were really happy with the way we bounced back and ran out the game really well, we were thrilled, it was probably one of our best wins for the year.

Carey was missing two key pillars in Collingwood NGA ruckman Zac McCarthy and Max Kondogiannis – who are both in the Vic Metro squad – but for a period in the third term, it had all the momentum and came within four points.

The run was largely thanks to a brilliant 10-minute patch from Oakleigh Chargers player Ned La Motte who kicked two goals and set up another. He, alongside Western Bulldogs father-son prospect Levi West, stood tall for Carey in the middle.

Arnold was particularly impressed with St Kevin’s ability to compose themselves in the face of a strong challenge from Carey.

“A couple of our away games we’ve had teams pile on the goals and we just couldn’t stop the momentum, it was probably the first time we’ve been able to stop it and fight back which was nice,” Arnold added.

Top performers

Charlie Abbott (St Kevin’s)

The key forward was a standout booting five goals. He’s a deadeye set shot, – converting plenty from distance – strong mark and also earned one of his goals off the back of a brilliant chase down tackle. Really good overall display.

Ned La Motte (Carey)

La Motte was a standout presence all day for Carey, both in the middle and when he worked forward. He was the figurehead of his side’s third quarter surge, kicking a great goal on the run near the 40m arc, and following it up with a goal assist before slotting another himself in relatively quick succession.

Gus Teixeira (St Kevin’s)

Teixeria kicked a nice pair of goals from the midfield and could also win clearances. He found space well and was good under pressure.

Levi West (Carey)

West won plenty of the footy and was one of Carey’s best. He showcased his ability to shrug off tackles while also taking a good mark back with the flight. West is 2026 draft eligible and is a Western Bulldogs father-son prospect as he’s the son of 324-gamer Scott West and brother of current Dogs player Rhylee.

Levi West training with the Dogs. Picture: Michael Klein

Archie Dollman (St Kevin’s)

Dollman was solid in the middle and clean and composed in traffic. He also showcased his strength at one point when he burst through two Carey opponents.

Will Mazzeo (St Kevin’s)

Has now kicked 10 goals in the past two matches after adding a further three to his season tally. Mazzeo’s a relentless tackler who runs both ways and is an accurate kick.

Willem Verwoet (Carey)

Was Carey’s leading goalscorer with three majors. He was a standout in the forward line, both kicking goals from range and also using his body exceptionally to outmark his opponent one-on-one.

Pat Harmon (St Kevin’s)

Harmons was a key contributor down back all day for St Kevin’s, but produced a spectacular highlight in the second term when he soared above the pack and brought down a nice hanger. It had plenty of hang time and was met with strong applause from the crowd.

Jack Stone (Carey)

Stone was a key contributor in the Carey midfield, finding lots of clean, quick and accurate handpasses under pressure. Also delivered some good inside 50s and tackled hard.

Alexander Carni (St Kevin’s)

After an interrupted start to the season, Carni played his best game yet for St Kevin’s this year. His two-way running and defensive efforts were standouts of his performance and he also snagged two goals.

Alexander Carni of St Kevin's College handballs under pressure. Picture: Daniel Pockett/AFL Photos

Olek Stecki (Carey)

Stecki kicked two goals for Carey and they were two of his best, as the pair of deadeye set shots soared through from the 40m arc near-impossible angles and in each respective pocket. His second goal, which came in the third term, had shades of Dom Sheed in the 2018 AFL grand final and was met with raucous cheers from the Carey students in attendance.

Louis Lefoe (St Kevin’s)

Lefoe was the pick of the St Kevin’s backmen. He intercepted well and was also good at ground level and composed with ball in hand.

The big names in attendance

Former Carey Grammar student Jack Viney turned his attention to school footy in Melbourne’s AFL bye week, and was among Carey’s coaching staff on the sideline.

There was a strong interstate recruiting presence, with GWS recruiting manager Adrian Caruso and West Coast national draft strategy and player movement manager Adam Shepard in attendance.

Tasmania recruiter Scott Clayton was an interested onlooker. Picture: Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

Other recruiters including James Goller (Sydney), Ross Hill (Geelong) and Scott Clayton (Tasmania Devils) were also spotted.

Famed recruiter and Tasmania native Clayton only joined the Devils in May and was casting his eye over the year 10 players in particular, who will be among the first crop of draftable players for Tasmania, if they are to join the AFL in 2028.

Phoenix Management director Winston Rous was also watching on.

Meanwhile, there was a stacked halftime menu on offer, which included meat pies, sausage rolls, pastries, sandwiches, fresh fruit, scones, Mars Bar slice, honey joys, cupcakes, cookies, and biscuits topped with cream and jam.

Originally published as APS Insider: Top performers, father-sons on show from Carey v St Kevin’s in round 8