:: Melbourne Grammar School 1st XVIII Report - By Lurch.

MGS faced a Xavier team that – whilst not a patch on its 2000-2003 premiership teams – is significantly better than it was last year, when it beat MGS in atrocious conditions at Xavier to end Grammar’s 2006 premiership campaign.

Grammar got off to a flying start with three goals to show Xavier that it would not be an easy day, but forced and unforced errors proved costly, with Xavier being more consistent, and proving to be the better team on the day.

Xaverian fury has already been unleashed against Scotch, which had beaten it for the past two years, and Geelong College, which demeaned Xavier with a crushing victory in its premiership game at the end of the 2006 season. Grammar can take some consolation from the fact its losing margin of 38 points is significantly less than the losing margins of Scotch and Geelong College to Xavier this year.

The margin also unfortunately suggests that Grammar should have been victorious in the Cordner Eggleston against Scotch. However, it also suggests victory can and should be achieved next week.

Next week MGS looks forward to punishing Geelong College, which has been a tough competitor and sometime bogey team in recent years. In 2004 the inaugural game on MGS’s new Todd Road ground at Port Melbourne was spoilt when College won its first game in Melbourne for four years - by one point. In 2006 MGS was one of the few teams to defeat College in College’s premiership year. If Grammar plays at its best it will bear the Dark Blue flag to glory against College next weekend.

Tags: Alex Armstrong, Alex Carter, Dillon Measures, Jack Macciolli, Rohan Barraclough, Tim McLardy, Xavier College