2025 ROUND 4 SENIOR MEN’S MATCH REPORT

Round 4, Saturday 3 May 2025

Old Melburnians FC vs Old Trinity Grammarians Amateur FC at Daley Oval, Trinity Marles Playing Fields, Bulleen

1st quarter:                OMFC 3.4.22 OTGAFC  4.2.26

2nd quarter:              OMFC 6.2.38 OTGAFC 9.6.60

3rd quarter:               OMFC           8.5.53            OTGAFC               10.10.70     

4th quarter:               OMFC            9.9.63            OTGAFC                11.14.80     

Goals: Jeremy a’Beckett (2), Ben Jackson (2), Ed Michelmore (1), Ned Nichols (1), Lucas Reid (1), Adam Richardson (1), Gus Williams (1).

Best players: Matthew Payne, Nicky Christian, Ben Haysman, Adam Richardson, Lachie Templeton, Ned Nichols

Team: Jeremy a’Beckett (26), Albert Brown (29), Nicky Christian (21), Charlie Dowling (25), Ben Haysman (10), Lachie Haysman (9), Ben Jackson (54), Chris Long (50), Ed Michelmore (4), Charlie Nairn (47), Ned Nichols (3), Will Nichols (Captain, 1), Matthew Payne (6), Lucas Reid (22), Adam Richardson (17), Arthur Rush (7), Jack Spargo (2), Tom Spargo (37), Lachie Swaney (94), Lachie Templeton (44), Fletcher Teelow (42), Gus Williams (51).

Match Report

The OMs welcomed Nicky Christian, Charlie Nairn and Lucas Reid who replaced Wilbur Brown, Oscar Cheetham and Sam Laube.

Going into this game with a team further depleted due to injuries to key players (some of them long-term), the OMs also knew that Trinity was in good form and is never easy to beat at home.

The game was played on a dry sunny day of 19 to 21 degrees (said to feel like 16 to 17 degrees) with a north-northeast and north-northwest but mostly northerly wind of 9 to 13km/h with gusts of up to 28km/h.

A junior game delayed the start of the Reserves’ game. Word was that the Reserves’ game would be stopped prematurely for a 2:00pm Senior start, but it was instead stopped at the end of the third quarter, with the Senior game beginning at 2:21pm.

In the first quarter the OMs kicked with the wind to the southern end, which proved to be the scoring end. The OMs made a good start. Although Lachie Haysman set up Adam Richardson and his set shot from the SW pocket missed everything, Gus Williams was soon onto the loose ball in the SE pocket, wheeled around, snapped and goaled in the game’s second minute. Trinity fired and missed, and the OMs attacked again. Richo earned a free for a high tackle. His set shot dropped short, but the OMs kept it forward until Ned Nichols got onto the loose ball in the SW pocket, chucked it on his boot and goaled at the six-minute mark. Once again the OMs attacked, Ed Michelmore got the footy in the SW, ran, weaved, pondered what to do, and - in the end - went long and watched the footy bounce through the empty goal square for a thrilling goal. It was 1-19 at the eight-minute mark and the OMs had made a surprisingly good start against such a quality opponent.

Trinity scored its maiden goal two minutes later and – after a long time being repelled by the OMs’ defenders – a second at the 19-minute mark to trail 15-19. Two minutes later The Dark Blues blasted the footy out of the middle, with Richo marking just west of directly in front, about 30m out. It was a case of third time lucky as he put through his set shot for a 16-25 lead, but Trinity goaled from the centre bounce a minute later. Although the OMs attacked for some time through the SW there was no score added, and Trinity then went coast-to-coast – and missed. Apart from shots that failed to score, the OMs’ only miss on the board was a rushed behind. Fortunately, Trinity had been more wasteful at the other end.

In the second quarter, Trinity goaled at the three-minute mark, with another from the centre and another at the five-minute mark to take a 40-26 lead, with another shot at goal being touched on the line by the OMs. There was a feeling that the game was being taken out of the OMs’ grasp. As it was all game, it was free-flowing play (like the game against Old Ivanhoe last week) with rare periods of intense contests, but Trinity’s spread was superior to that of the OMs, with 5 v 1 or 7 v 2 contests where they mattered, yet still with other T-Boys scattered around the ground. Trinity has always been a good running team, and this one was the same, with several taller and bigger players that not all OMs could match.

A 50m penalty gave Richo the opportunity to set up Albert Brown, who threw it on the boot but missed everything. Apart from that, Trinity dominated the play. That said, it received a free kick for an unmissable shot at goal – and missed. Its unmissable misses were a feature all day and continued to give the OMs some hope. Trinity goaled at the 16-minute mark before the OMs muffed a chance at scoring in a brief forward foray. It was 47-26. The OMs’ great defensive effort stopped a certain goal on the line, but minutes later Trinity goaled rather too easily through multiple possessions for an ominous 53-26 lead. An OM’s intemperate action gave Trinity a goal from the goal line, and at 60-26 it seemed then that it was game over.

Matt Payne kicked out of the middle to Jeremy a’Beckett, who kicked long for goal and watched it get shepherded through the empty goal square at the 24-minute mark. Will Nichols scored a free kick in the middle and found Luca Reid, marking directly in front near the top of the 50m arc. The siren sounded at 31 minutes. Reid’s kick was low and flat – and a very welcome goal that gave the OMs some hope as they went into the changerooms at halftime.

Against the wind the T-Boys opened the third quarter by missing yet another unmissable goal. The OMs had a chance to toe-poke through the footy as it rolled through the goal square but could not get to it in time. Trinity responded with a coast-to-coast goal for a 67-38 lead, five minutes in. Richo snapped from a pack but missed. A neat kick by Will Nichols gave Ben Jackson a nice mark in the SW pocket, kicking truly from about 25m out to make it 68-46 at the 14-minute mark. The wind was now effectively gone. An OM kick sent the footy bouncing towards the goal, but it was offline and rushed. When the OMs broke free of Trinity’s shackles, Jackson got the footy, saw no-one ahead of him, ran, snapped and goaled at the 25-minute mark. The score – 70-53 – remained unchanged when the siren sounded only two minutes later – unsurprising given only three goals were kicked by both teams in a free-flowing game.

The OMs theoretically had a chance to win the game, but goals were hard to score, and Trinity’s supply had to be completely dried up if the OMs were to pull off a miracle.

Trinity attacked hard, scoring only one behind, but a huge leaping mark near the SE boundary line gave it a goal six minutes into the quarter. At 78-53, it seemed to be the sealer. Jackson flew, marked, and missed his set shot, with an OM snap from the back of a pack also missing. It was 80-55 at the 11-minute mark. Multiple OMs combined to work the ball along the eastern boundary to a’Beckett, who out-marked his opponent and goaled to narrow the margin to 80-61 at the 14-minute mark. The OMs had to play very well and very quickly in what was likely to be another short quarter, but it was 12 minutes later before the OMs had another shot at goal, with Richo just missing. The OMs continued to attack until the siren sounded after 29 minutes of play.

The OMs finished the game with more injuries to add to the ever-growing injury list. Trinity dominated much of the game, with its 25 scoring shots to 18 telling part of the story. However, the OMs were fortunate to escape with a reasonably small loss, thanks to desperate defence by an undermanned backline, and Trinity’s many missed “certain” goals. The OMs missed some good opportunities, but not to the same extent. As in the Ivanhoe game last week, too many did not take responsibility for their opponents, leaving them metres in the clear. Fixing this will improve the contest and give the OMs a chance. Yet again the second quarter was the one in which most of the damage was done, and from which the OMs never recovered, despite narrowly outscoring Trinity in the second half.

It is a very young, inexperienced team that has lost some of its best and most experienced players to injury. It has played four of the top five teams with one thumping win, two sub-goal losses and this 17-point loss against a very good team. In all its losses, a few minor changes would have resulted in victories. In other words, although the OMs are currently on the wrong side of the ledger, the return of some soldiers and tightening up in a few areas should see the latter part of the season looking much better than it does now.

Matt Payne was the OMs’ best player. He stood up on the day, was lively with the ball and led the way with his defensiveness, care, and effort.

Nicky Christian responded well in his return to the Seniors, playing a good all-round game at both ends of the ground. He held a dangerous player in a good team.

Ben Haysman continued his really good and consistent season, with effort, heart, spirit and clean use of the footy.

Adam Richardson helped the OMs get off to a good start, later helped to quell the opposition and played well in several positions.

Lachie Templeton played his best game of the year, working hard and playing well against a good opposition.

Ned Nichols played another really good game all over the ground.

Next week the OMs (still seventh) travel to Glen Huntly Park (south of the Caufield Racecourse) to take on the Caufield Grammarians (eighth) - and the OMFC’s former coach, Paul Satterly. Note that it is fixtured as being a 3:00pm start. Both teams have only won one of their first four games although the OMs retain a healthy percentage due to having relatively small losses. It is a ‘must win’ game.

See you there.

Lurch.