Round 3 Match Report
Round 3, Saturday 2 May 2026
Old Melburnians FC vs AJAX FC at Elsternwick Park
1st quarter: OMFC 1.1.7 AJAX 3.2.20
2nd quarter: OMFC 3.6.24 AJAX 7.2.44
3rd quarter OMFC 6.7.43 AJAX 9.8.62
4th quarter: OMFC 8.11.59 AJAX 11.10.76
Goals: Jack Spargo (2), Nicky Christian (1), Lucas Cossettini (1), Hugo Dale (1), Louis Dalgleish (1), Lachie Haysman (1), Ned Nichols (1).
Best players: Ned Nichols, Will Dethridge, Hugo Hines, Sam Seccull, Harry Cooper, Jack Spargo
Team: Jeremy a’Beckett (26), Charlie Boston (36), Louis Bunting (27), Andrew Chirnside (86), Nicky Christian (21), Harry Cooper (23), Lucas Cossettini (39), Hugo Dale (15), Louis Dalgleish (13), Will Dethridge (12), Lachie Haysman (9), Hugo Hines (22), Tommy Marriner (31), Ned Nichols (3), Will Richards (14), Sam Seccull (28), Jack Spargo (2), Tom Spargo (1, Captain), Lachie Templeton (16), Miles Tyrer (17), Gus Williams (35) and Liam Witts (5).
Match Report by Lurch
Sam Connock, Matthew Payne and Olly Williams were replaced by Jack Spargo, Lachie Templeton and Lachie’s Williams’ older brother, Gus.
After a genuine team effort gave the OMs a win last week, and with fewer changes this week it was hoped that the OMs could make the most of having a more settled team playing at a third consecutive match at home – despite the personnel losses.
The weather was like the previous week: 23-24 degrees during the game that was said to feel like 18-19 due to the strong north-northeasterly to northerly wind of 19-30 km/h with gusts of 28-41km/h. It was generally quite overcast with occasional bursts of sun.
Winning the centre chuck up were the OMs, who went north against the breeze, but AJAX quickly went into attack and goaled with five minutes played. A good, contested mark by Nicky Christian on the western wing started a chain of OM possessions that saw Sam Seccull run past to give Ned Nichols, in the centre circle, an option, and Seccull hit up Hugo Dale perfectly. Dale took his set shot from inside the arc in the northeast pocket and drilled it to make it six all at the seven-minute mark. AJAX, though, goaled at the nine and 10-minute marks.
Tommy Marriner took a huge leap in the forward line but was unable to hold onto what would’ve been a memorable mark. Lachie Templeton took a set shot from the northeast that went across the face of goal and was marked and run down the ground but was stopped on the OMs’ last line of defence. AJAX received a free kick and a set shot for an easy goal – which it missed. Lucas Cossettini had a set shot from the arc in the northwest but against the wind it dropped short and was rushed. Even with the wind, AJAX had another set shot miss to make it 7-20 at the 25-minute mark. Dale marked and had a long set shot against the wind from the northwest but was offline and it fell short with the quarter ending after 27 minutes.
In the second quarter, with the wind, Nichols set up Jack Spargo with a set shot directly in front, but he just missed to the right. Hugo Hines intercepted an AJAX ball near the intersection of the southwest boundary line and the arc and had a ping at goal but also missed to the right. After two behinds in two minutes, the OMs gave away a 50m penalty and although AJAX’s set shot was stopped just before the line, another free kick gave AJAX a goal six minutes into the quarter. At 6-26 the signs were not looking good for the OMs. AJAX was moving the footy cleanly, had numbers, and AJAX players were positioning themselves better. Despite having the wind at their backs, the OMs were not getting a look at their end. When the OMs finally spent some time in attack they were unable to add to their score. AJAX then goaled and the OMs responded with another behind to make it 10-38 at the 17-minute mark.
Although the OMs again spent some time up forward, AJAX bottled it up and gave the OMs no shots. AJAX charged up the ground, hit the left goal post, but goaled at the 21-minutes mark. At 10-44 it was looking increasingly bleak for the OMs, but was it already game over? Winning in the middle the OMs hit up Nichols on the southwest boundary. He unleashed at goal and watched the footy sail through. It took a while for the OMs to get forward again, where they battled for a while until Hines put it on the boot but hit the right goal post.
AJAX kicked a set shot across the face of goal to give the OMs a reprieve. The OMs quickly moved the ball along the eastern boundary, but it was an AJAX defender’s kick that Cossettini marked. He played on, kicked, and missed to the left, but mass confusion had been caused by the siren going off on the neighbouring Elsternwick ground. Although it has often caused momentary confusion, this time it had stopped play. The ball was recalled without the behind being registered. Louis Dalgleish’s tackle was rewarded, and he put through his set shot at the 31-minute mark. The siren sounded a minute later with the OMs 20 points down at halftime, having kicked a wasteful 2.5 with the wind versus AJAX’s four straight goals against it.
First out of the centre in the third quarter, the OMs turned it over and AJAX missed a shot in the second minute. Eventually Lachie Haysman received a free kick for holding and goaled from just outside the goal square to make it 30-45 after four minutes’ play. AJAX gave the OMs a change by missing a set shot but a minute later goaled in play from the goal square. Although the OMs had a good opportunity going into attack, they muffed it, and AJAX had a shot but missed. The OMs got loose and had the advantage with three on one but poor decisions turned it over in the face of goal. Will Richards snapped and missed. The OMs turned it over to AJAX, which ran into goal to make it 31-61 at the 18-minute mark.
Winning in the centre, the OMs hit up Jack Spargo, who out-marked his opponent in the northwest pocket near the point post, played on, and goaled. Although AJAX had possession for a long time, the OMs’ resolute defenders only conceded a behind. The OMs ran up the ground and a kick from near the eastern boundary line found Cossettini, who snapped and goaled to make it 43-61 at the 23-minute mark. Andrew Chirnside marked inside the top of the arc and was walking back to take his set shot when he dished it off to an incoming runner, but the siren sounded before the kick that sent the footy through the middle, rendering it null, in addition to being touched on the line had it been legitimate. It was a 31-minute quarter. The OMs’ wasteful 2.4 in the third quarter only knocked a point off the halftime deficit. Although they had the wind in the final quarter, they had been struggling all day both to get scoring opportunities but also to kick truly. The 19-point margin was more imposing than it might otherwise seem.
The wind strengthened as Christian took a strong contested mark and goaled from thesouthwest near the arc. It was 49-62. After another near miss at goal the OMs had the footy in the southwest pocket for some time, where it was hotly contested. When AJAX broke loose it marked directly in front and goaled to make it 50-69 at the 11-minute mark. It attacked hard until goaling again six minutes later with the 51-75 margin looking insurmountable. A Nichols’ kick from the southwest boundary line missed to the left. Seccull took a good diving intercept mark and then brilliantly kicked the footy on top of Jack Spargo’s head for a strong contested mark. Spargo finished the job with a goal from directly in front to make it 58-75 at the 21-minute mark. A minute later Spargo had another set shot but hit the right goal post. The remaining eight minutes of the game were a stalemate with the OMs having no further looks at goal.
AJAX was the 2025 Premier C runner up and its team was more mature and battle-hardened than the OMs’ team with seven Under-19 players and some senior players returning from long-term injuries. It had an answer to the OMs’ every move and was usually a step or two ahead of the OMs. Unlike the OMs, it generally set its forwards up with shallower angles closer to goal and outnumbered the OMs. That said, AJAX’s dominance suggested the final margin should have been more than three goals – and the fact it was not, despite the OMs not playing well, indicates that a few simple changes could have changed the outcome. The team effort of the previous week was missing, as was its willingness to adapt and respond to the opposition’s changing tactics. Despite conditions being nearly identical to last week, the OMs were more wasteful in front of goal, but the forwards were often set up with longer kicks at sharper angles.
Ned Nichols was the OMs’ best player. As always, he battled hard all day and provided good drive off half back, breaking through the lines and using the footy well.
Will Dethridge continually won his one-on-one battles in a busy day for the OMs’ defenders as he played a huge role in holding off AJAX’s attacks.
Hugo Hines was one of the few OMs who shone in the middle, doing a great job off the wing with both attacking and defensive efforts to back up his good game the previous week.
Sam Seccull is an Under-19s-eligible player who improved in the back half as the game went on, showing some of the talent that made him the hero of the 2024 Cordner Eggleston.
Harry Cooper: see the comments for Dethridge, with whom Harry led the backline very well.
Jack Spargo made a very welcome return and battled hard up forward, knocking off the rust and getting better during the game to show off his topline skills.
Noteworthy outside of the best six players were Hugo Dale, who had four goals last week but had fewer opportunities this week despite battling hard, and in Lachie Templeton’s return from long-term injury he showed glimpses of his classy best around the contest.
This week the OMs (still seventh, on percentage) leave Elsternwick Park for the first time this season to take on the Wellers at Gordon Barnard Reserve, North Balwyn. When they last met there in Round 15, 2025, the OMs were given a 114-43 thrashing. This year both teams have won one (both against Old Ivanhoe) and lost two, but Camberwell is ninth due to a marginally weaker attack and poorer defence. The OMs’ defence is the competition’s second best, so a midfield lift would give the forwards a greater chance of holding up their end.
See you there.
Lurch.