Round 6 Match Report
Round 6, Saturday 23 May 2026
Williamstown CYMS FC vs Old Melburnians FC at Fearon Reserve, Williamstown
1st quarter: WCYMS FC 5.0.30 OMFC 3.4.22
2nd quarter: WCYMS FC 6.1.37 OMFC 5.9.39
3rd quarter WCYMS FC 6.2.38 OMFC 10.13.73
4th quarter: WCYMS FC 8.3.51 OMFC 11.15.81
Goals: Charlie Boston (3), Nicky Christian (2), Max Jane (2), Sam Laube (1), Sam Seccull (1), Lachie Templeton (1), Ollie Tyrer (1)
Best players: Tom Spargo, Nicky Christian, Olly Williams, Louis Dalgleish, Miles Tyrer, Lachie Templeton
Team: Spencer Anderson (4), Jeremy a’Beckett (26), Charlie Boston (36), Nicky Christian (21), Harry Cooper (23), Hugo Dale (15), Louis Dalgleish (13), Will Dethridge (12), Lachie Haysman (9), Hugo Hines (22), Max Jane (27), Sam Laube (20), Ned Nichols (3), Luca Reid (37), Sam Seccull (28), Jack Spargo (2), Tom Spargo (1, Captain), Lachie Templeton (16), Miles Tyrer (17), Ollie Tyrer (32), Gus Williams (35) and Olly Williams (18).
Match Report by Lurch
Leo Curtis, Ben Haysman and Will Richards were replaced by Spencer Anderson, Harry Cooper and Ollie Tyrer.
This week the OMs travelled to Williamstown (immediately below them on percentage) to play the team that at the same ground in Round 17 last year belted the greatly weakened OMsby 143 to 77. It was the second-worse loss of 2025. Of that team, only 10 players played last weekend: a’Beckett, Boston, Dethridge, Lachie Haysman, Laube, Jack and Tom Spargo, Templeton and Gus and Olly Williams. The remainder of the 2025 team consisted of some currently injured Senior players, Seconds and Thirds players.
Thirteen Williamstown players returned for the rematch, among them one who kicked seven goals last time – and none this time. Read on to find out why….
For only the second time in history the OMs played Williamstown on its unusual seaside ground which is on a northwest-southeast axis with virtually no pockets.
It was an overcast but dry day with temperatures of 17-18 degrees said to feel like 13-16 degrees due to the northerly to north-northeasterly breezes of 7-20km/h with gusts of 9-30 km/h that gave the OMs the first and third quarter advantage as they kicked to the southeast.
For unknown reasons the game started shortly before 2:00pm, catching Lurch out, and Williamstown had already goaled against the wind before his arrival. Lachie Templeton soon responded with a long set shot from about the top of the arc to level the scores at the four-minute mark. Winning at the centre chuck up, the OMs streamed forward with Lachie Haysman kicking for goal in play, but it was touched through, as was another OM attempt minutes later. The OMs had the lead until a defensive clearing kick by Ned Nichols uncharacteristically hit an opponent on the chest, resulting soon afterwards in a Williamstown goal and 12-8 lead at the nine-minute mark. Nicky Christian helped set up Charlie Boston directly in front and with a beautiful kick from about the arc he gave the OMs a 12-14 lead three minutes after it had been lost. The game was reasonably free flowing with occasional solid contests, quite unlike the often super congested games of recent weeks.
Although the OMs prevented a goal on the last line, the relief was temporary as Williamstown goaled to take an 18-14 lead at the 16-minute mark and added another from the centre against the wind. A long bomb by the OMs in response was only just offline and although the OMs then got the footy to the goal line, it was rushed through in the contest. Williamstown then raced up the ground and goaled for a worrying 30-18 lead at the 25- minute mark. Was this the beginning of a repeat of 2025? Sam Laube then stepped up, laying a tackle and getting the benefit of a 50m penalty. This put him inside the arc kicking from the southeast with his usual perfect approach to a set shot paying dividends. Williamstown was deep in attack when the siren went after 31 minutes of play with the OMs trailing 30-22.
With clear memories of last year’s thrashing, one had to wonder whether the OMs had made the most of having the wind given that Williamstown – whose ground is a fortress – had outscored them against it. That said, at least the OMs were within range. Although Williamstown won at the centre chuck up it was the OMs that quickly rushed to the northeast with Christian kicking and missing in play. This, however, turned out only to be a sighting-in shot, as in the second minute of play he followed up with a goal in play from the east of the goal. Laube had a snap and a miss before Christian continued his purple patch by chucking the footy on the boot and scoring truly to give the OMs a 30-36 lead at the eight-minute mark. After another OM snap and miss the scoring dried up – but this was more a Williamstown problem for it took 19 minutes of play to break through the bluestone defence of the OMs – and it was only a behind. Will Dethridge was one of the generals in defence, twice launching attacks from it, and Ned was exceptional in evading two opponents to get the footy out of the danger zone.
When Myles Tyrer missed to the left it was 31-38 but Williamstown goaled three minutes later to be 37-38 at the 24-minute mark. Although Williamstown was briefly forward again it was soon repelled and the OMs spent some time attacking but only added yet another point when Olly Williams unleashed in play and missed to the left. The siren sounded as Williamstown went forward. The OMs had taken the lead against the wind, but their 2.5 for the quarter and 5.9 on the scoreboard told the story of forward dominance but opportunities lost. One club president was heard to say, “If only it were 9.5….”. At least the midfield and the defence had done a magnificent job to only let through two Williamstown scoring shots with the wind but the memories of last year’s thumping lingered, with the possibility of a second half Williamstown onslaught still a genuine worry.
The third quarter opened with the OMs first out of the middle but having to do an around-the-ground tour to get back within range, where Boston just missed in play. Williamstown applied intense pressure inside the OMs’ half, but Sam Seccull relished the opportunity in his preferred end of the ground by reading the ball better in a contest to mark and kick a very nice goal for a 37-46 lead at the six-minute mark. After Williamstown attacked but was easily defended, Seccull had a snap and a miss, but the OMs kept at it and Boston marked and kicked his second. It was 37-53 at the 14-minute mark and the beginning of the defining point of the game. Jack Spargo got it over the top to Laube who was being corralled away from goal, but he got it to Max Jane who took a couple of steps into goal and scored his first Senior goal two minutes after the last. It was 37-60 and the game was beginning to look like it was in the OMs’ hands. So complete was their domination that – similar to the previous quarter – it took until the 18-minute mark for Williamstown to score anything – and, once again, it was only a behind. Two of the key architects of the OMs’ backline control in this quarter were the Pegasus brothers, Gus and Olly Williams, who mopped up anything the parsimonious midfield let through.
Boston found his way through traffic to nail his third goal and then Jane, having liked the taste he’d got for Senior goalkicking, added a second about a minute later. At 38-72 with 22 minutes played, it looked like the game was more than halfway in the bag. As the now injured Lachie Haysman unfortunately watched from the sidelines, Christian did a deft job of scooping the footy up off the ground, wheeling around under pressure, and kicking to Ollie Tyrer, whose set shot missed. Hugo Dale had a difficult set shot from the southern boundary line near the arc. A million and one combinations and permutations went through his mind – which everyone could read. Unable to decide, he was on the verge of being tackled by the man on the mark when the siren ended the agony with visible relief.
Although still a bit inaccurate, the 5.4 to 0.1 of the third quarter was a gamechanger, and looked likely to be a game winner, unless Williamstown could find any of its 2025 form in the last quarter.
The fourth quarter had to be used to boost the OMs’ weak percentage. However, Williamstown began by attacking hard – but getting nothing. After the OMs briefly got forward, Williamstown broke free and ran through the middle for a certain goal - until Olly Williams performed an extraordinary score-saving tackle in the goal square at the six-minute mark. Two minutes later the first score of the quarter was a Williamstown goal that received a few forlorn claps as it was realised that the game was lost. The OMs won in the middle and Ollie ‘OT’ Tyrer set sail for goal, but it was knocked through. Dale’s set shot from the intersection of the western boundary line and the arc fell short in the goal square and was carried over the line. There was little interest left in the game as it had long been decided, and Williamstown’s flooding jammed up the OMs’ forward line.
Williamstown scored a goal at the 16-minute mark. The breeze had died and gave it no advantage. It was 50-75 and Williamstown had a set shot but it was offline and fell short. Although the OMs finally attacked, they had no opportunities and it was not until that 24 th minute that OT finally scored the goal he’d been trying to nail all day. The low-scoring quarter petered out two minutes later.
It was an extraordinary game by the OMs in the context of the season – and even recent seasons, for that matter. No-one outside the OMs had given the OMs a snowball’s chance in hell of beating Williamstown at home. The OMs’ wins had been by (mostly) small margins over teams further down the ladder with the Camberwell victory as much due to perseverance as Old Camberwell’s inability to put the OMs away with multiple fourth quarter chances. In addition to the 10 who returned from the last game against Williamstown, there was a lot of new blood among the 12 who joined them – and some talented and promising young blood at that. In every win this year the team has been behind at some stage – but undaunted – and with a new-found resilience and structure, has found a way to win.
The main improvement that needs to be made is the singing of the OMs’ version of the MGS Games Song: away from home, without the words, a line was skipped and some lines were faltering. The solution to this is to win more games – then sing and learn. It is a historic, unique and grand song that stands apart from the variations of AFL songs and even nursery rhymes!
Captain Tom Spargo played his best game this year, directing a very cohesive backline that changed the direction of play, taking the ball away from Williamstown and getting it quickly into the OMs’ half.
Nicky Christian had particularly good second and third quarters, fending off opponents, getting the footy, dashing away and hitting targets including the scoreboard.
Oliver Williams formed part of an outstanding backline trio with Tom Spargo and Will Dethridge with all three switching the ball well between each other.
Louis Dalgleish played one of his best games, combining with Christian in the midfield to sweep the ball away. He was tough at the stoppages and got clearances to get the OMs moving from the middle.
Miles Tyrer was outstanding in the ruck against a much taller opponent, giving the OMs first use and when resting up forward had more impact on the smaller ground.
Lachie Templeton has become a dominant inside player who teamed up well with Dalgleish to start attacks from the centre and get possessions at stoppages.
The win, 7% percentage boost and other extraordinary results in a day of upsets in all but one game moved the OMs from fifth to second on the ladder, two games behind undefeated Collegians but a game and even percentage ahead of the third to sixth-place teams. The OMs’ defence remains the second best in the competition, but its attack has dropped to equal eighth. It is getting lots of opportunities but needs to make more of them in what is a very even competition where percentage could decide finals’ places.
This week the OMs take on the considerable challenge of De La Salle at Dairy Bell (Waverley Oval, East Malvern). De La had a shock narrow loss to 10 th placed Old Ivanhoe and is fourth on the ladder, but its home is a fortress like few others. Countless OM teams have gone there to take on generations of De La mosquito fleets – and lose. Lurch has been writing these OMFC match reports since 2006, but his search of them found a surprise: the last OM victory there was by 100 to 83 in 2019 when De La was battling relegation in Premier A.
See you there.
Lurch