Round 14 Match Report
Round 14, Saturday 1 August 2026
Old Melburnians FC vs De La Salle OCFC at Elsternwick Park
1st quarter: OMFC 4.6.30 DLSOCFC 1.1.7
2nd quarter: OMFC 8.6.54 DLSOCFC 5.3.33
3rd quarter OMFC 6.6.42 DLSOCFC 6.6.42
4th quarter: OMFC 13.9.87 DLSOCFC 11.7.73
Goals: Hugo Dale (4), Andrew Chirnside (3), Jack Spargo (3), Will Preston (2), Jeremy a’Beckett (1), Wilbur Brown (1), Max Jane (1), Charlie Nairn (1).
Best players: Miles Tyrer, Thomas Spargo, Lachie Templeton, Mac Anderson, Max Jane, Louis Bunting.
Team: Jeremy a’Beckett (26), Mac Anderson (76), Wilbur Brown (14), Louis Bunting (19), Andrew Chirnside (86), Harry Cooper (23), Lucas Cossettini (39), Hugo Dale (15), Max Jane (64), Freddie McIntyre (24), Charlie Nairn (34), Henry Nicholls (25), Ned Nichols (3), Will Preston (11), Sam Seccull (28), Jack Spargo (2), Tom Spargo (1, Captain), Fletcher Teelow (20), Lachie Templeton (16), Miles Tyrer (17), Ollie Tyrer (32) and Gus Williams (35)
Match Report by Lurch
Spencer Anderson, Sam Connock, George Derham, Lachie Haysman and Hugo Hines were replaced by Andrew Chirnside, Lucas Cossettini, Charlie Nairn, Fletcher Teelow and Gus Williams.
This game began with De La second on the ladder, a game and almost 11% ahead of the OMs in fourth. When they met in Round 7 the OMs did not play the successful brand of footy they had played the previous week against Williamstown yet only lost by 78-69. Yet again the OMs were forced to make many changes, with many first-pick players still unavailable through injury.
The game was played on a dry day under a cloudless sunny blue sky. The game temperatures ranged from 15-16 degrees (said to feel like 10-11 degrees) with a wind that shifted from a north-north-westerly to a northerly to a north-north-easterly. It ranged from 17-22km/h with gusts of 22-32km/h that gave a clear advantage when kicking to the south with 18 out of 27 goals scored at that end – each side having nine each.
The game began with the OMs kicking with the wind to the south but early opportunities went begging being either missed or rushed, taking 12 minutes for the first goal. Andrew Chirnside was at the back of a big pack of players about 30m out directly in front of goal when he snapped and scored a ripper. Two minutes later Jack Spargo received a free kick and played on from just outside the goal square. Another two minutes passed before Will Preston ran into the goal square with others chasing the loose ball and he toe-poked it through. So dominant were the OMs that De La had no score at all until goaling at the 19-minute mark. Hugo Dale then marked and from about the arc in the southeast he slotted his set shot for a 30-6 lead after 25 minutes’ play. De La only added a behind before the OMs attacked but De La had the footy in front of the OMs’ goal when the siren ended a very impressive start by the OMs. De La’s efforts with the wind in the second quarter would show how much of a role the wind had played in the OMs’ dominance.
First out of the centre in the second quarter, the OMs had no opportunities once forward then De La went up the ground but an OM leaping high on the goal line touched through their kick for goal. De La persevered and goaled after five minutes’ play. Although the OMs got forward, they were denied any scoring opportunities, and De La went coast-to-coast and goaled to make it 30-20 at the 11-minute mark. De La had the upper hand, putting the OMs’ defence under great pressure, but the OMs eventually worked the footy up the eastern wing. In a mad scramble toward goal Charlie Nairn tried to mark but ended up on his back before Dale got the footy and under intense pressure snapped with a huge high kick from near the goal square. The goal umpire watched it very closely as it was near the goal posts’ tips and signalled a goal at the 15-minute mark. It was a reprieve, but only a brief one as De La goaled a minute later. It was 36-26.
De La raced towards goal from the northwest but desperate defence by the OMs made De La miss its shot on goal in play. Working their way up the ground the OMs had Jack Spargo hit up Chirnside from the northeast and he drilled his set shot from about 20 metres. It was 42-27 at the 22-minute mark but De La goaled in response two minutes later. Dale brought the footy beautifully to ground, Wilbur Brown got it and snapped a fantastic goal for a 48-33 lead. Henry Nicholls put in a great effort to save the OMs in the teeth of De La’s goal. When De La bowled over an OM after he’d kicked, the OMs were given a downfield free kick that went to Preston. The siren sounded at the 30-minute mark, increasing the pressure on Preston, who had to kick from about the arc in the northwest, but he did it to perfection. De La was a trifle ticked off by this and things got a bit willing as the players came together before heading off towards their rooms.
After early concerns that De La was getting on top, it was eventually a very good quarter by the OMs. Having kicked 4.6 with the wind in the first quarter they kicked 4.0 against it with De La only managing to chip three points off the quarter time margin. A big third quarter with the wind could put the OMs in the box seat.
It was a great start by the OMs in the third quarter. From a stoppage a ruck infringement gave Jack Spargo a free kick and he goaled inside the opening minute to make it 60-33. A second goal nearly followed when a loose ball was making its way through the goal square. Dale tried to soccer it through but a De La boy did so first The OMs kept up the forward pressure and eventually Max Jane spectacularly soccered long from the midst of a big pack of players in the southwest and put it though. Gus Williams was enjoying his return, tackling a Dee and receiving a free kick in the southeast. He sent a perfect kick to Dale, who marked directly in front of goal and dobbed it from about 25 metres. It was 74-36 at the 16-minute mark.
Brown took an awesome brave, contested mark against a much bigger opponent on the southwest boundary line. He took a set shot but the impact in the marking contest had misaligned his chakras and the tight angle added to the degree of difficulty, seeing the footy go across the face of goal without scoring. Jeremy a’Beckett was amid a pack when he threw the footy on his boot with lightning speed for a huge goal snapped from directly in front at the 22-minute mark. De La gave away a free at the centre chuck up and Jack Spargo took a perfect, long set shot from the top of the arc a minute after Jez’s goal to blow the score out to 86-36. Against a quality team Lurch tentatively noted “Game over?” because against De La a 39-point margin might not have been enough if the OMs went to sleep. The quarter ended after a De La goal and following 28 minutes of what could aptly be described as a premiership quarter by the OMs.
The OMs were first out of the centre in the final quarter, then De La charged before the OMs headed for goal. Nairn got the footy and snapped a goal two-minutes in for a game-high margin, 93-42. De La, though, goaled from the restart. Max Jane snaffled the loose ball in the northeast, and with no opponents within cooee he ran in towards goal and kicked straight…into the western goal post. Chirnside slipped in play and was entertaining and effective as he unintentionally did the splits and from that position handballed to Gus Williams whose perfect kick from the northwest hit up Dale. His set shot became his fourth goal, taking the score to 100-49 at the 10-minute mark: the first time since Round 16, 2025 that the OMs have cracked the ton.
From this point - with two exceptions - the OMs’ goalkicking went to pot. Jack Spargo missed a set shot and Nairn missed a rushed kick from traffic in front of goal. De La goaled and reduced the margin, 101-55 at the 17-minute mark. Gus Williams continued his great day with another tackle and kick combination that set up Henry Nicholls in the northwest. He kicked to Preston who took a nice high mark, but his set shot from a slight angle in the northeast, 25 metres out, hit the east goal post. De La rushed the next attempt then goaled at the 22-minute mark, but it received no applause with the realisation that it was too little, too late. Lachie Templeton missed a long set shot before De La kicked a long goal in play to whittle down the margin, 104-67. Winning in the centre, the OMs had several tough contests before Chirnside snapped truly at the 26-minute mark followed by Freddie McIntyre having an ambitious snap and unsurprising miss from the northeast boundary. At the 28-minute mark De La scored a goal that was rather too easy with the siren ending the game a minute later.
It was a very satisfying win and another good team effort that lifted the OMs from fourth to third. De La retained second place, having started with a for/against percentage advantage of almost 11% that is now less than 3%. However, had the OMs made better use of their forward opportunities (3.6 versus 5.1) and/or defended harder that remaining percentage difference would have been eliminated in the last quarter to move the OMs up the ladder. There is no such thing as a perfect game, but the last quarter did have less structured attempts at goal than in the earlier more accurate quarters – and De La had its biggest quarter.
Miles Tyrer was yet again strong in the ruck in the middle and was the OMs’ most dominant player. He is taking marks around the ground and is exciting to watch as he improves every week.
Thomas Spargo’s ability to read the play and intercept mark helped him lead the defence that controlled the game. In recent weeks he has been getting further up the ground to hit up forward targets.
Lachie Templeton was a bull in the midfield, leading by example and keeping the OMs’ forwards well-supplied.
Mac Anderson has been exceptional without a pre-season and only playing his third game since being away. He made a significant impact on the wing and at half forward.
Max Jane is one of many talented Under-19s who is developing into a very good player particularly since working on his strength. He played through the middle of the ground.
Louis Bunting is another Under-19. He played at half back where he was solid and created forward opportunities.
This week the OMs (third) travel to Bulleen to play Old Carey (eighth). In Round 8 the OMs defeated Carey 90-34. Carey is only one game and percentage outside the drop zone with four games remaining in the season and is aways harder to beat at home, although the OMs’ 2025 game there was a 94-57 win.
See you there.
Lurch.