Round 18 Match Report
Round 18, Saturday 29 August 2026
Old Melburnians FC vs Williamstown CYMS FC at Elsternwick Park
1st quarter: OMFC 4.4.28 WCYMSFC 2.1.13
2nd quarter: OMFC 8.12.60 WCYMSFC 5.3.33
3rd quarter OMFC 8.17.65 WCYMSFC 7.7.49
4th quarter: OMFC 14.20.104 WCYMSFC 7.7.49
Goals: Sam Laube (3), Jack Spargo (3), Nicky Christian (1), Harvey Coleman (1), Hugo Dale (1), Freddie McIntyre (1), Will Preston (1), Sam Seccull (1), Miles Tyrer (1) and Ollie Tyrer (1).
Best players: Tom Spargo, Sam Laube, Nicky Christian, Lachie Haysman, Spencer Anderson and Mac Anderson
Team: Mac Anderson (76), Spencer Anderson (4), Louis Bunting (19), Nicky Christian (21), Harvey Coleman (14), Harry Cooper (23), Hugo Dale (15), Will Dethridge (12), Charlie Dowling (25), Lachie Haysman (9), Sam Laube (20), Freddie McIntyre (24), Charlie Nairn (34), Ned Nichols (3), Will Preston (11), Sam Seccull (28), Jack Spargo (2), Tom Spargo (1, Captain), Lachie Templeton (16), Miles Tyrer (17), Ollie Tyrer (32) and Gus Williams (35).
Match Report by Lurch
Charlie Canty, Andrew Chirnside, Lucas Cossettini and Henry Yuen-Williamson were replaced by Charlie Dowling, Charlie Nairn, Ned Nichols and Sam Seccull.
The OMs (third) took on Williamstown (ninth) in the final game of the regular season, which had a lot riding on it. The OMs had to win to secure their place in the finals while Williamstown had to beat the OMs and needed Old Geelong to lose against De La Salle by considerable margins in each game to avoid relegation.
The game began under a mostly blue sky with some low white clouds. It was 13 degrees all game but said to feel like 10-11 degrees due to the light breeze of 6-9 km/h with ‘gusts’ of 11-13km/h. The south-westerly breeze became a south-south-easterly and later a southerly that gave the slightest of benefits to the northern end to which the OMs kicked first. It was a dry day, but the ground was a bit soft from rain during the week.
From the beginning the OMs were dominant but unable to capitalise, rolling through a behind, with misses by the usually reliable Jack Spargo and Sam Laube. Willy goaled first after four minutes’ play. Sam Seccull returned to the team with his elite kicking and from the western wing his brilliant kick hit up Ollie ‘OT’ Tyrer whose set shot from the arc, just west of centre, returned the OMs to the lead, eight minutes in. The OMs then directly towards the goal, with Laube dishing off to Seccull in the goal square to avoid an opponent and ensure the goal. Once again, the OMs attacked, but Laube’s failed speccy was deemed ‘in the back’. His jubilant opponent pushed Laube to the ground and the free kick was reversed. Laube’s jubilation was justified as he slotted his set shot from the north-east about 20 metres from goal. At the 14-minute mark it was 20-8.
Although the OMs got forward again, they turned it over and Willy went coast-to-coast and goaled. Generally dominating the game in their half, the OMs flicked the ball around up forward until Charlie Dowling – in his first game back since his first round hammy – got it to Will Preston, who snapped truly from the goal square. Hugo Dale took a good, contested mark but his set shot from near the arc in the northwest missed to the right. He followed up with a snap from the northwest boundary line that went into the goal square where Laube was locked up in a battle with his opponent as the ball bounced and hit the right goal post.
Willy spent the last minutes attacking but was held off by the OMs until Dowling headed goalward as the 30-minute quarter ended. It was a reasonable start, but the missed opportunities were frustrating. The play was often a bit too chaotic and quick and would have benefitted from slowing the game down and controlling the ball movement better.
First out of the centre chuck up in the second quarter, the OMs’ quick attempt was rushed by Willy, which then missed its own attempt at goal. Jack Spargo won a free kick in the goal square and kicked it like knocking in a four-inch golf putt. Spending a long time forward with a series of little contests, the OMs prevailed when OT hit up Jack Spargo, who couldn’t take it cleanly, but quickly got control, turned around, and from about 20 metres from the southwest he put it though. It was 42-14 at the nine-minute mark. Willy goaled from the centre and had another attempt rushed by the OMs, which had their own half-chance attempt touched through. Seccull had a set shot that did not come off the boot with much power and missed left. Jack Spargo snapped from the back of a pack and missed.
Finally, Dale’s mark and set shot from the arc in the southwest gave the OMs a goal and a 51-21 lead at the 20-minute mark. From the middle the OMs set up Laube, who snapped from the southwest and missed. Dale took a nice mark directly in front but missed to the left. Dowling took what looked like a good set shot but it fell short and was touched on the line. Nicky Christian then intercepted a Willy defender’s kick and – at last – put an OM goal on the board, at the 29-minute mark Willy won in the middle and kicked a goal after the siren ended the 30-minute quarter.
As in the first quarter, the play was rushed and often chaotic, resulting in many of the missed opportunities. It was the opposite of the very structured defeat of Williamstown last time in what was a blueprint for how the OMs aim to play. The weather was perfect for footy. The OMs’ 4.8 for the quarter and 27-point lead should realistically have been double that lead. The game was not yet out of reach for Willy. A finals’ place was not yet certain for the OMs.
The omens in the premiership quarter were not good. Willy goaled twice in the first three minutes. The OMs attacked twice, getting nothing the first time, and little more the second, as Jack Spargo’s blind handball to Dale was soccered off the ground and just brushed against the right goal post. Willy raced up the ground, but Harry Cooper marked on the last line. Willy tried again but missed. Laube found himself too far out and kicked across the ground to Harvey Coleman in the northeast, but his set shot missed to the right. OT had a set shot with the man on the mark on the top of the arc, but his long set shot missed right.
In what was becoming infectious, Laube took a nice mark but missed his set shot from the northwest. It was 64-47 at the 15-minute mark with no OM goals on the board for the quarter – and looking increasingly unlikely that any would be scored as they missed a shot in play. Willy threatened but the entire ground was cursed as it only added two points before the siren ended a horrendous 26-minute goalless quarter for the OMs, who were barely three goals ahead.
The fourth quarter started in a promising fashion with an OM goal from a Laube free kick from directly in front, two minutes in. A Seccull snap from the southwest boundary bounced past two wrestling players in the goal square and hit the left goal post. The OMs then hit up Laube, who was near the arc in the southwest. Called on by his teammate to go for goal, he set sail with a huge snap that scored a fantastic goal at the five-minute mark. Lots of play followed between the arcs but it was mostly to the OMs’ advantage. Charlie Nairn marked in the southeast but dished off to Freddie McIntyre in the goal square, and he finished the job. It was 85-49 at the 17-minute mark and almost certainly booked the OMs a place in the finals.
Jack Spargo brought the ball to ground to Coleman, who - from about 25 metres out at the 21-minute mark - snapped and blasted the footy through for his first Senior goal. Teammates ran from everywhere the rub the Year 11 Melbourne Grammar boy’s golden hair as if it would bring them good luck. It was a first goal to remember. A second Coleman goal nearly followed as he snapped for goal, but it went into the open goal square before bouncing to the left. Despite having a Willy limpet on his back, Jack Spargo marked directly in front and goaled from the edge of the goal square. Miles ‘Mizza’ Tyrer marked and then received the benefit of a 50-metre penalty to goal from the goal square at the 27-minute mark.
It was the last score of the game, and a remarkable 6.3 to 0.0 final quarter that added some lustre to the otherwise inaccurate tally. It was only the second triple-figure score by the OMs this season, and the second biggest win, behind the 56-point win against Old Carey. Most importantly, it kept the OMs in third place, behind undefeated Collegians, and De La Salle, and above new top four member, Beaumaris The OMs finished with the only two-digit percentage in the top four, with the worst ‘for’ and ‘against’ figures but with 10 wins from 18 games.
Captain Tom Spargo was the OMs’ best player. He was at his defensive best and continued to work hard over up to three-quarters of the ground, playing a considerable role in the OMs dominating in their half.
Sam Laube had a topsy-turvy day with three goals but more than a few going begging as he gave himself many opportunities though hard work and superior reading of the play.
Nicky Christian had his ball magnet switched on and he kicked more than his fair share out of the middle.
Lachie Haysman had another handy day through the middle of the ground.
Spencer Anderson and Mac Anderson played off opposite wings and competed to try to prove which one was the better brother as they busied themselves linking play to the hungry forwards.
The OMs now play finals for the first time since the 2015 B-Grade Grand Final. For those still at Grimwade then, it was a monumental clash against the undefeated St Kevin’s juggernaut that saw the OMs hold an extraordinary 70-35 lead at halftime. However, the fairytale ended in a 96-85 loss as absent and previously injured players, a harder and longer finals’ campaign and (eventually) no bench took their toll.
Enormous credit is due to coach James Byrne and his team in their first season for getting the OMs from the brink of relegation in 2025 to finals this year with what is mostly a very young and inexperienced group of Senior players - and despite the serious damage done by airline tickets in the middle of the season.
On Sunday 6 September 2026 at 2:00pm the OMs take on Beaumaris at Trevor Barker Oval.
This will be a very tough game, as the OMs lost both games in the regular season. It was 69-95 in Round 1, when the team was learning its new game plan, and 98-49 at Trevor Barker Oval in Round 10 with a reasonably strong team which has lost key players including Jeremy a’Beckett, Will Richards and Olly Williams. Since then, some exciting new talents have also been uncovered.
It will be a great test of the OMs’ skills, adherence to the game plan and especially the players’ resilience, which at times this season shone through with some remarkable comebacks.
See you there.
Lurch.