Sport / Football
Brunswick avenges 2024 grand final heartbreak
Brunswick NOBs 22.16 (148) defeated Elsternwick 7.3 (45) at Gillon Oval
Tim Purdey
THE last time Brunswick met Elsternwick was in the 2024 Division 2 grand final and the contrast between the conditions for Saturday’s game at an idyllic Gillon Oval and a wet and windy La Trobe University Oval could not have been starker.
Nor could the outcome, with the NOBs exacting a modicum of revenge for last year’s low-scoring loss in the form of a 103-point thumping of the Wickers.
Brunswick had the benefit of their first-choice midfield for the first time this season and it immediately showed, with Ben Young giving great service to the likes of Daniel Mott, Gabe Banova, Ben Wilson, Rowan Hogenbirk and Fletcher Banfield from the opening bounce, leading to an early goal to the ever-dangerous Oscar Watt, followed by his second through a classy set-shot snap.
Mott then got in on the act with his own snap, before Joe Gale slotted his first for the day and Watt kicked his third with a checkside on the run. Mitch Hicks and Lachlan Pearson then rounded an exciting seven-goal quarter.
The second term was a more mundane affair as the Wickers began to slowly work their way into the contest, but NOBs’ captain Ben Wilson, playing in his 100th game, provided some highlights with a brace of goals, the first a kick across his body and the second a set-shot on the halftime siren. In between, Watt bobbed up with his fourth, on his left foot this time.
The procession of majors continued after the main break, with a couple more to Gale and singles to Hogenbirk and Andre Jaycock blowing out the margin to 80 points inside 17 minutes of the third quarter. The Wickers dragged it back slightly before the final change, but not before Watt had his fifth after a good contested mark.
As the shadows lengthened in the last quarter, most interest centred on the margin, and fittingly it was Watt who took it over three-figures with the last goal of the game and his sixth for the day. Others to rack up multiples in the final term were Gale with five, including goal-of-the-day with a banana from below the scoreboard, and Hicks with four. Will Mckenzie also slotted one thanks to a beautiful pass from Mott.
Brunswick had winners across every line, but it was the midfielders Mott and Ben Wilson who stood out. Watt, Hicks and Gale all had great days, while Hogenbirk continued his return to form after having missed a number of early games, and Charlie Thorpe was excellent in defence.
This Saturday, Brunswick head to Clayton to face Monash Blues who will be keen to register their first victory. Hopefully, the NOBs can build some winning momentum and bring home the four points!
Renegades record second win of the season
Brunswick Renegades 4.6 (30) defeated MCC 2.5 (17) at Gillon Oval
Trelawney Skye Edgar
AT Gillon Oval on Saturday, the Brunswick Renegades tasted that winning feeling for the second time in 2025, running out 13-point victors in an exciting and hotly contested slog against MCC.
On a beautiful morning for footy, it was a well-matched contest, with strong defensive pressure on both sides making every point hard to come by in the early stages.
After almost 40 minutes of impressively consistent surges into the forward 50, Brunswick finally managed to sneak one through the big sticks at the tail end of the first-half, with a goal from a sneaky and dangerous Emily Collins.
Fierce tackling, strong contested marks and great second efforts were all on display throughout the third quarter, rewarded with a nifty goal from Emma McTaggart. This was then matched at the close of the quarter by MCC, leaving the scores locked and breath held going into the final term.
The Renegades came out swinging from the jump in the last quarter, swiftly banishing any threat of a draw. Goals from Phee Gannon and Kate Sullivan proved too much for MCC to recover from, with the visitors failing to score after three-quarter time.
Notable around the ground were new recruit Shannon Colgan and second-year Reno Steffy Szuhai-Andrews, both proving to be formidable opponents in a pack. Showing grit and persistence, Lydia Bell was a stalwart support to a forward line forced to fight for every touch of the ball in a congested 50. A welcome return to the squad also from the speedy legs of Kathy Madden after several seasons away from football.
Brunswick should take wary confidence from this result into their upcoming clash with Aquinas, who will surely be hungry to snatch their first win of the season.
Brunswick Voice is looking for a volunteer correspondent to file a combined weekly report about the progress of our three local clubs during the 2025 VAFA season. If that is of interest to you, contact editor@brunswickvoice.com.au with an example of your writing.
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