Early Days   60s   70s   80s  90s  00s  Stats

1990

The strong finish to 1989 and healthy numbers at pre-season training promised another successful season under Danny Corcoran.  The club ventured to Bright for a pre-season camp to build camaraderie and teamwork and welcomed back John McKay after a season with Collingwood.  Not for long  – he badly injured a knee in Round 1.

The Xavs were beaten by North Old Boys in the season opener, but regained the points when it was revealed that NOBs had fielded an incorrectly registered player. 

Then followed a victory against Uni Blues, with Bill Denton winning it on the bell, a narrow loss to the highly fancied Ormond with Denton again starring, and a stirring squeaker over Paradians at Bundoora set up the season nicely.

A couple of losses later, and the hold on a top four spot was tenuous.  Damian Stoney and Laurence Meehan were chosen in the state team, but they were to be the only honours that season.

The team went into a nosedive, and needed home victories against Scotch and Marcellin to stay in A Section. 

The encounter against Scotch was a spiteful affair, with players and spectators alike airing their differences in a manner both vocal and physical.  Despite a brave comeback and magnificent efforts from Sean Slattery and Robert Visentini, the margin was six goals to the poor.

The Xavs began like men possessed against the Eagles, with Jeremy Dixon and John Tully showing the way.  However, Marcellin climbed back into the game with some freakish goals and sealed the Xaverians fate with a goalsquare free kick in the dying seconds.

The Reserves finished in eighth position, while the U19s under Mick Rush could not get over Marcellin in the Preliminary Final to earn a third crack at De La Salle.

And so the Old Xavs returned to B Section.

1991

Terry Peters took the coaching reins in 1991, but before the season was done, Mick Rush had assumed control of the team. 

Bill Denton reassumed the captaincy that he had held in 1985 and led the team to the Grand Final.  The joy of promotion to A Section was tempered by a 6 point loss to St Bernards.

After the disappointment of 1990, the Xavs bounced back.  Doug Bailey, later to represent St Kilda, won the Best and Fairest.

1992

The club cast the net far and wide to find a coach rich in experience to guide the XVIII in the perilous shoals of A Section.

They found their man in former St Kilda, North Melbourne and Fitzroy star, the 33 year old Grant Thomas, who had guided Warrnambool to four straight premierships between 1986 and 1989.

Thomas displayed cautious a confidence when told Xavier News that “the club was training lightly before Christmas and has been training solidly three nights a week since the middle of January”.

Thomas eschewed tackling in his short sharp training sessions that he aimed to “make as pleasurable as I can”. 

The new coach also decided against any practice matches against other clubs.

“Australian rules is the only sport in the world where sides play practice matches before the season begins.

“I believe that more is achieved playing intra-club games whereby players compete heavily with a feeling of pride in the contest."

Matt Hannebery took over the captaincy in a year that promised to produce more than it ever delivered.  Injuries wreaked havoc with the senior line-up all season and it came down to the Round 18 clash with North Old Boys before the future could be foreseen.   In the final game of Bill Denton’s great 13 season career, the Xavs got home by 7 points and lived to fight another year in A Section.

The Crocodiles won the premiership under Scott Dennison – a 57 point drubbing of Monash Whites, while Andrew Ralph’s U19s finally got over De La Salle to win the big one by 2 1 points.

1993

Grant Thomas resigned and Matt Hannebery took on the coaching job for the club’s second year back in A Section.  He was assisted by former player Jack Carmody, while U19 premiership coach Andy Ralph took on the Reserves.

The club took up residence at the historic Lakeside Oval and President Robert Ralph enthused over the possibilities when he told Xavier News that “it will open up the club’s capacity for sponsorship entertainment on match day and provide an atmosphere whereby the overall facilities will be better, not only for the players, but most importantly for the club’s supporters”.

Hannebery had his charges performing.  Dermott Dann, Stewart Colquhuon, Andrew Dillon, Dan Richardson, Richard Green and Dave McKay performed solidly.  However, the Xavs were hit hard with star players Matthew “Killer” Bourke, Tim O’Sullivan, John Bowen and Doug Bailey sustaining serious injuries as the finals approached and Richardson going down in the second semi.

The Xavs finished a disappointing third, bundled out in straight sets.  The Reserves also went out on Preliminary day, despite a gallant effort and the U19s finished a creditable fourth. 

The Crocs notched their second on the trot under Scooter Dennison when a Scotch player tragically missed the lot from forty metres with his team shy by a point as the siren sounded.

1994

The new season again saw Matt Hannebery at the helm, and hopes high for a return to finals action.

Dermott Dann won the Best and Fairest for the first time after being placed in the top four in three other years.  Anthony McDonald finished second, while Adam Sassi played only nine games but ran third.

The seniors again finished third, while the U19s tasted the sweetness of a premiership, with Tim Ockleshaw winning the best and fairest. 

By the end of September, Hannebery had resigned for business reasons, giving way to Richmond legend Barry Richardson.  On 30 September, the club held its Presentation Evening at Caulfield, and the newly installed coach warned that a disciplined approach would be needed to ensure success in 1995.

No-one knew then just how quickly that success would come, nor for how long Dame Fortune would smile upon the club.  But on that spring night, the Old Xaverians stood on the very edge of a golden era, the most scintillating and successful six years ever enjoyed by an amateur club.

1995

R1: Barry Richardson's debut as coach was ruined with a 4 point defeat at the hands of Ormond.  David Landrigan, Scott Mollard, Matt Bourke and Dale Tapping were among those to impress the new coach. Final scores were 12.7. to 10.15, with the Xavs finishing strongly.

R13: Xavs defeated Scotch 10.8 to 5.13 with a six goal burst in the final quarter and Matt Bourke nailing four goals. Dermott Dann, Andrew Dillon and Dave Landrigan were solid performers. 

R16: Xavs beat Collegians 15.14 to 11.9 with Dan Richardson, John Bowen and Anthony McDonald starring early to set up the win.  Big performances also from Andrew Leoncelli, Tim Ockleshaw, Michael Blood and Dale Tapping.

2nd Semi-Final: Xavs defeated perennial VAFA powerhouse Ormond 14.15 to 6.8, with Dan Richardson notching four.  Best were Michael Blood, Adam Sassi, John Bowen, Anthony McDonald, Sam Hunter and Dermott Dann.

Grand Final: Xavs belted Uni Blues 15.11 to 2.5 with great performances from McDonald, John McKay, Blood (Jock Nelson winner), Paul Tuddenham, Dillon and Simon Wood.

A Section Premiers

The team:

1996

A Section Premiers

The team:

Season 1996 was not merely one of the most memorable seasons in the history of Old Xaverians, but surely one of the most incredible in the history of the VAFA.

After the Xavs 14-year drought between A Grade Premierships had been broken by Barry Richardson’s near-invincible 1995 combination, the club suffered some significant losses.

Richardson himself joined his good friend Neil Balme at Melbourne and took Best and Fairest Andrew Leoncelli and Anthony McDonald with him. The Xavs also lost the services of Ben Buckley, Paul Tuddenham and John McKay who all called it a day.  With Matthew Bourke, John Bowen and skipper Matthew Hannebery nursing long term injuries, the premiership defence was always going to be a challenge.

The first post-season job for the committee was to find a new coach. Following a brief interview process, the club chose Simon Meehan, whose excellent credentials were expected to outweigh his status as an ‘outsider’ – a status that had more than once proved disastrous at the Xavs.

The season opening could not have been worse. The Xavs lost their first 4 games - to Old Melburnians by 27pts, Scotch by 19, De La Salle by 9 and Collegians by 51 pts (despite Dan Richardson kicking 9 in a losing team). The coach and team were up against it and around this time, one Michael ‘Ralph’ O’Shaughnessy ominously began to appear at games to observe the sagging fortunes of the reigning premier.

Things were looking better for the U19s coached by Pat Hawkins. In the season opener, Pat could not find room for a skinny kid from the country who had arrived late in the off-season. As a result, James McDonald ran the boundary in Round 1.  However, it wasn’t too long before he and another youngster named Daniel Donati were earmarked for higher honours. Both went on to have AFL careers, with James McDonald playing over 100 games for Melbourne FC.

At 0-4, a win against St Bernard’s at the Snakepit was vital. To everyone’s relief, a hard fought 27 pt victory came with Jamie Petroff BOG, and mates Michael Blood and Simon Wood kicking 3 goals each.

Was the team ready to launch its comeback on the back of the victory against St Bernard’s?  Had they turned the corner? Not yet, it seemed, as a seven goal drubbing by Uni Blues saw Xavs slump to 9th on the ladder with a 1-5 record.

The Red ‘n’ Blacks ventured next to the large Waverly home ground of A Section newcomers Mazenod. It was a high scoring game with Chris Ellis kicking 7 and Adam Jones 6 goals, and the Xavs got home by 30 pts. Again relief, but the reigning premier remained mired in 9th place on the ladder.

The cognoscenti expected the Round 8 clash against the winless Ormond at E.E.Gunn Reserve to finally be the launching pad for a season revival, but it turned out to be a very black day as the Xavs succumbed to the cellar-dweller by 8 points despite a final quarter surge. Michael Holmes at CHB was one of the few players playing with any consistency at this point.

Crisis meetings at Old Xavs headquarters were becoming a regular event. From President Robert Ralph down, all were feeling the pressure. How could such a slide happen so quickly? Would the Red ‘n’ Blacks be the first reigning A Grade Premier to go down?

Round 9 entailed a visit to the school grounds of the also-promoted Haileybury. Despite a good start, the Xavs were over-run by a joyous Bloods by 44 points. With Dan Richardson sitting second on the goal-kicking table, the Red ‘n’ Blacks seemed able to kick winning scores but unable to hold the opposition at bay.

At the mid-point of the season, the reigning premier sat on two wins and seven losses, still in ninth spot, a rung unacceptable to all at Toorak Park.  It was then that President Robert Ralph wielded the now razor-sharp meat cleaver and Coach Meehan was gone, replaced by former player Nick Bourke, who had been in charge of the 2nd XVIII.

A new coach often produces a win first-up and this was the case with the Xavs crushing Old Melburnians at home by 82 points. Simon Wood was in form that spelt trouble for other teams with his great work around the packs. He would go onto become one of the clubs ‘greats’.

At this point, the first aim was to avoid relegation and it was thought that a handful of wins in the second half of the season would probably achieve this.  But some had higher aspirations. Coach Bourke, with his team of Michael Plant, Ralph O’Shaughnessy and Scott Denison, set about creating an environment at the club that seemed to click with the players.

A hard fought 19 point victory in the mud at Elsternwick against Scotch in Round 11 meant the first back-to-back wins for the year and the Xavs climbed to eighth, just two games out of the four.

A win against the Mike Macarthur-Allen coached De La Salle in Round 12 was a must if finals hopes were to stay alive. DLS saw the clash as an opportunity to bury those hopes and Macarthur-Allan would haved loved nothing better.

 What transpired on 6 July 6 1996 at Toorak Park will go down in OX folklore. The game saw the arrival of a Dominic Berry, who despite weighing in heavy, was still nimble on his feet and kicked 4 vital first half goals. At the half time break, though, Xavs were down by 26 pts and the rain had just arrived. Was this the end of the dream?

Three goals to one in the 3rd quarter bought the deficit back to 13 points and there was a feeling amongst the Xavs huddle at ¾ time that the job could yet be done.

An early goal to DLS in the last quarter could have proven a ‘dagger to the heart’ of the Xavs, but they persevered knowing the grave consequences of losing.  The final ten minutes were relentless, as both sides fought in the mud and umpires blew the whistle for countless ball-ups. Some Tim Ockleshaw magic brought Xavs to within a goal with only minutes left on the clock and on the season’s hopes.

With some thirty players around the ball in the DLS forward line, there seemed little hope of a Xavs goal. But suddenly the ball popped out and was kicked to the midfield. David Landrigan sensed the opportunity and ran forward, hoping the Sherrin would clear the pack. It was then that Dermott Dann produced some magic. With a touch that has become known as the ‘Hand of God’, Dermott chose not to try to outmark the opposition, but instead produced a backhand flick that saw the ball skid into the path of a surging Landrigan who picked the ball up cleanly and nailed a 40 metre drop punt through the middle at the Orrong end. Mayhem ensued, and the remaining minutes were wasted by Michael Blood taps that consistently found the boundary. The siren signaled a memorable win and suddenly there was a feeling of destiny amongst the Xavs players who had begun to enjoy avenging first half-season losses.

Top-placed Collegians were the round 13 opponents. With James McDonald kicking 3 goals and an injury free John Bowen accumulating large numbers of possessions, Xavs saluted by three goals and were now only a game out of the four.

On the day Kieran Perkins won his amazing 1500 metre race at Atlanta, Xavs ventured to University Blues in what proved to be a spiteful game played in a very competitive atmosphere. Analogies of Perkins’ comeback were thick in the air in the Xavs dressing room before the game.  Six goals to Dominic Berry in a wet low scoring game were the difference. Xavs ran out winners by 16 pts and were now only out of the four on percentage. James McDonald had by now become a target for the opposition and spent the night in hospital.

Round 14 remedied s0me of the percentage problem with the Xavs cruising to a 114 point victory over an injury-depleted Mazenod, which was now on its way back to B Grade. The wet season was proving a bonus for Ben Coughlan, whose tenacity and childhood rugby ball handling skills in the mud were unmatched.

With 3 games to play, Xavs were now 7 percentage points out of the four.

Round 16 against Ormond was a dour affair, as it was their last chance to avoid relegation. But the Xavs though to Xavs served notice with a 45 point victory that they were winning games convincingly even when not producing their best football. The importance of the ho-hum win became evident in the rooms after the game, with the announcements of upsets at other grounds producing sheer joy. Somehow, Xavs now sat equal 2nd on the ladder and the double chance was a possibility.

Xavs broke the tie for second spot with Andrew Dillon starring when they pumped Haileybury by 100 points. One game remained, with 2, 3 & 4 on the ladder separated only by percentage.

In the last home and away round, Xavs clinched second spot with a 26 point victory over St Bernard’s.  So, the Red ‘n’ Blacks took a week off with 11 wins and 7 losses, having won every game on the back nine with Nick Bourke at the helm.

Under the supervision of captain Matthew Hannebery, the players spent their week off at the Ralph’s property at Echuca.  Reports of ‘end of season’ type behaviour did cause some concern amongst the coaching panel, but the bond that had now developed between the players was growing by the week and would prove vital in their finals campaign about to begin.

Second semi final day arrived and a talent laden Collegians held sway over Xavs all day despite a close result. A ten loss was not a catastrophe. There was no panic in the Xavs camp and with Adam Sassi and some of his teammates in career best form, the Xavs looked forward to meeting Old Melburnians in the Preliminary Final.

Still, a sluggish start to the preliminary saw Red ‘n’ Blacks down by 17 pts at quarter time against a rampant Old Melburnians, who led by Ian McMullin, had kicked 5 goals with the wind. The Xavs hit back and trailed by just 3 points at lemon time. With the wind in the last, the reigning premier ran out 26 point winners. The eight goals shared by the two U19s Donati (5) and McDonald (3) were the difference, although BOG honours went to Mark McClelland who rendered the competition B&F winner, Peter O’Brien ineffective all day.

Grand Final day arrived. Elsternwick Park was blowing a gale to the scoreboard end. This ensured a tight and hard fought game that would go down to the wire. Xavs were the ‘underdogs’ against the highly fancied top-ranked Collegians. To be sure, A Grade Amateur Footballer scribe Don Blackwood was betting against a repeat:

Overall, Collegians should win for the following reasons:

1. Depth of effective on-ballers.

2. More seasoned, experienced players who can carry the pressure of a Grand Final

3. Tougher, more determined and committed group of players.

4.  Xavs' injury worries will be difficult to disguise in the Grand Final.

5.  More options and versatility to exploit Xavs' weaknesses.

The game for the most part was scrappy as both sides went goal for goal. With Michael Blood playing a major role as the dominant ruckman and Michael Holmes receiving the Jock Nelson for BOG, Xavs hung for a memorable 6 point win. As the siren rang with the ball on the far side of the ground, the crowd exercised their elation at what they had seen, as the Xavs had turned a nightmare season into a dream come true.

1997

Back Row:  Ben Coughlan, Luke Gladman, Simon Lethlean, Michael Brennan, Lachie Ford, Tim Ockleshaw, Simon Wood, John Bowen

Middle Row:  Ray McLean (Team Manager), Mark McLelland (Chairman of Selectors), Matthew Bourke, Adam Jones, Andrew Brushfield, Michael Holmes, Luke Hannebery, James Hawkins, Anthony Bourke, Michael O’Shaughnessy (Ass. Coach), Michael Plant (Ass. & Reserves Coach), Tim Nelson (Runner)

Front Row: Robert Ralph (President), Adam Sassi, Daniel Richardson (VC), Michael Blood (Captain), Nicholas Bourke (Coach), David Landrigan (VC), Andrew Dillon, Sam Hunter

A Section Premiers

The team:

The 1997 season got underway following some significant departures in the off-season.

Most notably, premiership captain Matthew Hannebery retired following his heroic 1996 Grand Final. What many hadn't realised on the day was that the fearless OX leader played the second half of the grand final with a broken thumb. It was his courage in testing it at half time with balls kicked at him in front of fellow players following several injections that had gone a long way to spurring the team onto its memorable victory.

The Dominic Berry cameo ended when he headed to play in the northern suburbs. His contribution, although brief, was significant in the team’s second half 1996 season surge.

James McDonald had completed an extraordinary year when he was drafted by Melbourne FC and with no surprise to any at OX was to become a 10 year veteran and club best & fairest. Daniel Donati had been drafted by Richmond. He played several games over a few seasons but will be forever remembered for his 1996 finals series with the Xavs.

Club and A grade (89) best and fairest winner Mark McLelland had also retired following a huge final series, where he had tagged some the competition's best players into oblivion. Mark took up the position of Chairman of Selectors at the Xavs.

The club secured some handy recruits in Simon Lethlean and Luke Gladman from Old Camberwell.

Michael Blood was appointed captain and Nick Bourke and Michael Plant retained their positions as senior and reserves coaches, while Michael "Ralph" O’Shaughnessy remained a power-broker lurking in the shadows.

Rd 1 against St Bernard’s could not have started in better fashion with a 10 goal first quarter. The three pronged forward line of Dan Richardson (8 goals), Jones (6) and Bourke (5) was already sending shivers through opposition back lines, however, it was David Landrigan, who had perhaps overcome his disappointment at being left out of the 96 Grand Final team, to score BOG honours. 

XAV  26.10.166 def. STB  7.2.44

Rd 2 at University Blues produced a steady win by 16 points. Simon Wood dominated around the packs and was already being heralded as one of the greats of the club by the wise heads. Pleasing for coach Bourke was the good form being shown by James Hawkins and a skinny shy Tim Ockleshaw, who was beginning to flourish. Matthew Bourke followed up with another 5 goals.

XAV  16.12.108 def UBL 14.8.92

Rd 3 – A highly competitive Old Trinity, coached by Bernie Dunn, ran the OX to 7 points at Toorak Park. 8 goals to Dan Richardson was the difference. John Bowen and Dermot Dann were best for Xavs.

XAV  19.14.128 def OT  17.19.121

Rd 4 – A trip to the DLS ground is always met with some trepidation given its unusual dimensions. A hard slog ensured an 11 point victory. Youngster Andrew Heil kicked 3 goals in a low scoring affair. He cruelly would be cut down by injury later in the season. Tim Ockelshaw was BOG and rapidly becoming a tagged player by opposition teams. Xavs were top of the ladder but there form was flat.

XAV  9.13.67  def  DLS  8.8.56

Rd 5 against Old Haileybury saw a slow start and the lacklustre first half. The coach delivered some home truths at half time. The team responded with 12 goals to 4 in the second half. The side was winning but there were some signs of complacency. M Bourke 7 and Richardson 6 goals continued to provide targets. Best were Ockelshaw, Bourke and Wood.

XAV 20.25.145 def HAI   9.9.63

Rd 6 against newly promoted Old Paradians should have been a sure win. Much to the surprise of all the straight kicking OP’s put in a sterling performance and toppled the league leaders by 2 goals. Simon Wood was best for the Xavs and Luke Fay up from the reserves played very well.

XAV 16.13. 109 def by PAR 19.6.120

Rd 7 against Old Melburnians at Toorak Park was highlighted by the selection of future club powerbroker Andrew ‘Slicer’ McLean for his first senior game. Andrew’s contribution in the early part of the game was invaluable, as he got ‘front and square’ to many crumbs off the pack and scored an important goal. BOG honours went to Michael Blood whilst Matthew Bourke bagged 11 goals.

XAV 20.9.129 def MEL 16.9.105

Rd 8 against Old Scotch at Camberwell saw another debut by a well-liked player in David Walsh. Scotch were a team full of talent, so the task was always going to be challenging. With numerous injuries and the last minute withdrawal of Tim Ockleshaw, the Xavs were comprehensively beaten by their rival and given a timely reminder that the '97 season was going to be no ‘cakewalk’. Simon Wood was again best with Lachie Ford, Dermot Dann and David Walsh the only others to put in respectable performances.

XAV  8.13.61 def by SCO  15.14.104

Rd 9 continued Xavs mid season slump when they were swept aside by Collegians in a spiteful affair. The Wesley boys relished exacting some revenge for the ’96 grand final defeat. Recruit Luke Gladman was one of few to play well along with future club captain Lachie Ford.

XAV 6.9.45 def by Coll 15.11.101

Rd 10 and a trip to St Bernard’s, who at this point were bottom of the ladder, was seen as a good way to get back into ‘winning ways’. The Dogs, however, were re-grouping to the point where they avoided relegation – which was an excellent achievement in itself, but they continued this momentum right up to an A Grade Premiership in 2002. The Xavs got home this day thanks to 7 goals to Dan Richardson and 3 to Simon Wood.

XAV 17.15.117 def  STB 11.10.76

Rd 11 Back home at Toorak Park against University Blues saw a solid win. Blues were starting to slide from their runner-up season of 1995 but would always be thereabouts. BOG honours to Tim Ockelshaw and 3 goals to youngster Ben Perry were the highlights.

XAV 13.12.90 def UBL 10.4.64

Rd 12 against Trinity at Bulleen was another spiteful affair with much of the OX angst against OT player Glen Hatfield – who ironically would play at Xavs the next year. Now playing a better brand of football Xavs accounted for Trinity relatively easily with a 75-point win. John Bowen on a wing was best with Simon Wood and Michael Blood. Dan Richardson continued his good form with 7 goals and led the competition goal kickers for which he would retain for the rest of the season.

OX 18.10.123 def TRI 10.6.66

Rd 13 and De La Salle were faltering and an ‘in-form’ OX were starting to flex their muscles. An easy victory ensured. Simon Wood dominated with Ben Coughlan and Andrew Brushfield solid as always at full back.

OX 16.15.111 def DLS 7.10.52

Rd 14 Old Paradians, who brought about Xavs first defeat in the first half of the season were now finding the going tough in A grade. The once amateur powerhouse would eventually be relegated and commence a 10 year slide to D2. With the forward trio of Richardson (7), Jones (5) and Bourke (4) kicking 16 goals between them, it was an easy victory. Michael Holmes at CHB was awarded BOG and was following up his B&F form of 1996. His trusty assistant Adam Sassi on the back flank was awarded next best.

OX 26.16.154 def PAR 9.13.67

RD 15 against Old Scotch continued to show that if Xavs were going to ‘3-peat’, they would have to get past the Cardinals. A hard fought contest ensued and again Xavs came up short, but only by 3 points. Tim Ockleshaw best again.

OX 10.16.76 def by SCO 11.13.79

Rd 16 a ‘top of the table’ clash against Collegians, in a late season slump, resulted in continued woes for them at Harry Trott oval. As a result they dropped from second to fourth – a fact not missed by Ralph O’Shaughnessy, who made it well known to Collegians coach Leigh Carlson in the aftermatch. Andrew Dillon, always ‘mopping up’ in the back pocket was BOG, with skipper Michael Blood putting in a stellar game highlighted by a 65m torpedo punt goal, followed-up by a salute to the coaching box, perhaps signaling some difference of opinion as to his recent form.

OX 15.12.102 def COL 9.9.63

Rd 17 at Hailebury’s McKinnon reserve will go down as one of the windiest days of football any of the players and coaching staff had ever experienced. A traditional Haileybury welcome saw the change-rooms recently hosed-out. Haileybury won the toss and kicking with the wind, had 4 majors in no time – which ultimately was the matchwinner. A one goal defeat was a small token of revenge for sacked 1996 coach Simon Meehan who now took OH into A Grade finals for their first time. In a low scoring affair Simon Lethlean kicked 2 goals and Adam Sassi and Luke Hannebery were best.

OX 7.13.55 def by HAI 8.13.61

Rd 18 and the bad weather continued along with Xavs faltering form on the edge of the finals. A soaking wet game against Old Melburnians at the Junction Oval resulted in another goal defeat. For the first time in living memory a single player in Dan Richardson kicked all Xavs goals – albeit only 4. Ben Coughlan was the only player who relished the conditions and was Xavs best.

OX  4.8.32 def by MEL 5.8.38

Thus while their recent form was ordinary, the Xavs sat atop the ladder after the home and away season with a 13-5 win loss record.

Michael Blood won the A grade Best and Fairest J N Woodrow Medal, a credit to his tireless ruck work and ability to stand out in a team that comprised so many good players.

2^nd Semi Final day arrived with old foe Old Scotch the opponent. A relatively easy win eventuated,  which in hindsight was probably a bad thing. Simon Wood turned in another best afield performance with Andrew Dillon next best.

OX  17.13.115 def OS  12.11.83

The 2 weeks leading up to the GF seemed like an eternity for the seniors. Unlike the previous 2 years, Xavs were expected to win. Try as everyone did to ensure training remained sharp, the focus fell away progressively as the big one approached.

During the period, however, the Reserves won their Preliminary Final with a 28 pt win over Collegians to book a date with Scotch, who also won the senior Preliminary Final to deliver a true double-header.

Grand Final day finally came around and  not surprisingly,  it was blowing a gale at Elsternwick, this time to the Glenhuntly Road end. The scene was set with a memorable 115-pt win by the Michael Plant coached Reserves against the previous undefeated Old Scotch.

In the seniors, OX kicked with the wind in the first quarter and scored some early goals thanks to Jones and Richardson. The game was not flowing well for Xavs and when Scotch slammed on back to back goals into the wind, a tough slog seemed guaranteed. Anthony Bourke was dispatched from the bench to close down some dangerous Scotch forwards, and soon thereafter the key Cardinal forward left the ground bleeding profusely from a cut mouth.

At halftime OX were ahead by 11 points but the mood in the rooms was a mix of anger and frustration. They had expected to win easily, but Scotch was playing well and a torrid second half awaited.

Half way through the third quarter, Scotch were dominating into a still stronger wind and hit the lead. There were worrying signs for the Xavs and the coaching box was frantic as Bourke, O’Shaughnessy and Plant could see the match slipping away.

The last quarter was a classic and will be ever remembered for several key moments.

Firstly, every player lifted and despite kicking into the wind, controlled the ball for the majority of the time.  With closing pressure, they cut down Old Scotch’s ability to run and carry the ball, which they had been doing so well up to that point.

Matthew Bourke’s 2 goals from the boundary against the wind lifted the side and Old Scotch began to lose some of the previous confidence.

Michael Blood continually knocking the ball to the boundary and Simon Wood’s tackling and smothers were crucial.

In the end, trailing by a kick,  Old Scotch made one last forward thrust. A memorable spoil by James Hawkins robbing Scotch’s Rohan Price in the last minute of play typified the desperation that led to the Old Xavs holding the A Grade Premiership aloft for the fourth time.

The overwhelming feeling was one of relief.

XAV 10.13.73 def SCO 9.13.67

2s celebrate. Note the appalling facial hair on the gentleman bottom left.

Seniors full-size pic.

1998

A Section Premiers

The team:

1999

R1:OMs defeated Old Xavs.

R4: Xavs had all four teams (Seniors, Resrves, Crocs, U19s) in the four, with the U19 2s just a game out.

R5: Sam Tucker, Simon Lethlean and Dan Richardson who kicked seven goals were the best as Xavs accounted for Old Scotch.

R12: Despite three goals from Simon Lethlean and top efforts from Michael Blood, Andrew Dillon, Ben Cranage,  Sam Tucker and Simon Wood, the Xavs fell to OMs.

A Section Premiers

The team:

Backs: S Lethlean  D Stoney  D Landrigan 

Half-Backs: R Coughlan  C Kelly  J Hawkins

Centres: A Dillon  B Cranage  J Bowen

Half-Forwards: B Coughlan  A Jones  T Woodruff

Forwards: D Richardson  M Bourke  T Fleming

Followers: M Blood  R Dillon  S Wood

Interchange:  S Tucker  B Hilbert  D Rennex