ST BEDE’S has celebrated its first ever Herald Sun Shield in the Senior Boys Division 1 after holding off the competition’s most successful school of the past decade. The Mentone-based college led from the start, and despite St Patrick’s best efforts in cutting the deficit to as little as four points, the metropolitan based side got up by just 12 points, 5.10 (40) to 3.10 (28). It was a game that was not the greatest show of goalkicking accuracy, with eight majors from 28 scoring shots, but it mattered little to the team which featured a number of top Sandringham Dragons talents.

Both sides’ defences were on overdrive early with the first term resulting in just one goal from eight scoring shots. That major came from a regulation shot on goal from St Bede’s and Sandringham Dragons’ George Grey who took a strong mark off a Kyle Yorke pass that could well have been intended for a shot on goal. Grey had a second chance just before the quarter time siren but hit the post, though they had made more of their chances than St Patrick’s who were rushed inside 50. GWV Rebels’ duo Fraser Marris and Izaac Grant both had shots on goal that drifted wide, while Flynn Atchison was dragged down in the square. Yorke and Andrew Courtney were proving to be problematic up either end, while for St Pat’s Atchison and defensive duo Riley Polkinghorne and Matty Lloyd were winning plenty of it in the defensive 50. In the middle, Dragons’ captain Ryan Byrnes was strong at the stoppages winning his fair share of the ball and moving it forward.

Miles Bergman opened the account early in the second term, finding space to take a nice mark on 50 and saluted to extend the lead out to nine points. Marris had a chance to respond but his snap under pressure missed to the right up the other end. After a few St Bede’s misses, Harry Sharp almost threaded the unbelievable goal from the boundary but was punched through on the line for a behind. Yorke had a chance to extend the margin further as St Bede’s went end-to-end but his set shot from the boundary sailed out on the full. As if Yorke needed a greater degree of difficulty, he marked near the behind post on his preferred right side, ran around and booted his side’s third major midway through the term. Just as it looked like St Patrick’s might head into half-time goalless, Grant stood up to take a strong mark and converted from the set shot to cut the deficit to 10 points.

The third term started with some end-to-end plays but both defences were up to the task with St Bede’s managing a rushed behind and St Patrick’s rushing it up the other end and a lace-out pass hit Marris on the chest. His set shot was on target but touched on the line. St Bede’s Lachlan Benton put one through early in the third only for an uproar to occur when a free kick in the goal square was paid for shepherding over the line and the goal discounted. They had another chance a minute later when Bergman soared above a pack for a big mark, but his shot went to the right for another behind. St Bede’s relentless attacking paid off eventually though with Liam Segar smartly getting ball to boot and another major sailed through. St Pat’s were not going to stand for that though as Atchison marked and goaled a minute later in response and the margin was again back to 11. A nice play from defence by St Pat’s led to a mark inside 50 to Kayne Councillor, but his shot from the boundary also missed. The inaccuracy was contagious as Bergman’s set shot straight in front not long after also registered just one behind. With the siren imminent late in the term, Lloyd snuck forward, found space at a stoppage to snap the ball around his body and cut the deficit to just a narrow five points at the final break.

Neither side would relent early in the final term as both tried to find their avenue to goal. Grant marked inside 50 but opted to be unselfish with an inside pass, though the St Bede’s defenders were clued onto it and spoiled it away. St Pat’s were building momentum though, with an almost-mark in the goalsquare to Lloyd but it was just missed and rolled into the post for a behind, and shortly after another shot was marked on the line. The margin was just four points though and the ball was getting pumped inside 50 as quickly as it was getting repelled. It took a Bergman contested mark at half-back to finally clear the defensive zone and put St Bede’s back on the attack, and it was Yorke who lead up, grabbed it half-volley turned around to snap and goal and for all of St Pat’s momentum, St Bede’s were now out to a 10-point lead. The top-end talent at St Bede’s was lifting when the team needed it as Bergman and Byrnes were getting their hands on the footy and pumping it forward or setting up teammates. Likewise, Grant was lifting too with a crucial contested mark and kick forward but it just bounced out of Lloyd’s grasp.

ST PATRICK’S 0.5 | 1.7 | 3.9 | 3.10 (28)
ST BEDE’S 1.3 | 3.5 | 4.8 | 5.10 (40)

GOALS:

St Patrick’s: I. Grant, F. Atchison, M. Lloyd.
St Bede’s: K. Yorke 2, G. Grey, M. Bergman, L. Segar.