Cricket
Motorsport
Basketball test
League - Test
Combat Sports
Netball
Football
VAFA William Buck Premier Men's Grand Final Review
Jason Bennett • September 29th, 2025 5:59 pm
It’s TONNER TIME! Old Brighton makes history with first top-flight flag
Old Brighton has converted two seasons of sustained excellence into silverware with a classy performance that delivered the club’s first A-grade premiership after almost 70 years in the VAFA.
Here’s how they did it:-
FIRST QUARTER:
The opening term was typically tight and nervy for the early stages of a Grand Final.
Will Clark booted the first major of the decider for Old Scotch 4 minutes in after Tom Farrar rose quickly from a free kick and hit him up in space. He slotted the long-range shot from just outside the arc at right half-forward and drew first blood for the Cards.
But disaster struck when Old Scotch lost Ollie Badr and Angus Symons to hamstring injuries in the early minutes, leaving the Cards two short for the rest of the afternoon.
Clark’s early goal took on greater significance as scoring proved tricky for the remainder of the first term in blustery conditions that would take some mastering.
Led by ruck Sam Grant, Old Scotch managed to secure their fair share of the ball at the source (+5 Contested Possessions, +6 Ground Balls, +1 Clearances and +15 Total Disposals), with Henry Brown firing early (9 Q1 disposals, 8 contested), ably supported by Tom Farrar (7 and 5). The pair combined for 10 Ground Ball wins in the opening term as the teams fought for ascendancy on the deck.
The Cards were looking to spread the ball around in a bid to shift and unsettle Old Brighton’s defensive zone, but the Tonners’ pressure (49-21 Q1 Pressure Rating, led by 25-12 Tackles & 24-10 Midfield Tackles) saw them harass the Cards into error and prevented them from stringing together the meaningful possession chains that lead to scores.
Old Scotch held a narrow lead in territory (12-10 Inside 50s), but the only first-quarter goal for either team came from Clark’s early strike.
QTR TIME: OLD SCOTCH 1.3 (9) led OLD BRIGHTON 0.2 (2) by 7 pts.
SECOND QUARTER:
After being held goalless in a first quarter for the first time since they kicked 0.9 against the Cards in Round 5, Old Brighton got a flying start to the second term, with gun forward Will Lewis booting two goals in a minute just 4 minutes into the quarter.
The first came from a dangerous kick to the goalsquare by Jamie Hope that turned the Cards’ defence around. Lawrence hurled himself desperately at Lewis and gave away a front-on free kick that was duly converted.
The second came from Felix Flockart’s centre clearance immediately afterwards. The big man grabbed it from the ruck, slammed it on his boot and sent it spirally towards the right forward pocket. Cardinal Ryan Walsh got there just before it crossed the boundary line and his little tap ensured it got there.
However, the umpire was close at hand and pinged him for insufficient intent. While the Cardinal faithful over the fence were voicing their outrage at the seemingly hot whistle, Lewis snatched the ball, wheeled onto his trusty left boot and nailed a classy long-range snap from 44 metres out that gave the Tonners the lead for the first time.
The disposal count flipped in the second term as the Tonners started flexing their muscle on the inside. They took control of Contested Possessions and Ground Balls as their midfielders rolled up their sleeves and got to work in and around the contest.
More importantly, the minor premiers managed to convert stoppage wins into scores – something the Cards didn’t do when they were on top in the opening term. They booted 4.3 of their 4.7 in the second quarter directly from stoppages, and Lewis was involved in all 4 of them – 3 of which he kicked himself, as he racked up 6 Contested Possessions, 4 Ground Balls, 2 Clearances and a whopping 6 Score Involvements for the term.
Lewis – who had spent much of his week celebrating Footscray’s VFL premiership win 5 days earlier – took the ball from the ruck in a boundary throw-in 60 metres from goal and got a kick in as he was being wrestled to the deck. It pitched at half-forward, Gregson handed it off to Macnab, whose kick was marked 20 metres out by 2024 VAFA Rising Star Joey Campigli, who went back and goaled to give the Tonners a 13-point buffer at the 14-minute mark.
The Tonners also got their intercept game going in the second term, and the combination of stoppage dominance and setting up effectively behind the ball saw them completely dominate territory, with 19 Inside 50s to 4.
Cardinals Charlie Cormack and Alex Noblet fought tirelessly to hold back the tide as always, combining for 24 disposals, 8 marks and 10 Rebounds for the quarter – but Lewis’ third goal for the term (from another boundary throw-in) at the 31-minute mark summed up the stanza neatly.
Flockart again ripped it out of the ruck and his quick kick - touched off the boot – was caught by Cormack, who was immediately swamped. The ball fell to Lewis, who slammed it on his left and launched it from inside the centre square, sending the Tonners’ fans into raptures as the 65-metre bomb bounced through.
It was a powerful quarter from last season’s runners-up as they found another gear, kicking 4.7 to 0.2 to head to the major break with a handy 22-point lead – the Cards held goalless in a quarter for the first time since Round 10.
HALF TIME: OLD BRIGHTON 4.9 (33) led OLD SCOTCH 1.5 (11) by 22 pts.
THIRD QUARTER:
With their season hanging in the balance, the Cardinals needed to do what they did in the Preliminary Final - come out blazing after half-time.
The goals didn’t come in a rush as they did in the Prelim (when they booted five in 9-and-a-half minutes), but they did eventually come to get the reigning champs back into the game.
And they came off the back of Old Scotch tweaking their kick/handball balance, which had skewed towards handball when under enormous pressure in the second term. The Cards kicked the footy more in the third term as their uncontested game started to re-appear in patches (23 Uncontested Marks to 8 for the quarter), allowing them to control the tempo and dictate terms.
They dominated the opening stages of the third quarter, and the reward eventually came 8 minutes in.
It stemmed from a flash of Tom Farrer class that saw him weave through traffic after a mad scramble in the middle of the ground and hit up Henry Brown 40 metres from goal. Brown subsequently passed it off to Ben Hays, who slotted a much-needed goal from 40 out on a tighter angle, and the margin was back to 14 points.
It shrank to single digits three minutes later, when Harry Stubbings delivered one of the Plays of the Day. The VFL-listed Cardinal crumbed a contest at left half-back and sent a handball over the top to James Tarrant, whose powerful pass found Will Clark 65 metres out from goal.
The big man played on and ran himself into trouble, losing the ball in the process, but fortunately for Scotch, Tom Yorgey found it and popped a handball wide to Stubbings, who kept running. His launch to the goalsquare resulted in a high free-kick to Tom Farrar, who goaled from point blank range, bringing the score back to a 9-point gap at the 12-minute mark – the Cards with the momentum and growing belief.
The next 20 minutes of the contest would ultimately prove crucial, as the Tonners managed to halt Old Scotch’s momentum and prevent them from drawing any closer.
It would take another 16 minutes for either team to score a major, and it was Old Brighton who re-established their handy lead through a piece of brilliance from their inspirational captain – once again directly from a stoppage.
With Cardinal ruck Sam Grant temporarily off the ground getting his head bandaged, James Tarrant took the ball from the ruck and fed a handball through traffic that Harry Hill immediately knocked up and intercepted.
Hill took off with Aidan Franetic in hot pursuit, but managed to slip his chaser while tiptoeing the boundary line in front of the scoreboard. Confronted by Charlie Cormack, he handballed inside to Angus Edgar, whose kick off two steps from deep in the pocket was perfectly executed – the breeze curling it back inside the right post as the Brighton crowd behind the goals went berserk.
The Tonners’ 17-point lead soon grew to 23 with a body blow in the shadows of three-quarter time when Tom Fisher – who had played a brilliant third term (10 disposals and 3 clearances) – hauled down a strong contested mark in the goalsquare after Jamie Hope’s long-range shot fell short.
Old Brighton headed to the final change having absorbed Old Scotch’s heaviest punches and countering with a couple of their own late in the term to have the champs on the ropes at three-quarter time.
THREE-QTR TIME: OLD BRIGHTON 6.12 (48) led OLD SCOTCH 3.7 (25) by 23 pts.
FINAL QUARTER:
The Tonners burst out of their corner and landed a blow flush on Old Scotch’s chin to begin the final term, when Flockart’s beautiful backwards tap from the opening bounce was eagerly snapped up by Hill, who launched a long ball inside 50.
Hamish Dick tapped it on as it sailed over his head, then pounced on the Sherrin at ground level, earning himself a high free-kick in the process. His drop punt sailed straight through from 30 metres out as the Cards received a standing 8-count.
But there has been no doubt about Old Scotch’s mental toughness and resilience during their impressive late-season push to Grand Final Day, and, sure enough, Mark Gnatt’s undermanned team kept fighting and earned plenty of respect in the process.
Tom Farrer ran into an open goal to respond with his second goal three minutes later after a turnover on the wing left the Brighton defence exposed, then added his third goal on the run from 40 metres out to cut the margin to 19 points at the eight-minute mark. Was another unlikely Old Scotch comeback taking shape?
Farrer had a gilt-edged chance to secure a third goal in five minutes to bring it to 13 points as he surged forward, but he pulled the kick left at the 10-minute mark, in what felt like a pivotal moment in the game.
Then, just as they had done in the third term, Old Brighton remained calm and managed to steady the situation.
The next goal took 9 minutes as the game approached time-on, and it was Hamish Dick who found the steadier after being taken high by Doug Lawrence 25 metres out directly in front, wrapping one hand around the premiership cup with a 25-point lead at the 17-minute mark.
Their other hand wrapped around the silverware five minutes later, and fittingly, it was the man who would receive the Jock Nelson Medal as best afield – Will Lewis. The 26-year-old finished off the week of his footballing life by kicking his fourth goal after being rewarded for his tackle on Jack Brown.
Jamie Hope would add another as the celebrations began for the Tonners, before late consolation majors to Will Clark and Jake Torney would reduce the final margin to 25 points.
But it was Old Brighton worthy winners of their first top-flight premiership as coach Marcel Bruin and captain Harry Hill hoisted that elusive trophy and wrote themselves into club folklore.
After 68 years in the VAFA, the Tonners were finally at the top of the mountain.
FINAL SCORE: OLD BRIGHTON 10.17 (77) d. OLD SCOTCH 7.10 (52) by 25pts.
COACHES’ THOUGHTS:
Marcel Bruin (Old Brighton): “I sit here with a profound sense of accomplishment and pride in being a part of Old Brighton history with its first Premier men's premiership.
“It was another opportunity that our group had set itself for; we felt like our preparation had been comprehensive, and we were ready. Scotch came in with incredible momentum off the back of their finish to the year and their preliminary final win, which was one for the ages. We understand how dangerous they are when they get the game on their own terms, and they were able to do this via slick hands to outside runners throughout the game.
“Our backs were put under a lot of pressure throughout the first quarter, and we were probably lucky to be as close as we were at the end of the first.
“Our group had a better balance (particularly outside the contest) through the second quarter, and we started to get our hands on the footy to transition to our forwards. We felt like if we could get enough inside 50's, we'd be able to put scoreboard pressure on Scotch with the talent we had in front of the footy.
“Will Lewis and Jonah Campigli worked themselves into the game and hit the scoreboard at pivotal times, but particularly in setting up the lead we took into halftime.
“We knew that Scotch had some rotation challenges, and we wanted to try to outwork them throughout the second half. But it was Scotch who had the better of the third quarter, with 2 settling goals late giving us some breathing room into the last.
“Scotch's ability to fight and battle under significant duress is a credit to Mark Gnatt and his group. They're so difficult to play against and get the better of, but our players were desperate to finish this game off and turn around last year's GF loss and bring home our first A-grade premiership.
"Tom Fisher was a warrior all day, working to exhaustion and supporting our mids group. Will Lewis gave us a strong target Inside 50 and kicked accurately when opportunity presented, as did Joey Campigli and Hamish Dick, while Quintin Montanaro and Gus Corke did a tremendous job down back on some very dangerous Scotch forwards.
“We have had a strong focus on educating our group around the game style we'd like our players to adopt over the last two years, a lot of which is driven by the focus on roles we need them to be able to execute on game day.
“This has enabled us to play 44 players this year with 11 debutants, while we had some challenges with player availability, and yet still finish with a win/loss record that was as strong as last year. We take tremendous pride in having contributions come from our Under 19’s and Reserves across the entire year, maintaining momentum while also exposing players to senior football, which will help their development.
“It has been a year that our community can be so proud of, with our Under 19’s Premier team repeating last year’s Grand Final win, and our women's group repeating by winning the Premier B title. The finishing touch was our Grand Final win on Friday, which, despite still feeling quite surreal, was celebrated strongly across multiple generations of supporters, players and families that have a deep love for Old Brighton.”
Mark Gnatt (Old Scotch): “A massive congratulations to Old Brighton on winning the premiership. They have been the best team over the course of the season and thoroughly deserve to be the premiers. I am especially happy for Marcel, Harry Hill, Tom Fisher and Tom Clarke - they are great people and very humble in the way they go about it. To play in 3 Grand Finals in four years says a lot about the group and the leadership from these four men has a lot to do with it.
“We are extremely proud of our group and the resilience that we showed. Even with two down on the bench from early in the game, we still kept fighting and were still in the game late in the third, and again at the 10-minute mark of the last quarter.
“Old Brighton dominated us in the second, so our response in the third quarter was testament to our belief and resilience. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to take our chances despite playing the majority of the quarter in our front half. Conceding two goals late in the term swung the momentum, which was pivotal in the context of the game. We left it all out there and never gave up, so we can hold our heads high.
“We have played 46 players in the senior team in 2025, which meant some instability in the short-term, but the positive is that it will assist in developing our depth for the years to come.
“It’s a testament to our coaches and senior leaders that we were able to effectively manage our list and still compete in a Grand Final. We have established a strong foundation to build upon and look forward to 2026 with optimism.”
VAFA MEDIA EXPERTS:
HUGO HIGGINBOTHAM - Two-time Elsternwick premiership coach:
"After an amazing run to the Grand final, Old Scotch came up against a fresh Old Brighton side and took it right up to them.
"Ultimately, the result was affected by Scotch being two players down from the 25-minute mark of the first quarter, and goals late for Brighton after fatigue set in for Scotch were telling.
"Will Lewis’s four goals and multiple score involvements put the valiant Scotch quest for back-to-back flags to bed, and secured the first top-flight premiership for the Tonners."
DANIEL WARD - 2024 Premier B premiership coach:
"A deserving win to Old Brighton who have been the clear standout over the last two years, and great reward for Marcel, Harry and everyone associated with them.
"A brave effort from Old Scotch, who just ran out of soldiers towards the end.
"Big name players stand up in big finals, and that was the case with Will Lewis and Tom Fisher, in particular.
"Old Brighton were just cleaner with their forward entries, which enabled the likes of Lewis and Campigli to get to work.
"All in all, a great finals series and VAFA season for 2025. I wish everyone good luck for next season and beyond."
