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St Bernard’s Fall Short in Spirited Battle Against Uni Blacks

Back on home turf for the second consecutive week, St Bernard’s faced a formidable and the VAFA's most informed side of the past month, Uni Black's. After a string of tight games, the Snowdogs knew they’d need to bring everything to the contest — and they did just that from the first bounce.

Bernard’s came out firing in the opening term, controlling the tempo and finding space across the ground. Their ball movement was sharp, and they capitalised with a 20-point lead at quarter time. Lachlan Papley was electric early, slotting three goals and bringing relentless pressure around the ball.

The second quarter turned into a tense arm wrestle. Both teams managed just one goal each, but the intensity was sky-high. Facing a disciplined Uni Blacks backline, Bernard’s had to dig deep and innovate to keep their scoring alive.

Down back, Michael Caven stood tall. He commanded the air with key intercepts and consistently repelled attacks, blanketing tall targets and driving rebounds with composure.

Uni Blacks lifted after halftime. Kicking into the wind, they managed three third-quarter goals to Bernard’s one, trimming the margin to just nine points. Marcus Holland and Dylan Gwynne refused to let up, applying heat at every contest and pushing hard all game.

The Schumann brothers were tireless. Harry’s running on the wing gave Bernard’s drive and overlap, while Ethan set the tone through the middle with big tackles and physical presence.

Despite their fight, Bernard’s couldn’t halt the Uni Blacks’ late surge. With a few players running on empty, they were overrun in the final quarter — but their effort never waned.

Fergus McNicol earned best-on-ground honours with a standout performance. He nullified aerial threats, tackled fiercely, and capped off his day with a brilliant third-quarter goal.

The Snowdogs ultimately went down by 20 points. While the result didn’t go their way, the performance was full of heart — a game that made the St Bernard’s faithful proud.

Next up, a big Round 11 away clash against St Kevin’s looms.


FINAL SCORE
St Bernard’s 5.3 (33) | 6.5 (41) | 7.9 (51) | 7.10 (55)
Uni Blacks 2.1 (13) | 3.3 (21) | 6.5 (41) | 11.8 (74)


Best:
St Bernard’s – Fergus McNicol, Ethan Schumann, Michael Caven, Dylan Gwynne, Marcus Holland, Harrison Schumann
Uni Blacks – Angus Rana, Ben Oliver, Fred Valpied, James Clark, Ayui Makieng, Leon Alao

Goals:
St Bernard’s – Papley 3, Sullivan, Vague, Di Lizio, McNicol
Uni Blacks – St Clair 2, Vescio 2, Grocott, Valpied, O’Neill, Moorfield, Cassidy, Alao, Clark

Written by: Hannah Juricskay