Stewart’s nine goal masterclass sinks St Bernard's
Closing in on the half way point of the 2026 season, St Bernard’s faced a polished University Blues side at the Snakepit, with the visitors ultimately proving too strong.
After making a habit of fast starts throughout the season, St Bernard’s were unable to generate their usual early momentum. A disappointing opening quarter saw the Blues take control of the contest, capitalising on their opportunities and putting St Bernard’s on the back foot from the outset and left goalless for the first quarter.
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The second term saw a much-improved response from Bernard’s. Playing without the advantage of the wind made scoring difficult, but their effort and intensity lifted around the contest. St Bernard’s worked hard to stay within reach, showing greater intent and competitiveness as they looked to claw their way back into the game.
After the half time break, it was a frustrating period for the home side. St Bernard’s controlled large stretches of play and generated repeated forward 50 entries, but were unable to make them count on the scoreboard. Too often, attacks ended with long kicks directed towards Matthew Watson, who found himself outnumbered by multiple Blues defenders. Despite having territorial dominance for much of the quarter, St Bernard’s struggled to create genuine scoring opportunities. In contrast, University Blues were clinical when their chances came. After soaking up St Bernard’s pressure, the Blues converted from their own forward entries with remarkable efficiency, kicking consecutive goals and making the game look far simpler than it felt for the home side.
A major factor in the result was the outstanding performance of Blues forward Stewart, who proved almost impossible to contain throughout the afternoon. Stewart finished with nine goals in a dominant display, constantly threatening whenever the ball entered the Blues’ attacking half.
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Despite St Bernard’s effort and periods of control especially for the first half of the third quarter, it was ultimately a difficult day against a quality opponent. The Snowdogs were unable to make the most of their opportunities, while the Blues were ruthless with theirs. In the end, University Blues were simply the better side on the day and deserved the victory.
Some standout performers for St Bernards came from Mitchell Hughes who is in career best form. Angus Ryan who covered the ground effortlessly, Luke Said who slotted nicely back into the midfield with his exceptional ability to take on the contest. Nick Conlan who was able to nullify Gleeson’s impact and Lachlan Papley who produced forward fifty pressure all day. However the best was ruckman, Matt Sauro who finished with a whopping 59 hit outs. He worked tirelessly all day to try and assist the team with clearances and hit outs to advantage.
Now having played every team once this season, St Bernard’s are aware of the challenge they are currently facing to keep their season alive. This starts with next week when they travel out to take on Old Scotch, who are sitting just above St Bernard’s on the ladder and the 4 points are crucial to bring home.
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SCORES
St Bernards 0.3 3, 3.4 22, 4.8 32, 6.11 47
Uni Blues 3.2 20, 8.2 50, 11.3 69 14.6 90
BEST
St Bernards Matthew Sauro, Mitchell Hughes, Luke Said, Lachlan Papley, Nicholas Conlan, Angus Ryan
University Blues James Stewart, Taylor Duryea, Nicholas Conway, Geordie LaCava, Jeremy Goddard, Max Irving
GOALS
St Bernards L.DiLizio 2, F. McNicol, L. Papley, H. Schumann, M.Watson
Uni Blues J. Stewart 9, J. Goddard, S. Grimley, O.Hayes, H.Heine, Geordie LaCava