BY Cameron Noakes

 

OLD Brighton has dropped its first game of the season, losing a thrilling encounter against Collegians yesterday in a ladder-shaking round of the Victorian Amateur Football Association.

It was a re-match of last year’s B-section grand final and, once again, the Lions were the victors despite, unlike last September, starting this game as the underdogs.

 

Barely anything separated the teams all day, but Collegians came from six points down at three-quarter time to win 11.9 (75) to 9.15 (69).

 

The six-point home win catapulted Collegians to pole position on the ladder and now the two upstarts from B-section are hogging the top two spots of the A-section ladder after six rounds.

Old Xaverians slipped from second to fourth and the University Blues moved into third after defeating the glamour team by 25 points at University Oval.

 

Old Ivanhoe also enjoyed some ladder climbing after it was able to hang on against a fast-finishing Old Trinity to win by 11 points, 8.14 (62) to 7.9 (51).

 

Played at Trinity, the home team charged in the final term and closed the gap to just five points with minutes remaining but when Luke Lochran scored Old Ivanhoe’s only goal for the term, he sealed the deal.

 

Old Scotch lifted itself out of relegation territory after it withstood a late charge from De La Salle to score an impressive nine-point away-win, 14.12 (96) to 13.9 (87).

 

But the reigning premier Old Haileybury is virtually an unbackable favourite to play B-section next year - on the bottom and winless after it was humiliated by St.Bernard’s yesterday - 21.18 (144) to 8.10 (58).

 

Callan Potter booted seven for the Dogs and Tate Pearson, Damien McLaughlin and Michael Stapleton all bagged four in the 86-point win.

 

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In the Victorian Interleague Country Championships at Skilled Stadium yesterday, the heart-stoppers continued with the Geelong Football League snatching victory from the Hampden Football League and the Bellarine Football League winning a thriller against the Yarra Valley Mountain District Football League.

 

Bellarine FL and YVMDFL were level at three-quarter time and after a shootout in the final term the locals had their noses in front, 10.14 (74) to 10.11 (71).

 

Former Essendon players Gary Moorcroft and Ben Haynes booted three each for YVMDFL and Geelong Amateur’s Tim Clark was best for Bellarine.

 

In the first division clash, the Hampden Football League held a slender lead all afternoon only to be mowed down in the final term to lose by 14 points, 10.12 (72) to 9.4 (58).