The 2025 season wrapped up for the Rovers on Saturday, with the Seniors pushing top side Old Ivanhoe all the way at Boss James Reserve, ultimately going down by five points.
Who would have thought that the Rovers would have their closest game of the year against the side that has sat on top of the Premier B ladder for a large part of the year? Yes, they had a few players missing, but the Rovers also had 5 changes with gun backman Owen Bater out, James Prosser away and youngster Kai Carrigan, Ollie Horigan and Harry Block all out. A couple of experienced returnees in Harry Crisp and Max Blackie and a couple of U19 debutantes. Both Charlie Steen and Jake Taranto had sensational debuts in the seniors and just demonstrated the depth we have in youngsters at the Club.
In Saturday’s side we had 8 Under 19s, 3 others who played their first senior game this year and missing from the side was Owen Bater, Kai Carrigan and Ollie Horigan who are all eligible U19s. To take Old Ivanhoe to 5 points was an amazing effort. As you can see from the scores, the game was a hard slog, while rain was minimal the breeze was still strong, it did not favour the far smaller bodies of the Rovers. They jumped us in the first quarter with the aid of the breeze and the gap was heightened by a couple of long bombs for goal. I have to say that there were so many new players and new numbers that I lost track of our best but Zac Ziesing was prominent, Tredders was battling hard up forward and Cohen Friend showed his class on a number of occasions. Joel Melnjak was in spoiling mode and the number of contests he crashed and big punches he made upset the Ivanhoe forwards.
In the first and second quarters the skipper was again everywhere and when he goaled from the lateral pass from Zac the crowd was on its feet. Another goal in the quarter to Harry Crisp, back from Europe, and we had reduced the margin at half time to a couple of goals. Lachy Costello continued his good form, the Seddons seemed to have another brother out there they were getting so much of the ball and Blake “Biceps” Jensen-Muir was on top of his opponent. Liam O’Driscoll, always double tagged was still effective and the margin was further reduced at the main break.
At the main break outgoing coach Marty Pask sent Tredders to the backline, made Cohen Friend the main target up forward and implored the boys to continue the concentration they’d shown to date and to use their pace and flair to break up the Ivanhoe game plan. My worry was whether Ivanhoe would come out after the break looking for blood!
The third quarter started with a quick goal to Ben Seddon and from that moment on it was an even contest. Our backs held firm and while OI’s precise ball movement from the stoppages was always a problem for us they were unable to breach our tight defence. A clutch goal to Corey Jones late in the quarter courtesy of a Zac Ziesing bullet pass was the highlight. I have to mention the tackling of the skipper. Time and time again he laid the “crunch” tackle on the Ivanhoe boys and seemed to enjoy being given far more freedom that he had in previous games. We held them for the quarter and had the benefit of the wind in the last. For the first game in 2025 we had stopped the opposition from getting a run on and effectively making the last quarter a procession.
We dominated the first half of the last term, kicking 3 goals to reduce the margin to 6 points and the OI boys were in chaos. Missed handballs, missed kicks to position and dropped marks all attributable to the intense pressure applied by the Rovers all over the ground. When Zac Ziesing split the middle from outside 50 in time on I thought we could complete the upset as OI were in panic mode and it was only the calmness of some of their old heads that enabled them to settle by going to extreme defence mode and hold on for a tight win in a battle where really all kudos was with the Rovers.
Seniors
HR 0.3 2.6 4.6 8.6 54
OI 3.5 4.7 6.12 7.17 59
Best: Zac Ziesing, Joel Melnjak, Ben Seddon, Christian Carnovale, Jake Seddon
Goals: Christian Carnovale 2, Corey Jones 2, Harry Crisp 1, Zac Ziesing 1, Ben Seddon 1
Reserves
HR 0.1 1.1 3.2 3.2 20
OI 4.4 8.7 12.11 17.14 118
Best: Peter Somogyi, Luke Boccari, Campbell Bennett, Robson Bennett-Cochrane, Damon O’Shea, Darcy Merlo
Goals: Damon O’Shea 2, Luke Boccari 1
No doubt 2025 has been one of the toughest years we’ve experienced for a long time and having it on the back of probably one of our most successful years made it all the more difficult to enjoy. Still, when this happened in 2016 and 2017 the critical difference was that we didn’t have the wealth of young talent coming through the club from the Under 19s.
To have over 30 players unavailable for the last round and to rely on over 17 youngsters from the 2024 and 2025 U19s to debut during the season is a great tribute to the skills of Under 19 coach Paul Carrigan. While our colours were lowered on the scoreboard we never gave up and fought every game out to the end. The Rovers now return to Premier C for the 2026 VAFA season and will be under a new senior coach – with applications currently open for the role.
Off the field, Saturday was our 197th consecutive Home Game Luncheon from 2002 when the last major renovation took place at the Boss James Reserve. Some of the 80+ present at lunch who wanted to demonstrate their arithmetic skills pointed out that it must be more than that if we started in 2002. Well, I have one word and one number for you guys- COVID19. In that year that VAFA year was abandoned, thanks Dan, we, as a result missed a number of home games. Stay tuned for what date the big 200th will be celebrated in 2026!
Presentation Night is on October 3 at Sandy on the Bay. The room capacity is 160, the cost is a very reasonable $70 per head and it is a chance for all players and supporters to dress up a bit and enjoy a night out and celebrate the 2025 year. Bookings can be made online now – follow the link below.
