Round 1 wrap: Three out of four ain't bad

The Blacks kicked off their 2019 campaign with all four teams at home and three of them chalking up a win first up. Thanks to all those who attended the Family Day in what was a wonderful day of footy at the Main.

Seniors vs Monash Blues

The Senior side kicked off their 2019 campaign in fine style on Saturday, thumping Monash Blues by 90 points on the Main.

Ben Haysman, Jock Roysmith, Jacob Bruhn, Morgan Fawcett and Daniel McCullough all made their debuts for the club in what was a very different-looking side to the one which reached a preliminary final last year. However, based on the weekend’s efforts the Blacks look every chance to be sitting at the pointy end of Premier B once again in 2019.

Lachlan Huntington was unstoppable early doors, kicking his fourth goal for the day ten minutes into the second quarter and McCullough providing another great option inside forward 50. A deadly accurate 12.2 for the half resulted in a handy 35-point advantage as the masses gathered for half time Arvo Tea.

The tone was set in the midfield, where the Blacks ran riot on the back of the likes of Steadman, Swift, Curnow, Carlson the Bennett brothers and the defensive work of Vearing, Turner, Lahy and Vescio was outstanding.

A further 14 goals were piled on by the Blacks in the second half, with a total of 26 for the match shared between 14 individual players.

New co-captain Jordan Quaile was a clear BOG in his leadership debut, while the usual suspects of Jarrod Carlson, Campbell Moorfield and Lachlan Knight leading the charge. McCullough proved an instant fan favourite with four goals in his first game in the black and blue, while Huntington finished with a handful in a powerful first up display from the Blacks.

Reserves vs Monash Blues

The Reserves chalked up their first win under new coaches Chris Smith and Jordan Foster on Saturday, accounting for Monash Blues by 30 points.

Similar to the Seniors, there were six new faces pulling on the jumper for the first time. Fair to say the initial results look promising as the boys look to go one better than their Grand Final appearance last year. 

The first half was dominated by the men in black as they kicked their way to a 40-point lead mid-way through the second quarter. Some lax defending in the last 90 seconds before the half time bell saw Monash jag a couple of quick goals to stay in the contest. 

Joel Beasley, Sam Nash, Max Gray and Harry King were prominent and with Jordan Tunbridge playing a blinder in the ruck, the Blacks were eyeing off an early season percentage booster with two quarters to play. 

Monash were determined to make a the Blacks earn the four points and the second half was a real arm-wrestle as both sides traded goals. Accurate kicking was key for the home side to keep the Blues at arms length, eventually securing what was a solid first-up victory.

Although there were some scrappy moments, there is plenty to work with in the Reserves this year and they'll be looking to build again as they take on the newly promoted Fitzroy this Saturday.

Phoenix vs University Blues

There is no better feeling than beating the Uni Blues, and the Phoenix secured bragging rights in the first of three 2019 encounters against our Uni Main co-tennants. 

The boys jumped out of the blocks with a three goal to none first quarter, then consolidating that lead in the second term to lead by an even five majors at the half time break. 

The Blues kept things interesting in the third term, but the Blacks, lead by Steven Mann, Will O'Brien and Peter Mark (who kicked a bag of five goals), Zach Harris and Julian Di Nezza, finished with a five-goal final term to put the result beyond doubt. A 43-point win the end result at the final bell.

After a semi-final appearance last season, the Phoenix will be looking to make some early season inroads and a win against the Blues was a perfect start.

Under 19s vs Mazenod

The Under 19s hit an early-season speed bump on Saturday, coming up against a very slick Mazenod outfit. 

Early signs were good, with the boys leading at the first break in their first taste of footy on the Main. Mazenod got rolling in the second term, booting seven goals to go into half time with a 44-point lead.

The final margin was certainly not a fair reflection of the effort and application the boys gave throughout the contest. After only coming together as a team in recent months, the synergy will take a little time to build on the field in match situations. 

Blake Cooke kicked a couple of goals and Henry Robertson, Lachlan Devlin, Alexander King, Rocky O'Halloran and Jake Morgan were judged the best players on the day. The next opportunity that presents itself is Old Hailebury at Princes Park in Caulfied on Saturday.