Fresh off their first finals win against Marcellin last week, MHSOBFC travelled to Donvale to take on Whitefriars, a team that has had their measure in recent encounters. The message to the group since Round 13 had been that each week was the equivalent of an elimination game. The Unicorns had stepped up and met every challenge that had come their way so far and this match was certainly no different.

Coming off a spirited but wayward 7-point win against fellow finals aspirant Box Hill North last week to keep their finals destiny in their own hands, the Unicorns immediately faced the pressure again at home against another direct contender in Hawthorn, who sat just half a win and 2 premierships points above them in 5th position on the ladder. With the top 5 sides qualifying for finals, the magnitude of this 8-point game was enormous.

Coming off a spirited but wayward 7-point win against fellow finals aspirant Box Hill North last week to keep their finals destiny in their own hands, the Unicorns immediately faced the pressure again at home against another direct contender in Hawthorn, who sat just half a win and 2 premierships points above them in 5th position on the ladder. With the top 5 sides qualifying for finals, the magnitude of this 8-point game was enormous.

The Thirds went out to Elgar Park to face Box Hill North in the return fixture for season 2024. A tough draw the week before against the ladder leaders had placed some extra emphasis on this game for the Unicorns, with a win required to keep us in the hunt for finals. Box Hill North were undermanned with only 16 players available and asked for the game to be played 16 on 16. The only worry heading into this match was the wind and rain which had picked up just before the first bounce.

After a bye weekend spent stewing over an unjust loss to a much-changed Swinburne side, MHSOBFC returned to action against an undefeated Old Xaverians. Buoyed by the presence of a number of U/20s players who were enjoying a mid-winter bye, an undersized but enthusiastic side hoped to kick off a significant day for the club with a valiant performance to commence our run home.

MHSOBFC was looking to back up a disappointing loss to Old Ivanhoe with a game against Swinburne at home. It was also the first game in a triple header as well as Liam Ferris’ long awaited 100th match, putting some extra emphasis on this game. 

Win by forfeit against Old Yarra.

After an undermanned but chastening loss against Whitefriars, MHSOBFC took a strong squad to West Brunswick as they looked to get their season back on track. 

MHSOBFC came up against divisional rivals Whitefriars for their round seven matchup on a brisk Saturday morning in Donvale.

Hot off a three-game winning streak and a well-earned 3-2 season record, the Thirds were at home against the closely matched Marcellin.

The Thirds came up against Swinburne and were looking to consolidate their winning form over the previous couple of weeks.

The Thirds came up against Box Hill North in their second game on home soil, intent on equalling the win-loss column for the season. 

Back at home for the first time this season and kicking off another triple header, MHSOBFC were looking to shake off an underwhelming start to the year and break through for a much-needed first win to kickstart their 2024 campaign. Their opponents were Canterbury, who they faced three times last year for two huge wins and a draw. 

MHSOBFC returned for round two playing away against Hawthorn in a rare triple header between the two clubs. Two returning stalwarts of the Thirds - Jamie Shulman and Adam Ashton - brought some much needed size and structure to the group after missing the first game of the season.

With their season starting a week earlier than the other open-age teams, the Thirds headed to Royal Park to play UHS-VU at the rare primetime slot of 2pm.

Coming off a spirited loss against ladder-leaders Whitefriars in last week’s major semi-final, the Thirds were lucky to have the second chance in hand and another opportunity to book their spot in the big dance courtesy of the preliminary final. Facing Mazenod, whose previous encounters delivered a mix bag for the Unicorns (a heavy away loss and a home ‘forfeit’ win), it was difficult to get a gauge on what to be prepared for and to expect the unexpected, as is typically the case in finals.

After last week’s anti-climax ‘winning’ by forfeit, the Thirds in just their second game since July 8th, faced off against ladder-leaders Whitefriars at home. With neither the opposition nor MHSOB (2nd) being able to be displaced from their current ladder positions before finals, the game was treated as an opportunity to experiment with different tactics and positions before they faced off again the following week.