GFNL Grand Final | St Mary's Claim Reserves Buckleys Cup

St Marys are the 2025 GFNL Reserves Buckleys Cup premiers after defeating Newtown by 24-points at GMHBA Stadium on Friday.

First Quarter

The grand final began with hot, contested football, both sides finding it tough to hit easy targets in the early minutes.

St Mary’s eventually broke through when Sam Christensen soared for a strong contested mark and converted to give the Saints the opening goal.

Newtown worked hard to respond. Tom Beckworth took a solid contested grab to generate some forward-50 territory, and Alfie Wojcinski—son of club great David—followed up with another strong mark inside 50, but his set shot faded wide.

Christensen continued to be a handful in attack, pulling in a spectacular one-handed mark, while Liam Alsop fired up the Eagles’ faithful with a brilliant goal-saving tackle.

Despite the fierce pressure and a series of crunching tackles around the stoppages, scores remained low.

At the first change St Mary’s held a narrow six-point lead, with Newtown still searching for their opening major.

Second Quarter

The tight, contested battle continued after the first break.

Henry Cook launched St Mary’s forward with a strong contested grab and a pinpoint pass to Harry Segrave, who unfortunately pushed a very gettable set shot wide.

The Saints didn’t have to wait long to hit the scoreboard again.

Sam Christensen, continuing his strong first half, calmly slotted a 35-metre set shot to stretch the margin to 13 points.

Newtown finally answered when Michael Condy kicked truly for their first major of the match, a vital goal that steadied the Eagles.

Soon after, Zachary Barnes received a fortuitous mark inside 50 but couldn’t convert, and a series of missed opportunities left the Towners frustrated despite a period of forward dominance.

St Mary’s had their own chances to build a buffer, but Jack Willson was off target with two difficult set shots, keeping the lead to just seven points.

The Eagles capitalised late when Ashton Lovell clunked a strong contested mark and kicked truly, reducing the margin to a single point.

In a half where goals were scarce—just four between the sides—St Mary’s held a slender one-point advantage at the main break, setting up a tense second half.

Third Quarter

The second half began with veteran Nelson Browne standing tall in defence, cutting off several early St Mary’s attacks.

But it was the Saints who again landed the first blow. Sam Christensen, continuing his outstanding game, coolly converted from a set shot to notch his third goal and push the lead to double figures.

The home fans roared when captain Sam Hosking soared for a spectacular contested mark. Soon after, Harry Segrave had two chances to widen the gap—missing a snap at the six-minute mark before finally breaking through with a brilliant right-foot snap, stretching the margin to 14 points.

St Mary’s kept coming.

Christensen imposed himself once more with another contested grab inside 50 and slotted his fourth, creating a daunting 20-point buffer.

Their midfield pressure, driven by Ty Williams and Noah Biggs, dictated the term, and when Oliver Flynn snapped cleverly out of a forward-50 stoppage—celebrating in style—the lead ballooned to a game-high 26 points.

Newtown finally found a spark.

A slick overlap passage released Tom Beckworth out the back for a steadying goal, and moments later Zachary Browne drilled a superb 45-metre set shot, slicing the deficit to 20 points and bringing the Eagles’ faithful to life.

St Mary’s pressed late.

Harry Segrave twice marked strongly in the dying minutes but could only add behinds, finishing the quarter with 1.2 to his name.

At the final change the Saints held a 17-point lead, 6.8 (44) to 4.3 (27), with one quarter left to decide the premiership.

Fourth Quarter

St Mary’s struck first to make a Newtown comeback very difficult in the first five minutes of the final quarter.

Off the back of Oliver Flynn producing a crucial holding-the-ball tackle on the centre wing and released Cooper Hosking, who curled through a brilliant banana goal, pushing the lead out to 24 points.

At the nine-minute mark, Saints skipper Hayden McMahon showcased his trademark precision, wheeling onto his left foot and hitting Riley Wagenknecht on the lead inside 50.

Wagenknecht’s set shot just missed, but the minor score still extended the margin to 25 points and kept Newtown under heavy pressure.

The Eagles threw everything at the contest in the closing stages, with Samuel Nitschke provide run and dash, but the St Mary’s defence held firm.

Led by a disciplined back six, the Saints repelled repeated attacks and denied Newtown any chance of a late comeback.

When the final siren sounded, St Mary’s emerged 24-point victor’s in a low-scoring, hard-fought Grand Final, their relentless pressure and composure in key moments proving the difference.

Final Result

St Mary’s 7.10 (52) defeated Newtown 4.5 (29)