With finals a fortnight away, Brunswick were keen to return to their winning ways in their last home game of the season on Saturday but to do so needed to more than double their score in the last quarter against Melbourne High School Old Boys who were tenacious to the end.

Played in ideal conditions, this game was a slow burn, with goals at a premium for the first three quarters but having made eight changes to their side from the previous week, once the NOBs midfield clicked in the final term, they produced a devastating burst that was decisive to their nine-point victory.

The first quarter was an arm wrestle, with Brunswick on top early but unable to score. The Unicorns then gained the upper hand and kicked the first goal of the game from a defensive turnover, before the home side replied against-the-run-of-play courtesy of a mark-and-goal to full forward Hayden Parker.

The game opened up somewhat in the second term, with an early goal to James Schmidt, followed by a second to Parker after a spectacular one-handed grab. The Unicorns replied, before Dom Oswald restored a two-goal margin with a running goal, but the away side then scored the goal-of-the-day from a boundary line holding-the-ball free, and it was back to a four-point margin at the main break.

The third quarter was an exercise in frustration for Brunswick as they had plenty of the ball but, as in the first term, couldn’t find a way to score, while the Unicorns were much more efficient going forward, kicking three majors to get out to a 13-point lead. Critically, the NOBs finally hit the board at the 27-minute mark with Parker’s third to stay within seven points at the final change.

As they have done many times this season, the NOBs came out-of-the-blocks brilliantly at the start of the last term, with goals to Joe Gale, Jasper Paevere and Zephyr Hooke inside four minutes to wrest control of the contest. By the 16-minute mark, Paul Scamporlino and Liam Whelan had also joined in the fun and Brunswick had kicked six unanswered goals to establish a 24-point lead. Thereafter, the Unicorns hit back with a quick couple of majors, but it was fitting that ruckman Ben Young kicked his first goal for the club to seal the win, albeit Melbourne High kept pressing until the final siren.

Young played his best game in an injury-interrupted season and was instrumental in Brunswick taking control at the centre bounces. His ruck colleague, Tom O’Farrell, also had a great game, taking strong grabs around the ground all day. Wingman Tom Hedley continued his excellent form, setting up many important goals, while Joe Gale was prolific in the midfield. Archie Fulton-Grigg defended stoutly and James Schmidt’s dominant second quarter was important to keeping Brunswick in the contest.

The home-and-away season ends at South Melbourne Districts this Saturday as the NOBs look to build more momentum into September. See you there!