PARADE College has progressed in its pursuit of claiming a third consecutive Herald Sun Shield title after defeating St Ignatius College in yesterday’s Senior Boys Division 1 semi-final. The ACC champions saluted by 62 points to set up a meeting with Catherine McAuley College in next Thursday’s decider.

>> SCROLL to see the semi-final results

The Raiders made a fast start at Trevor Barker Beach Oval, piling on 10 scoring shots in the opening quarter to lead 30-0. After a middle-stage stalemate which saw St Ignatius get on the board with its only major of the match, Parade kicked home with a further four unanswered goals in the final term.

Fresh off a three-goal haul for the Northern Knights, Rylee Ratkovic was one of two players to boot two majors for Parade. 16-year-old tall Axton West was the other, having returned from Vic Metro’s title-winning Under 16 campaign. Otherwise, the Raiders’ scoring was well spread in a dominant outing.

St Ignatius College, based in Geelong, came into the knockout bout having defeated Ballarat Grammar by 22 points in last Tuesday’s elimination final, winning 9.9 (63) to 6.5 (41). Edward Clark kicked their sole goal in the second quarter as they bowed out a step away from the final.

It was an outstanding defensive effort from Parade, who went into the clash without Northern Knights co-captains Sebastian Murphy and Tyson Gresham. The star small midfielder-forwards were both rested for the clash, but should be available to take part in the final having both contributed to the 2024 flag.

Murphy is the younger brother of current Adelaide Crows player, Lachie, while Gresham’s elder brother Jade plays at Essendon. The latter is part of Carlton’s Next Generation Academy and recently made his VFL debut with the Blues. He also represented Vic Metro at the Under 18 National Championships.

The team was also without promising ruck-forward Lewis Houndsome, who is a 2026 draft prospect. Nonetheless, fellow Knights-listed midfielder James Allison skippered the side littered with talent which represents the Northern region at Coates Talent League level, and will be key to next week’s final.

The other team to progress from Wednesday’s semi-finals was Catherine McAuley College (CMC), who defeated Padua College by 52 points in Braybrook. The Bendigo based school overcame a slow start to power ahead in term two, and despite goalkicking inaccuracy, rode home a comfortable win.

CMC kicked eight of their 12 goals at the wind-advantaged end of Skinner Reserve, split four apiece in the second and fourth quarters. Bendigo Pioneers Seamus Doherty, Max Thompson, and co-captain Gus Hay all booted two goals in the 12.18 (90) to 6.2 (38) result, propelling the SSV premiers to victory.

Thompson was recently crowned Vic Country’s Under 16 MVP, representing the Big V alongside Riley Travaglia – the brother of St Kilda’s Tobie. Both have broken into the Pioneers’ Under 18 side, running out with fellow CMC stars like Patrick Blake and Jaidi Jackson-Leahy in the Coates Talent League.

Meanwhile, Rowville Secondary College (SSV) and Scotch College (APS) will meet in the Intermediate Division 1 decider after both advancing through Wednesday’s semi-finals. The final will act as a curtain-raiser for the senior boys on Thursday August 14 in Port Melbourne, starting from 10am.

Rowville defeated St Bernard’s College 11.8 (74) to 3.8 (26), restricting the ACC side to just seven behinds heading into three-quarter time. Bernies eventually got on the board with three individual goalkickers, while Rowville’s Benjamin Thompson did the damage with three majors.

The clash saw Under 16 All-Australians Baxter Sruk and Tevita Rodan lock horns having recently teamed up in the title-winning Vic Metro squad. Sruk had the last laugh, kicking a goal in his side’s victory. Rodan is the son of David, who played 111 games for Port Adelaide, where Tevita is father-son eligible for 2027.

Scotch College advanced to the decider after trouncing Salesian College by 79 points at Trevor Barker Beach Oval. The APS powerhouse restricted their Sunbury-based counterparts to a single goal for the match, while Eli Kravic dined out on four of his own to play a key part in the victory.

The Scotch side boasted some recognisable names, including recent Northern Territory Under 16 MVP Hugo Timms. Sacha Demetriou was also on the team list, the son of 103-game North Melbourne player and former AFL CEO Andrew. He’s tied to the Roos via father-son rules for 2027.

HSS SENIOR BOYS DIVISION 1 SEMI-FINALS

CATHERINE McAULEY COLLEGE 3.3 | 7.9 | 8.17 | 12.18 (90)
PADUA COLLEGE 4.1 | 4.1 | 5.2 | 6.2 (38)

PARADE COLLEGE 4.6 | 4.7 | 6.10 | 10.12 (72)
ST IGNATIUS COLLEGE 0.0 | 1.3 | 1.4 | 1.4 (10)

FINAL:
Catherine McAuley College vs. Parade College
Thursday August 14, 12:30pm @ ETU Stadium

HSS INTERMEDIATE BOYS DIVISION 1 SEMI-FINALS

ROWVILLE SECONDARY COLLEGE 2.0 | 5.3 | 8.6 | 11.8 (74)
ST BERNARD’S COLLEGE 0.4 | 0.5 | 0.7 | 3.8 (26)

SCOTCH COLLEGE 2.4 | 7.7 | 7.12 | 12.16 (88)
SALESIAN COLLEGE 0.1 | 0.1 | 1.1 | 1.3 (9)

FINAL:
Rowville Secondary College vs. Scotch College
Thursday August 14, 10:00am @ ETU Stadium