Eltham 22 Casey 14
In cold, blustery conditions, a spirited Eltham side defeated Casey 22-14 to win the Conference Competition Grand Final at Box Hill last Saturday in front of a big crowd of the “Eltham faithful”.
The Minor Premiers overturned their late-season loss to Casey to claim the club’s first senior trophy since 2018, in a match where repeated penalty infringements and handling errors hampered free-flowing rugby.
An early break by Joey Vuwai and subsequent penalty saw Eltham break through the Casey defence, with a blindside run by captain Juke Nona setting up Eliah James for Eltham’s first try. Leading 5-0, Eltham’s lineout problems continued to gift Casey possession: an Eltham yellow card gave the opposition the advantage they needed, scoring a converted try to take the lead 7-5.
A great kick-chase saw Eltham back in possession deep in Casey’s 22, with Max Delai sending Tomasi Mocevakaca over in the corner to give Eltham back the lead 10-7. An ageless Aisea “Wise” Naulago, now a forward convert, was making life difficult for the bigger Casey pack with a number of strong runs in what was a man-of-the match performance.
With half-time closing, and Casey receiving their first yellow card, an Eltham attack saw Samuela Rokoraivoka held up over the line, with the score staying 10-7 at the break.
Frustratingly, the second half mirrored the first in that the inability to retain possession at lineouts, handling errors and poor options in attack stymied Eltham’s ability to maintain attacking momentum. Despite this, Eltham were able to maintain good field position, going close to scoring on several occasions.
Curiously, Casey decided to take tap penalties instead of kicking for touch. From one such penalty, Casey launched a backline attack from inside their own half, only to have Juke take a juggling intercept to run 40 metres to score, with Robbie Hausegger adding the extras to give Eltham a 17-7 lead.
However, the ensuing Casey kick-off resulted in a penalty to Casey, a yellow card to Eltham, and more penalties to Casey before they used their size to score a converted try off a pick-and-drive to close the score to 17-12.
With Casey lifting on the back of strong sideline support, a knock-on and penalty after an opposition break had Eltham back in Casey’s 22. A tap penalty saw Michael Stent take on two defenders before popping up a sublime pass to Robbie to score out wide.
At 22-14, the game see-sawed from one end of the field to the other on the back of half-breaks and long clearing kicks. With minutes to go, the highlight of the match – Jack Weston bursting down the sideline, bumping off multiple defenders in an inspirational run.
Shortly after, full-time, and an emotional victory celebration for our club!
Congratulations to the team, to coaches Tom Navanua, Ari Su’a and Anare Koliavu, manager Jack Welch, and of course senior team “wrangler” Roger Iacobucci, whose passion and commitment to seeing an Eltham senior side back on the paddock in 2026 was rewarded in the very best way.
Huge thanks also to Ange Southwood, Alana Su’a, Sylvia Metcalfe and Shane Slater, who kept the food and drinks flowing during the long celebrations back at Bridge St.
Editor’s Note: A special thank you to Tim Adams for always stepping in to support the seniors whenever they need him. We’re grateful for all the hard work of our president, including writing this article, and for the passion and dedication he brings to Eltham Rugby.
Photo credit: @agdimages
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