VFL Match Report: Round 6 vs Tasmania
04/05/2026
A day of wet weather in Tasmania saw Sandringham go down by 25 points in a high scoring contest. It was difficult conditions at University of Tasmania Stadium, but even with a slippery ball, the marks were strong and the skills on display were clinical.
Noah Yze was a ball magnet early, loving the wing and finding the forward 50 with ease. Mitchell Kirkwood-Scott got the boot to ball, penetrating quickly down the field to give us the advantage. Bode Stevens kicked our first goal of the day, and his first for the season, off the back of a sharp kick from Yze to secure the major on the run, finishing off a clean coast-to-coast transition.
Putting on the pressure around the boundary was Andreas Stefanakis, playing a crucial role in keeping the ball alive and for the Zebs to complement his 29 disposal game.
It was a quieter second quarter with Tasmania pouncing, but Owen Bater didn’t make it so easy with the defender clogging up the space and not giving the Tassie forwards easy entries.
With the ball curving in the air due to a breeze, Jet Peckett stood tall for a strong grab near the goal square to give us a much needed goal. Soon after, Jess Gedi slotted one of the goals of the season so far, soccer kicking it off the ground from 35m out, bringing the margin to just six-points.
The overall play from both sides started to get scrappy, but we dominated stoppages and clearances with handballs reaching their targets, and if not, big tackles were laid to get the ball back in our possession.
The scoreboard didn’t reflect the brand of footy we were displaying, with the Devils just capitalising on small moments. Eventually, Tasmania gained a whole lot of momentum and didn’t look back. We trailed by 28 points at the major break with Tasmania on top of the ground balls and putting pace on the ball.
Second and third efforts were important, and this grit was displayed late in the second and third terms when the Devils gained significant momentum.
Yze was a bright light in the forward line, finding the ball in critical moments. Being a link down the field, Josh Hutchings played a disciplined game to ensure that we converted from turnovers after Tasmania kicked two majors early in the third quarter.
A blistering fourth quarter saw us curate a 40 to 20 point term with Jack Ferraro, Hutchings, Peckett, Stefanakis and Yze all contributing to majors in the final 14 minutes. The momentum was well and truly in our favour, halting the Devils in their tracks. It was a full team performance in the fourth quarter, indicating what we can produce when under pressure to reduce a significant margin.
Despite a three-goal haul in the closing stages of the game, it wasn’t enough to get over the line in Tassie with the hosts too good on the day.
We look to return to the winners list next week on Sunday 10 May against St Kilda back at home at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval for a 2:05pm start.
SANDRINGHAM 3.2, 5.5, 9.6, 15.10 (100)
TASMANIA 5.3, 9.9, 16.10, 19.12 (126)
Goals
Yze (3), Ferraro, Hutchings, Peckett, Stefanakis (2), Chirgwin, Gedi, Stevens, Voss
Visit the VFL website for full stats
Photos: Emily Spong - Sandringham FC Media
Written by Casey McGuire - Sandringham FC Media