Senior Boys and Girls best on ground winners - Lewis Houndsome (Yarrambat JFC/Northern Knighs) and Grace Anstess (Port Colts JFC/St Mary's Darwin/NT Talent Academy). Image: Craig Dooley/AFL Photos
Parade College completed a dominant 2025 Herald Sun Shield campaign to win its third consecutive Senior Boys Division 1 title with a strong 49-point victory over Catherine McAuley College, Bendido in the Grand Final at ETU Stadium, Port Melbourne on Thursday 14 August.
Then, on Tuesday 19 August, Melbourne Girls Grammar followed suit and claimed their third consecutive Division 1 Senior Girls Herald Sun Shield title, with a hard-fought nine-point win over long-standing rival Caulfield Grammar.
Lewis Houndsome from Parade College (Yarrambat JFC / Northern Knights), was awarded the best on ground medal after a powerful performance in the ruck.
Lewis Houndsome proved to be a handful forward of the footy, clunking plenty of impressive pack grabs and finishing with two goals, while he was selfless and dished plenty of chances off. He dropped behind the ball in the second half to shore up Parade’s advantage with great effect and also spent time in the ruck where he competed well. The bottom-age prospect has shown he can deliver on the big stage and received best-on-ground honours after achieving the same feat in the ACC grand final.
Pat Blake from Catherine McAuley College (Strathfieldsaye FNC / Bendigo Pioneers) had a significant influence on the contest through the midfield and his tackle numbers were exceptional. The periods Catherine McAuley had momentum came off the back of his work through the middle.
Grace Anstess, who boards at Melbourne Girls but is originally from Darwin, was awarded the best on ground medal. Grace plays community footy in Darwin for St Mary's, is part of the NT Talent Academy, and plays for the Port Colts JFC whilst in Melbourne.
Anstess won best-on-ground honours in the grand final for good reason. She was one of the leading ball-winners and provided great burst out of the middle and was also gaining territory with plenty of thumping kicks which often doubled as crucial inside 50s. She took some good marks as well and enjoyed a particular moment of class where she handballed the footy to herself as she broke away from a stoppage.
Sophie Nilsson from Caulfield Grammar (East Brighton Vampires / Sandringham Dragons) enjoyed a superb match in Caulfield’s backline and could well have been best-on-ground if Caulfield prevailed. Nilsson was relied upon as Caulfield’s last line of defence and was a key reason why the match was low-scoring, single-handedly stopping plenty of chances at goal. She did it all, laying crucial tackles, surviving one-on-one duels and even bringing the footy to ground with a courageous back-with-the-flight effort at one point.
2025 HERALD SUN SHIELD RESULTS - SENIOR
BOYS: Parade College 13.14 (92) def. Catherine McAuley College, Bendigo 7.1 (43)
GIRLS: Melbourne Girls Grammar 3.7 (25) def. Caulfield Grammar 2.4 (16)
WATCH SENIOR BOYS REPLAY on KommunityTV.com: CLICK HERE (Herald Sun subscriber content)
WATCH SENIOR GIRLS REPLAY on KommunityTV.com: CLICK HERE (Herald Sun subscriber content)
All Division 1 Herald Sun Shield results are available on PlayHQ: CLICK HERE