But in a fine piece in The Age on Friday morning, Greg Baum writes of the beachhead that the school has established in Sydney's eastern suburbs, where the Sydney Swans make their home.
Through various devices, Ted Richards, Josh Kennedy, Daniel Hannebery, Matt Spangher and Alex Johnson have all found their way from Xavier to the SCG.
Richards, Kennedy and Spangher came to the Swans from other AFL clubs and only Johnson and Hannebery were in the same year at school.
And while some of the present Xavier students have found themselves making headlines for the wrong reasons, those who have come from the football program tend to fit right in at an AFL club where rule number one, two and three is: "no dickheads".
The newspaper quotes the school's football coaches as saying none of the five players were "braggarts". Said Wayne Reed, who coached Richards and Kennedy in the club's First XVIII, "they were all fantastic kids".
Reed recounted a great story about how after a particularly bad defeat in Year 11, most of the team could be found brooding and feeling devastated at the defeat. Not Richards, who came across nonchalantly reading an English novel. Reed dumped Richards from the side the following week.
The Xavier Five are well known as a group within the group that is the Sydney Swans. And given the hugely-competitive nature of Associated Public School football in Melbourne, the group are always at the ready to give it to other APS alumni at the club Ryan O'Keefe (St.Kevins), Nick Smith (Scotch) and Jared Moore (Haileybury).
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In a similar vein, the Hawks of the class of '08 have forged a similar bond and are a key reason why the Hawks are playing off in a qualifying final tonight.
Ryan Schoenmakers, Liam Shiels, Luke Bruest and Shane Savage were all drafted by the Hawks in the immediate aftermath of the 2008 premiership triumph.
All took their time to find their feet with the Hawks and only Savage won't be taking part against the Cats tonight.
The Herald Sun writes that the four players all found themselves cheering on the Hawks for different reasons while watching the '08 Grand Final, oblivious to the fact they would be part of the club two months later.
Schoenmakers, Savage and Shiels all played senior footy in 2009 as the Hawks battled a monstrous injury list and they admitted to being unsure whether they were getting games on merit rather or because the playing stocks at Waverley Park were so thin.
But they earned their stripes this year from this year when the club made it plain that a team of kids would travel to Perth for the opening NAB Cup matches.
"I think it was those two games over in Perth that really showed the older guys that these boys are good enough at the top level, that they can have a real impact, and if you chuck a few of the older guys in with us we're only going to get better.
"I think there was a definite shift during the pre-season in believing that these young guys coming through could have a real impact this season."
In that respect, the Hawks have aped Collingwood's approach last year, by backing the kids in to the point where they have commanded regular senior berths.
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The Hawks also feature in The Age, with Emma Quayle touching base once again with Cyril Rioli, one of the young footballers she followed for a year in her excellent book, The Draft.
She found a contented and happy Rioli, something of a father-figure to a number of younger relatives who have also made the move from Darwin to Melbourne to further their sporting and academic careers.
His life is more complicated now than then - he visits a chiropractor on a weekly basis and is fanatical about making his weekly Pilates class. He is also coming to grips with a new running technique, a by-product of a hamstring condition that was becoming chronic.
What hasn't changed, is the enjoyment. While the week is all about working, the games are all about playing. "I don't want to think too much when I'm out there. I just want to run around," he said.
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Geelong's James Kelly features in the Herald Sun as a player who has learned his limitations.
"Kelly knows what he can and can't do," writes Jon Anderson. "Taken in the star-studded 2001 national draft, he knows he can't kick the miraculous goals of fellow draftee Steve Johnson. Or compete overhead against taller men as Jimmy Bartel does. But Kelly can tackle like few others.
"Tackling is a mindset first and technique second and we do a lot of contested drills at training," Kelly said. "Tackling effectively is something I hang my hat on."
"I can't kick spectacular goals, so I know where my value to the team is. If I can close down someone's space early and then go as hard as I can to tackle, then I'm happy."
Given the expected wet and greasy conditions at the MCG tonight, tackling will be a at a premium. Kelly will no doubt shine.
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The Herald Sun has asked its experts who will make the Grand Final and a Geelong-Collingwood quinella is the overwhelming choice. The Hawks are the only other side considered a chance of making the finals and interestingly, Giants coach Kevin Sheedy is predicting that Collingwood will miss out on the Grand Final altogether. He predicts that the Cats and the Hawks will not only meet tonight but also in the big one on October 1.
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It's not just the players who have started changing camps for next season. Broadcasters are also making moves as the new TV rights agreement kicks into gear next year.
Dennis Cometti is the first high-profile broadcaster to announce a switch for 2012, moving from his 3AW Saturday afternoon gig to Triple M for next season, where he will replace Rex Hunt.
So piqued is AW, that it has ditched Cometti straight away and confirmed he won't be calling any finals for the station.
In an amusing twist, AW general manager lamented in the Herald Sun, "To be blunt it's all about money … but unfortunately that's what hangs over football these days."
The general manager of a high-rating commercial radio station complaining about money? Pot. Kettle. Black.
