It was an enthusiastic Fitzroy side that arrived for the
final game of the home and away season against Balwyn. With a fast ground,
clear skies and a slight north westerly breeze, conditions were ideal for
football. The team warmed up, then gathered for the end of season team photo.
In the rooms, John talked about how closely Fitzroy had lost its last two
encounters with Balwyn and stressed that if the boys wanted a different result
today, it was up to them make it happen. He asked the boys to work in pairs,
with each player being available to help the other. Having won the toss and
electing to kick with the wind, co-captains, Sam Ward and Jules, led the team
out. The game started in spectacular style with Noah Cameroux winning an early
clearance and Stanley and Jules teaming to get the ball to Max, who kicked to
Lucas. Having dodged two opponents (and after a moment of deliberation about
which foot to score with), Lucas kicked the team’s first goal. In what seemed
like seconds later, Alex was unlucky not to score another goal, before
following up again with another minor score.
Back from injury, Joel was continuing his dominant form in the ruck, while
Darcy was getting in front of his opponent to win possession of the ball.
Despite suffering from illness, Sam Ward was looking dangerous in the forward
line, while Tom Markham was showing flair by leading out and attacking the ball
in defence. Also defending strongly, Mason won possession of the ball and
kicked to Alex, who moved the ball forward. Consistent as always, Laird and Kyle
were getting possessions, while Mason, in the action again, took a strong
contested mark and kicked to Jules (who was playing strongly all over the
ground). Pairing in the last line of
defence, Lachie marked and handballed to fast running Jack, who bouncing the
ball once, cleared the ball out the flanks. At quarter time, the coaching panel
were delighted. Team Statistician, Gerry, noted that the boys had kept Balwyn
scoreless, managed 17 tackles for the quarter and had got the ball inside their
50 metre zone 6 times. Paul praised the boys for playing in front but stressed
that they needed to keep doing this for the rest of the game. The second
quarter started with Fitzroy kicking into the wind and Joel and
Leo getting early possessions. Both teams were tackling hard and Jack,
continuing his cracking form from the first quarter, took an impressive
overhead mark in the last line of defence. Darcy was contesting strongly (winning a free
kick), while Joe Martin, having come off the bench, was getting his first
possessions for game. In dashing style,
Max won the ball at centre half back, broke free of a tackle, bounced, and then
kicked deep into the forward line.
Stanley marked on the wing and kicked to Jules, while Kyle was working
hard to create opportunities. Jack and Tom Markham were teaming well at on the
half back line while Dom was beginning to have an impact with his strong
marking. After chasing his faster opponent with the ball for more than 50
metres, Tom Ward managed to wear him down and apply a strong tackle to slow
play, while Jules, having a Lionel Messi moment, wove his way past four Balwyn
players to move the ball forward. Darcy and Lucas were teaming well on the half
forward flank, while Sam Clarke was looking dangerous near the goal line. At
the other end of the ground, Lachie was defending strong at full back, giving
nothing away to his opponent. At half
time, Gerry noted that the boys had managed 19 tackles for the quarter (an
improvement on the first) but had not managed to score from their 4 inside-50 incursions.
The Fitzroy defence was praised for doing an ‘outstanding’ job (as was Joel,
who, due to recurring foot soreness, was to sit out the remainder of the game
and the season). John addressed the boys and asked them to keep up the
intensity of play in the second half (reminding them that they’d been in a
dominant position against Balwyn at half time before but had lost focus later
in the game). He asked that they boys keep
the forward line open, noting that Lucas rarely lost a one-on-one contest when
he had possession of the ball. The third
quarter started with Noah Dekker taking a strong mark in defence, while Tom Ward was
continuing his attacking play at the ball. Noah Cameroux burst out of a pack to
kick the ball to Lucas, who did his best to evade four Balwyn players as he
tried to score. Max and Kyle were applying
impressive tackles, while Jules was getting kicks and disposing of the ball
with razor sharp precision. Dom was
having a terrific quarter. If he wasn’t clearing the ball from the centre, he
was winning the hard ball gets, acting as a one man wall in defence or dominating
in the ruck duels. To top it off, he took one of the best contested marks of
the season, flying high above the pack to grab the ball. Joe Martin was letting the team know he was
back, winning possession of the ball a number of times, while a sly ‘Tom
Hawkins’ style tap off the ground, saw Jack get the ball to Laird, who kicked
forward. The quarter ended with scores level (Balwyn having evaded Fitzroy’s formidable
defensive barrier to kick a goal). As
they huddled around, Paul spoke with the boys about the importance of playing
in front, while Gerry noted that while Fitzroy had managed to get the ball into
their 50 metre zone 6 times for the quarter, they hadn’t managed to score
(despite heroic efforts from Lucas). Sam
Clarke’s strong quarter was noted, while Jack was thanked for having his best
game of the year. John urged the boys to keep up their hardness and intensity
at the ball and to try and ‘make it happen’. The fourth quarter started with
Dom clearing the ball from the centre and kicking to Yianni, while pressure
from Sam Ward saw Balwyn kick the ball out of bounds on the full. Mason was handballing with precision and
Jules was continuing to duck and weave his way through the Balwyn players as he
took the ball forward. Alex was hustling hard to win possession in defence,
while Josh was looking dangerous on the forward line. Stanley took a strong
mark, while Leo was continuing his fine form from the previous week. Yianni,
impressive all over the ground, kicked another minor score for the team in the
dying seconds of the game. Sadly, Fitzroy could not match the goal kicked by
Balwyn earlier in the quarter, which had put them in front. Balwyn had won
again but had done so demonstrating a high degree of sportsmanship and fairness.
Both teams lined to shake hands and Max
was awarded the opposition team medal for his excellent performance. Back in the rooms, John told the boys
that despite their loss, they should be very proud of the way that they’d
played all season and it had been an honour to coach them. He explained that
progress is not always measured by wins and losses and that the boys had made
significant advances throughout the year. He thanked his fellow coaches and support
staff (to a big round of applause from the parents) and noted that the boys and
the parents had bonded really well together over the course of the season. He expressed
his desire the group would stay together for the next year. With the day ending
on a high note, players and parents left to grab a hot-dog and plan for the uncertainties
of the following weekend’s Lightning Premiership.
Final scores:
Q1: Fitzroy 1.3.9 – Balwyn 0.0.0
Q2: F 0.0.9 - B 0.2.2
Q3: F 0.0.9 – B 1.1.9
