Fitzroy Junior Football Club Under 10 Team 1 Gold 2015: Round 6

It was a beautiful, sunny, windless day for the game against Glen Iris, one that would begin with a sense of optimism but would end in frustration and disappointment for the team. The away ground was large, with a sea of mud in the centre and high voltage power lines overhead. Following their warm-up, the team gathered in the palatial, ALF standard change rooms for John’s pre-game address. Key messages from the coaching panel were for the boys to run, create space and ‘want the ball’. Team captain’s, Noah Cameroux and Laird, led the team onto the ground and were unlucky to lose the toss, with Fitzroy kicking to the Western end of the ground. The early play was congested, with nether side able to obtain an advantage. In the backline, Dom used his strength to break free of a tackle and kick the ball forward while Will, playing the role of an attacking full back, took it upon himself to try win the ball. Lucas marked ball in the back pocket and kicked forward, then shortly after, won possession again. Sam Clarke got his first possession and Jack, active in the packs, was applying vice-like tackles to his opponents. In one of the more exciting individual passages of play, Max took a mark on the half back line and played on. Dodging two players, he bounced the ball twice and kicked deep into the Fitzroy half forward line. Lachie was playing in front and was marking and being awarded free kicks as a result. Leo got his first kick and Kyle, showing why he’s so highly regarded in a contest for ball, dispatched his opponents easily to kick the ball away from the half back line (one of many times he did this during the game). Noah Cameroux marked the ball and Alex and Stanley were working hard to win possession. Using his strength, Lucas tried to break through a pack and win possession of the ball. Dom, the consummate team player, was creating opportunities around the ground winning free kicks and dispatching the ball effectively. Tap outs in the ruck were proving hard to come by though (but more about that shortly). At the quarter break, Fitzroy, despite playing below their best, were still only one goal down. Team Statistician, Sav, addressed the players. The ball had only gone into Fitzroy’s 50 metre line once and they hadn't managed to convert. He urged the boys to play deeper in defense and to watch the ball and their opposition counterparts, not losing track of either. He spoke of the importance of playing in front and ‘making it happen’ and highlighted the importance of the boys backing each other up and running in numbers. Paul and John praised the outstanding efforts of the half back line, Lachie, Joel and Kyle. John asked the boys to ‘go hard at the ball’ and to try for second, third attempts. The second quarter started with Laird taking a mark and Mason winning possession and kicking the ball forward from the wing. Sam Ward took on two opposition players, tackled one and took possession of the ball. In defense, Darcy and Kyle were impressive, playing positive, attacking football from the half back line. In the forward line, Max broke free from a tackle, went for another run, bounced twice and then narrowly missed kicking a goal. Josh marked, played on and kicked for goal (also narrowly missing). Dom, full of determination, tackled to win the ball, broke free and kicked to Joe, who steadied and kicked the team’s first goal. Just as it appeared Fitzroy were building momentum however, a lapse in concentration in the back-line saw Glen Iris kick another uncontested goal. Bouncing back, Sam Ward won possession of the ball in the forward line and teamed with Alex, who then kicked the team’s second goal (using his left foot). Dom, having adapted his style in the ruck, was using his body more effectively to win the tap-outs. Scores where level, however yet again, the momentum slipped from Fitzroy’s grasp. Having moved the ball up the ground, the nimble Glen Iris forwards slipped away from the distracted Fitzroy backline to kick another uncontested goal. At half time, Sav pointed out that Fitzroy had been much more effective at scoring from their incursions into their 50 meter zone. He noted that the boys in the backline were watching the ball and not the player they were minding, which was leading to scoring opportunities for Glen Iris. Dom’s ‘fantastic’ quarter was praised (with much applause) and Paul noted that the boys were not making use of the open space, rather kicking into the packs. The third quarter started with only a goal’s difference on the scoreline. Jack, running hard to get in front, took on two players, won possession after second and third effects and then kicked the ball forward. Yianni was in pack-busting form and Lucas, actively engaging in the aerial contests as well as on the ground, was smothering the ball and creating opportunities for the team. Tom Ward took a courageous contested mark and Noah Dekker was on the hunt around the packs. Leo was trying hard on the forward line and Tom Markham was doing his bit in the back pocket. As the quarter progressed, despite tighter teamwork by the boys in defense, Glen Iris continued to score. At three quarter time, Paul urged the boys to play their natural game and kick the ball into space, not into the congested packs. The fourth quarter began with Jack demonstrating why he’s one of the most formidable tacklers in the team, winning free kicks and stopping a number of attempts by Glen Iris to move forward. Lucas was again active on the forward line, working hard to create scoring opportunities for the team. Stanley was demonstrating his usual high work rate in the centre and Lachie continued to lead by example, organizing the last line of defense effectively. Despite some fine individual efforts however, the Fitzroy boys struggled to find their 'mojo' as a team. Glen Iris kicked away to finish the game as worthy winners. Throughout the game, they’d played a positive, intelligent brand of attacking football, in particular on their forward line, backing themselves to play in front and accepting the risks of doing so. Having won the ball, Glen Iris were more effective with their disposal, creating space and opportunities for their team mates. They encouraged each other (even when mistakes were made). Lachie was awarded the opposition team medal for his outstanding performance and the boys assembled back in the clubrooms. John addressed the players. While he noted that why the boys ‘weren't playing for sheep stations’, he emphasized that it was important that they took on individual accountability to try and influence the game and not let others do it for them. It was critical that they played with a sense of 'esprit de corps'. He noted that while there were many forays into the forward line, the team needed to become more effective at impacting on the scoreboard if it was to win games. He challenged the boys to take the loss as a positive learning experience and to bounce back. The day ended with Will and Darcy being popular recipients of the footy cards (for their consistent efforts in defense and on the ball).

Scores were:

Q1: Fitzroy 0.0.0 - Glen Iris 1.1.7
Q2: F 2.1.13 - GI 3.1.19
Q3: F 2.1.13 - GI 5.1.31
Q4: F 2.1.13 - GI 7.3.45

Observation from John on the final score ..."Really don't think the scoreline anywhere near reflected the contest between the 2 sides...it seemed much closer than that..."