Hopes for the Indigenous Round re-match against Balwyn where high. Whilst the boys had lost their initial encounter in Round One, Fitzroy
had played the final quarter in barnstorming style to come back strongly. In his pre-game
address, John told the boys that this game would about “where they’d come from
and where they were going”. It would be a true test of how much they’d
improved. He urged the boys to stay
focused and apply pressure for the full four quarters. John told the boys that they needed to want
the ball more than the opposition as this would help create doubt in the minds
of the opposition players. He emphasized the importance of the boys
encouraging each other to help build each other’s confidence (as this
confidence was critical to maintaining the team’s momentum). Endurance,
Tenacity, Courage, Loyalty and Pride where to be the themes of the day (some of
the wonderful qualities demonstrated by the game’s indigenous players). Co-Captains, Joel and Joe, led a confident
Fitzroy team out. Balwyn won the toss and elected to kick with the wind (CBD
end). In a tightly contested first quarter, Yianni
won the opening ruck duel. Sam Clarke got his first possession of the day and
handballed out of defense while Darcy, executing a Tom Hawkins style tap-out,
moved the ball forward. Dom won possession at centre half back and moving the
ball quickly down the ground, kicked to Max, who kicked to Kyle, who kicked the
Laird, who kicked to Tom Markham, who marked in the forward pocket. With
the ball in Fitzroy forward line (and with Sam Ward organizing the half forward
line defensive wall), Joe, Kyle and Will were working hard to try and score. An
artful tap-out from Joel saw Alex rove the ball and in trademark style, he
kicked the team’s first goal. Back in the centre, Laird was all class as he cleared
the ball. With play soon in the Balwyn forward line however, Sam Clarke showed courage
in smothering the ball while Josh was working hard to get the ball from the packs. In fine form at full back, Lucas spoiled a
Balwyn kick, won possession and kicked the ball out of danger. At
quarter time, Paul addressed the boys. He praised the half back line of Darcy,
Dom and Jack and asked the boys to keep ‘structuring up’ around the stoppages
and continue talking to each other. Team Statistician Gerry noted that in terms
of effective defensive actions, the boys were outstanding, with 8 in defense,
12 in the midfield and 5 in the forward line. This was putting pressure of the
opposition ball carriers and influencing play (a ‘good picture’ in terms of the
stats). John told the boys that despite
kicking against the wind, they’d gained momentum in the game. He thanked Yianni
for his outstanding efforts in the ruck. The second quarter started with Dom in
dominant form at centre half back and Noah Cameroux having an immediate impact
at full back (to the delight of the coaches). In the back pocket, Mason dived
into a pack, won possession and then hand-balled to a team mate. Stanley was
working hard to get the ball and Laird narrowly missed kicking a goal (before
kicking for goal again only seconds later). Joe was tackling hard, with his second
and third efforts winning praise from the coaches. In the backline, Stanley kicked
the ball out of danger and Laird, here there and everywhere, saved an almost
certain goal. Dom and Noah Cameroux stopped a number of attempts by Balwyn to
score. Tom Ward and Noah Dekker, playing in front, were working hard to create
opportunities. Darcy was all class as broke
a tackle and kicked the ball forward. With the ball in the Fitzroy forward line,
Will led out, won possession of the ball and pivoted to kick the team’s second
goal (seconds before the end of the quarter). The boys, led by Alex, all ran up
to congratulate him. Back in the rooms, Paul noted a “great” passage of play
from Laird to Darcy to Kyle and Gerry noted the ‘fantastic’ defense pressure
applied by Fitzroy (as evidenced by the statistics). In his half time address to the players John
noted that the boys desire and intensity at the ball “couldn’t be questioned”
during that quarter. He thanked Max for his terrific quarter in the ruck and
urged the boys not to give Balwyn a “sniff”. As the boys prepared to run out
for the third quarter, Paul, with a premonition of what was to come, warned the boys that Balwyn would play with increased intensity in the second half and
to be prepared. As predicted, Balwyn,
stung by their inability to score in the first half, began playing to their
potential as the third quarter commenced. Conversely, Fitzroy began to lose
concentration, allowing the opposition to play loose players in their forward
line. Jack was in the action early,
winning possession in a contested play and kicking forward from centre half
back and Darcy, taking on three un-manned Balwyn players, managed to control
the ball until help arrived. Under pressure in defense, Lucas teamed with Noah Cameroux
to kick the ball out of danger and Lachie and Sam Ward worked hard to try and
stabilize the situation. Leo won the ball out of the pack and hand-balled forward
and Max took a screaming overhead mark on the forward flank. Lacking
concentration however, the Fitzroy defenders were allowing themselves to get
drawn up field. Exploiting the opportunity, Balwyn kicked two goals in
quick succession to bring themselves back into the game. At three quarter time,
scores were almost level. Paul addressed
the players and urged them to be accountable for their opposition counterpart
and to be first at the ball. He noted that the boys were lucky to have one
quarter of the game remaining and they should make the most of it. Gerry outlined
that statistically the boys had struggled, with clearances down for the quarter.
John noted that Balwyn had “wanted” the
ball more than Fitzroy that quarter and the boys needed to try and reverse this
situation. The final quarter started with the ball going down into the Balwyn
forward line and alas, it stayed there. Mason engaged in an aerial contest and
Lucas took a strong mark at centre half back. Laird, despite being injured, won
possession again and again in an awesome display of endurance, tenacity and
courage. Leo took a fine mark and Dom executed an epic spoil at centre half
back. Noah Cameroux and Mason were desperate in defense and Tom Ward, dropping
back, did what he could to move the ball forward. Despite the best efforts of the Fitzroy back
line and on-ballers however, the commitment of the Balwyn players could not be
questioned and before too long they’d kicked the goal that would win them the
game. Sadly the game ended with Fitzroy,
having built up a lead in the first half, not scoring in the second (similar to
what had occurred the week before but with less dramatic consequences). The
boys lined up for the awards. Noah Cameroux was awarded the opposition team
award for his outstanding work in defense. After both teams acknowledged the traditional custodians of the land, Laird was declared the popular winner of
one of the two Indigenous round awards (for ably demonstrating the qualities that
make the Indigenous players so highly regarded in football). The two teams
lined up for photos before heading back to the rooms. In silence, the Fitzroy
boys listened to the Balwyn players celebrate their terrific ‘come from behind’
win. John addressed the players and told
them that when they concentrated they were capable of winning against any team.
As their journey as a team continued however, they needed to try and play with
intensity for four quarters so that their potential could be realized. Mason and Lachie were awarded the footy cards
(Mason for his efforts in defense and Lachie for consistently good form over a number
of weeks). With the rain looking to arrive, the boys left the rooms and went
home to enjoy the rest of the weekend.
Final Scores:
Q1 Fitzroy 1.2.8 - Balwyn 0.1.1
Q2 Fitzroy 2.4.16 Balwyn 0.0.0
Q3 Fitzroy 0.0.16 Balwyn 2.3.15
Q4 Fitzroy 0.0.16 Balwyn 1.2.23
No comments:
Post a Comment