Fitzroy Junior Football Club Under 10 Team 1 Gold 2015: Round 13

Conditions for the rematch against Glen Iris were in complete contrast to the week before. The sun was shining and there was no hint of wind or rain. There was controversy before the game when Sam Ward, (perhaps intending to honour Tommie Smith and John Carlos, Mexico Olympics 1968), was sensationally told to remove his black glove, due to league rules. Despite this setback, the boys settled into their pre-game warm up, with Paul suggesting that they needed to play in front and ‘pick up the ball’. Back in the rooms, John noted that despite the previous result, Glen Iris had lost their last two games and the boys need to approach the game with confidence. Co-captains, Laird and Kyle led the team out. Glen Iris won the toss and elected to kick to the CBD end. The first quarter started with both teams attacking the ball and playing with intensity. Tom Ward, Mason and Jack were tackling strongly and getting early kicks, while Jules won possession of the ball and went for a run, bouncing once before kicking forward. In true captain’s style, Kyle won a contested possession at centre half back and kicked out of danger, while the boys congratulated Joel on his effective tackling. Yianni was using his strength in the packs to create opportunities while Darcy was defending strongly, taking marks and getting kicks. Neither side were getting any obvious advantage, although the accuracy of Fitzroy’s kicking was creating unnecessary turnovers. Stanley was getting kicks on the half back line while Tom Markham was fighting hard for possession in the packs. The pace of key Glen Iris players was causing problems (although Darcy was proving their equal). The quarter ended with Glen Iris kicking 1.1, despite the committed efforts of Will at full back. Unfortunately, Noah Cameroux was forced to leave the ground injured. At the quarter time break, Lance congratulated the boys on their hard work. Paul noted that while all the boys were presenting themselves and getting into the contest, they weren’t always hitting their targets with their kicks. Team Statistician, Gerry, observed that in terms of clearances and tackling, the boys were performing well however they hadn’t been able to match Glen Iris in terms of inside 50s (8 vs 2). John noted that the backline and midfield were performing well. The second quarter started with Yianni getting an early clearance, while Sam Clarke kicked the ball to Stanley, who then handballed back to Sam as he streamed past and kicked forward again. Laird was getting his usual high quota of possessions and this helped get the ball into Fitzroy’s forward line. From the forward pocket, Dom snapped for goal and succeeded in scoring (to the delight of his teammates). Assisting with the clearances, Mason, Jules and Alex were all working hard to create opportunities. With the ball back in Fitzroy’s forward line (courtesy of Dom), Lucas found himself completing against three Glen Iris defenders. Keeping with the Rocca family tradition, Lucas artfully created space and kicked the team’s second goal (again to the delight of teammates). Back in play, Noah Dekker was having a cracking quarter, ably supported by Sam Ward and Joel (who was continuing his sublime form in the ruck). Lachie, in the back pocket, was giving no quarter to his opponent. Tom Ward stopped a Glen Iris advance at centre half back and this helped get the ball back into Fitzroy’s forward line. Coming from nowhere, Laird kicked a true captain’s goal, three for the team for the quarter. Back in the rooms at half time, the coaching panel were delighted with the boy’s performance. Gerry noted that the boys had maximized their scoring efficiency, with three goals from six inside 50s. Paul praised the intensity the team had shown that quarter and observed that they’d managed to ‘stay in their feet’, which had created opportunities. John noted how much better the team were with the boys playing in front, but cautioned that they need to play with similar intensity for all four quarters if the wanted to win. Kyle’s leadership at centre half back was called out, in particular as it was ‘freeing’ up his teammates. The third quarter started the Fitzroy backline under pressure. Will took an outstanding mark in the last line of defence, while Darcy was tackling hard and running down his opponents. Jack attacked the ball in the back pocket and ran and kicked it out of danger, while Stanley and Sam Clarke were teaming well on the wing. Noah Dekker applied a decisive tackle and won a free kick. Joel was continuing to dominate in the ruck (a wonderful performance) while Mason was competing hard on the wing. Yianni was continuing to give his all. Both teams were playing the game with great intensity and clear scoring opportunities were hard to come by. Lucas and Dom managed to kick minor scores for Fitzroy, while Glen Iris kicked a goal at their end. At the three quarter time break, Gerry noted that the boys were continuing to tackle hard while clearances where slightly down for the quarter. With Fitzroy in front by a goal, John urged the team to keep up their intensity and try to keep Glen Iris scoreless in the last quarter. The final quarter started with a terrific smother from Joel, while Jack continued to attack from the backline. Dom and Yianni where getting kicks as Sam Ward, Alex and Jules tried desperately to create opportunities for the team. First season players, Noah Dekker and Mason, were continuing their impressive performances on the wing, however all the boys were starting to tire. Glen Iris kicked a goal to equalize the score and despite some fine defensive work by Lachie, Will and Tom Markham on the backline, they kicked a couple of minor scores to win the game with seconds to go. Both teams lined up to congratulate each other on what had been a tightly contested and entertaining game. Noah Dekker was awarded the opposition team medal for his outstanding performance. Back in the rooms, Gerry noted how competitive the boys had become in terms of key statistics (ie: clearances, tackles and inside 50s). John explained that the boys had a right to feel disappointed with the final result, however the rematch against Glen Iris had demonstrated what an improved side Fitzroy had become at the Gold level of the completion. Laird was awarded the footy cards for the influential role he played for the team against Glen Iris (and every week). The boys went home, encouraged by their improved form against a top side and looking forward to the following week’s rematch against Camberwell 1.

Final scores:

Q1: Fitzroy 0.0.0 – Glen Iris 1.1.7

Q2: F 3.0.18 - GI 0.0.7

Q3: F 0.2.20 – GI 1.0.13

Q4: F 0.0.20 - GI 1.2.21