Training:  Thursday's @ Brunswick Street Oval  (4.00-5.30pm) 

Grand Final  -  Fitzroy vs East Malvern  (Binnak Park @ 12.30pm)

Preliminary Final – Match Report

Fitzroy 12.9.81  def  Camberwell 10.12.72

Goals: Zander 8, Toby, Dom, McGee, Bate 1

Best: McGee, Zander, Dom, Luke, Jesse, Hoddy, Jacob

An undermanned Fitzroy produced one of the season's best comebacks last weekend, overcoming a forty-five point deficit early in the second quarter to defeat Camberwell by nine points. Down 0.2 to 6.7 after just twenty-minutes of football, Fitzroy gradually reduced the margin over the next three quarters to snatch victory in the final minutes.

Dom Pound-Palmieri was named best-on-ground in his one-hundredth game in Fitzroy colours, while a lazy eight goals by Alexander Croft extended his season tally to 80. James McGee, Luke DeNittis & Jesse Radonic were all in season-best form against the Sharks, as many of the side's fringe players stepped up in the team's most important game of the season.

Having won five from five against Camberwell over the past two seasons the minor premiers went into Sunday's preliminary final brimming with confidence, but were quickly on the backfoot as the Sharks kicked the opening two goals to take the early lead. Five minutes later the Sharks had added another two, and by quarter-time had pilled on six to give the underdogs a healthy 41 point lead at the first change.

However the boys from Brunswick Street refused to give up and set about reducing the deficit in the second courtesy of a brilliant individual performance by James McGee. Teaming up with Alexander Croft the boys abated the damage and by the long change went into the rooms just three goals down.

It was a phenomenal turnaround by the minor premiers who had managed just two behinds in the opening quarter. Still trailing but with all the momentum the third quarter started as the second had finished with Fitzroy doing all the attacking and continuing to peg back Camberwell's lead.

By the last change the Sharks were just two points in front, and when Alexander Croft kicked his eighth for the afternoon Fitzroy hit the front for the first time in four quarters of football. However the Sharks rallied and returned fire, and it wasn't until Toby Anderson nailed a set shot from thirty metres out that Fitzroy had finally broken their finals hoodoo and booked a place in the U14 Brown Grand Final.

On a day where all 21 boys rose to the occasion, James McGee was outstanding in all areas of the park playing cameos up forward, down back and on the ball. Yarra League Best & Fairest Dom Pound-Palmieri was sensational as always, this time in game number 100, while little James Hodson continues to hold his own in the middle of the ground.

Alexander Croft was potent up forward, taking his season tally to eighty, while Toby Anderson and James Bate also made their way onto the scoresheet. Jesse Radonic, Luke De Nittis and Jacob Sneddon all played their best four quarters of football for the year, while Dylan Patcas and Sean Dillane were as reliable as ever.

With three players returning from injury for the side's first Grand Final appearance in three years, the boys are just hitting their peak at the right time of the year. And if they play as well as their last three quarters against Camberwell, spectators are guarenteed to witness one of the closest and hardest fought Grand Finals of recent times.

 Cam Nation

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