|
Fitzroy
4-9- 33 Pts Defeated by
Preston Bullants 10-
10- 70 Pts
I
wonder if it's wrong to tell you of my delicious sense of revenge
following our gallant performance in the final game of the year.
Previously, Preston had humiliated us at the Preston City Oval.
At Ramsden St on Sunday, we rode pre game taunts and played superbly
to seriously undermine our opponent's confidence as they head into
their finals campaign.
The
opening minutes of the game saw our underrated on ball brigade,
dominate the clearances to send the ball towards Dynamite Dylan
who brilliantly lead the way with the opening goals of the game.
Laurie's pace around the ground added a dimension to our game that
was too difficult to counter while Tom's continued come back cheered
the soul as he picked up important possessions. Rodger the Rock
started well in the unfamiliar role of ruck rover and, with Sam
Gritzalis unstoppable, we dreamed the unthinkable.
Tony
and Alex played Scissors, Paper, Rock to decide which wing to play
on. I'm unsure if they wanted the glory of the ‘grandstand' side
or the microscope of the coach's box side of the ground. It didn't
matter in the end because they were equally thrilling in their undersized
attack on the footy as they set the example for team mates.
Alas,
bigger bodied Preston hit back and kicked important goals throughout
the first half. The fact we were only four goals down at half time,
though, was largely due to sturdy defence. Dieter's tackling was
inspiring at centre half back while Rodger held his opponent at
full back and took risks in his attempt to set up play further afield.
Our half back flankers, Tim and Nick McMahon provided rebound and
steadiness while both Bobby and Llewellyn were at their best in
nullifying roles. Each of them cleverly used their bodies to outpoint
their opponents.
In
the second half people began to appear on the balconies of the adjacent
terrace houses as locals wanted to know what the fuss was all about.
They discovered it was the Fitzroy Under 14 Greens setting Ramsden
St alight. We had saved all our skill, desire and audacity for the
final game of the year. Sam Gill filled in wonderfully for the injured
Rodger, Sam Boyce ran himself into the ground, Liam played a blinder,
his left foot kicking my personal highlight of the day, John's trademark
calm set up the forwards, Nick Gibbons' barrel was a cheeky reminder
of his abundant natural ability and Joseph's willingness to strive
in any position asked of him were key reasons we outplayed a team
with premiership hopes.
Of
course, with the Olympic games as a backdrop players had sporting
glory on their minds; Paddy may well enjoy the kayaking events but
we loved his forward pressure in our game of footy and Max may have
his eye on the new Olympic BMX event but he excited us with his
snaps on goal in the second half. With Willo in good form, Abraham
darting this way and that and Ben providing a typically elusive
and effective forward target, the Roys provided entertainment to
match anything that Beijing had to offer.
In
the final few minutes we conceded late goals that flattered the
opposition. But we needn't have looked to the scoreboard for an
understanding of what had played out in front of us. The injured
Finnian showed his trademark dash as he joined the team, arms linked
as we walked off in solidarity for the last time together. Finally,
I thought Antra's sensational chocolate cake was the icing on a
wonderful year of footy.
|
