Match Report

Round 15

FJFC U-14 Blue 5.7 (37) d Bulleen-Templestowe 4.6 (30) at Bulleen Park East, August 1, 2010 Here's one thing you can take to the bank: there are no easy matches in the shadows of the finals. The Roys played No. 2 last week and No. 3 this week. They were hunted by the pack and haunted by the prospect of another tough game. And boy, it was hard and unrelenting footy. When the game started, Luke showed courage and dash to win the early ball, and Kent extended his arms and smothered like he was putting out flames across the ground. Al backed his judgement in the backline and pulled off a couple of brilliant saves. And then Charlie won a free deep in the left forward pocket and slotted it beautifully, without a doubt or a shiver of a miss. The Roys were away. Then Bulleen levelled the scores and the sense was growing that the home team was set up for a big effort. They had beaten the Roys in the first match of the season and they looked intense and full of desire for the footy. Ahmed took a strong mark and kicked a point before Nix distinguished himself with a bold, contested grab and Seb lurked in defence, conjuring the ball away from the Bulleen forwards. When Connor was given a free and converted, the Roys had a seven-point lead at quarter time, but no one thought that there would be much difference between the teams from there on. And so it proved to be. Charlie, in the ruck, was trying his heart and Sam Howard was lively in defence. Yet Bulleen was finding gaps, racing the ball away from the Roys, carving out opportunities. It was loose men everywhere and soon Bulleen had scored two goals on the trot. Jaquan took a wonderful mark running with the flight of the ball and Al was eye-catching but the problems started to look serious: Bulleen had managed to suck a lot of the Roy boys forward of the centre. Then the Roys managed to bomb it forward and Connor was left holding the footy when the half-time bell rang. The wind was gusting and Connor's hair flapped across his face as he jogged in to take his kick. He let rip and the ball soared and curved, and then dipped through the goalposts to give the Roys a two-point lead. Well, while it hailed at the MCG the rain fell more gently at Bulleen Park East. But the effect was pretty much the same. It wasn't really footy at the start of the third quarter: there was a fair bit of volleyball, with the ball bouncing around like a beach party for a while. The ground started to muddy up and get slick. Players struggled to keep their footing and turn. Little things made a difference: a Kai shepherd for one, and then the Roys relentless forward pressure that saw the ball spill free in the goal square for Alex to dribble it through for a goal. Josh was lifting at centre half-forward but it was always likely that he would have to replace Charlie, who was hitting the wall after a big day in the ruck. Bulleen snaffled a point to reduce the margin to seven points and then, in a moment of inspiration, kicked a goal. It was one point the difference. The dark clouds stayed overhead. The rain was steady. Only the wind had dropped. And then a Bulleen player trapped on his wrong side, turned back in to play to pass it to a defender behind him. Too late, the play came unstuck and Josh seized on the loose ball to dob the goal that put the Roys back to seven points ahead. A moment later Mo managed a point and with one cold, numbing quarter left to play the Roys led by eight points. It was never going to be pretty after that. The rain came and went, but the intensity never dropped. The game turned in to an arm wrestle. Richard threw Kent in to defence to be the extra man and the Roys withstood a pounding. There were times when Bulleen were perilously close to scoring, but at the critical moment, the Roys managed to stem the charge. Outstanding defensive efforts from Mu and some poised defence from Kent made a difference but there was nothing flashy or classy about what happened in the final quarter. It was raw desperation. The Roys struggled to pick up the ball and the packs carried the footy like luggage up and down the ground. But somehow, when it mattered the Roys were in front and finally, when the siren rang after an exhausting match, the Roys had preserved a seven-point advantage. Sometimes you have to win ugly. Sunday was one of those times.

All Match Reports

Round 01    Round 02    Round 03    Round 04    Round 05    Round 06    Round 07    Round 08    Round 09    Round 10    Round 11    Round 12    Round 13    Round 14    Round 15    Round 16    Semi final    The grand final