The green expanses of Victoria Park awaited the Fitzroy Colts 2 team in their preliminary final clash against Bundoora on Sunday. Whilst Fitzroy's uninspiring record against Bundoora over the past two years (0-6) would ordinarily offer the boys very little to look forward to, our imposing win in the semi-final had lifted the teams' spirit immeasurably and we approached the game confident of a strong showing.
The ferocity and tempo of Fitzroy's attack on the ball in the opening minutes signalled to Bundoora that there would be no easy kick for them today and so it proved. Thomas Dudgeon took up where he left off last week by paving the way for Rory and Michael Cussen to clear the ball decisively on multiple occasions to our key forwards, Will Oldfield and Will Pickering, who both marked strongly in the first quarter to kick crucial early goals.
Bundoora started to move the ball fluently as the quarter progressed via solid rebound from half-back and scored a goal at the grandstand end however Blake Chilcott, on the wing, and Sam Forbes, off half-back, were both instrumental in repelling further forays by Bundoora, and assisting Fitzroy to score a vital late quarter goals courtesy of strong play by Sam West. At quartet time, Fitzroy had a handy 21 point lead.
The early stages of the second quarter saw Fitzroy dominating play with Dylan Temple, now freed up in the middle, Blake Chilcott and Rory Angiollela continuously driving the ball forward however poor kicking to both position and on goal resulted in numerous wasted opportunities. Will Oldfield continued to present aggressively at the ball and was rewarded with an important goal mid-way through the term.
Michael Cussen was successfully negating the dangerous no.5 for Bundoora however towards the end of the quarter a resurgent Bundoora lifted a gear and proceeded to pepper the goals for the remaining 10 minutes of the quarter. The backline led by Matt Bediaga and comprising Connor Smith, Will Johnson, Sam Forbes, Christos Varnivides, Dom Westcott and Nick Reinalda held together magnificently although a series of poor kick-ins made life difficult for Fitzroy. Despite the onslaught, Bundoora remained goalless for the quarter leaving Fitzroy in front by 19 points at the half-time.
Fitzroy emerged from the main break to produce a game winning quarter where we had winners all over the ground. Our midfield division again led the way with skipper, Nick Brown, proving very damaging whilst Blake Chilcott and Rory Angiollela repeatedly won possession in heavy traffic. The quality of the Fitzroy tackling and smothering was a real highlight of the quarter as was the Dylan Temple dash through the corridor. Will Oldfield, in his best game for the year, kicked two goals for the quarter to take his game tally to a significant four whilst Will Pickering and Sam West mirrored their first quarter efforts to kick a goal each.
Thomas Dudgeon mopped everything up, a kick behind the play whilst Sam Forbes and Will Johnson controlled the half-back line to see Fitzroy enter the final term with a 7 goal lead .
With victory in sight, Fitzroy maintained their fearless attack on the ball and unrelenting pressure on the Bundoora ball carrier, to again dominate the early stages of the quarter. Pete Kerr picked up numerous touches in the middle whilst Dom Westcott, Ciaran Hudson and Gary McCarthy gave the half-forward line a lift. Alex Vella-Horne provided the midfield with a boost and Dylan Temple, playing at full forward, kicked a clever goal. Rory Angiollela, in another powerful performance, finished the game off with a well deserved goal.
The final margin stood at 52 points and was testament to the self belief, courage and work rate of this Fitzroy team – well done boys on a victory to remember. We now look forward to taking on St Marys in what we hope will be another day to remember.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 10.13.73 Bulleen 2.9.21
Best Players: Another great team effort.
Goal kickers: Oldfield 4, Pickering 2, West 2, Temple, Angiollela
On a warm and windy day at Templestowe Reserve, the Colts 2 team faced Bulleen-Templestowe in the first semi-final. Despite losing to this team by 71 points two weeks ago, Fitzroy was fielding its strongest line-up for the year and felt confident they could get the job done.
Fitzroy kicked with the aid of 3-4 goal breeze in the first quarter and started apprehensively, conceding an early goal before settling down to play some sparkling football. Rory Angiollela, Michael Cussen and Nick Brown were responsible for some quality clearances out of the middle to a forward line which was beginning to look dangerous. Will Pickering executed a great tackle to kick our first goal and then in a scintillating display, Khalil Abou-Eid, kicked two valuable goals using his electrifying speed and silky ball handling skills.
Fierce tackling by the likes of Sam Forbes and Thomas Dudgeon through the middle of the ground combined with timely running from our backline saw Bulleen under continual pressure throughout the quarter. Dylan Temple, playing as a free man in the backline, made a clever run forward to snare a goal to put us up by 21 points at the first break.
Fitzroy continued to play an attacking brand of football, even though they were kicking into the wind, and dominated much of the quarter although our use of the ball into the forward line meant we were not getting reward for effort. Our half backline held strong all quarter providing tremendous run courtesy of Will Johnson, Luke Ahern and Gary McCarthy with Rory helping out as the loose man.
Blake Chilcott, Thomas Dudgeon and Sam Forbes continued to drive the ball forward where our two key forwards, Will Oldfield and Michael Cussen, lifted the team to kick vital goals to provide a handy 22 point buffer at the half-time.
The team were disappointed to not have a greater lead and at the main break resolved to come out as hard as they could in the third term to see if they could break the game open, which they duly did.
In perhaps our finest quarter for the year, Fitzroy showed the value of having 23 players committed to working together as a team as they took control of the quarter to pile on five goals to a single goal from Bulleen. Our Captain, Nick Brown, led the way with a dynamic performance in which he scored two goals whilst big men Alex Vella-Horne and Will Oldfield imposed themselves on the game in the two key forward posts, kicking important goals.
Jesse Parlane also chimed with a deserving goal after some good work and our rovers, Sam West and Pete Kerr, gave us some valuable run while Blake Chilcott repeated weaved his way through heavy traffic to pump the ball forward . Connor Smith proved a dangerous forward all quarter after a quiet first half.
Heading into the final quarter with a 46 point lead provided some comfort however Fitzroy were not about to relax as early goals were kicked by Connor Smith, Nick Browne and Blake to seal the result before Bulleen kicked some late goals. The full backline of Nick Reinalda, Gary McCarthy and Matt Bediaga continued to be resolute as they had been all day with Dom Westcott providing welcomed back-up in the final quarter.
We look forward to next week's preliminary final against our Bundoora at Victoria Park.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 15.12.102 Bulleen 6.9.45
Best Players: A great team effort.
Goal kickers: Brown 3, Oldfield 2, Abou-Eid 2, Smith 2, Parlane, Pickering , Vella-Horne, Cussen, Temple , Chillcot
The Colts 2 team turned up in Box Hill on Sunday to find that SFX Whitehorse had only had 12 players and that for a game to proceed they would require three Fitzroy players or the match would be a walkover. With finals beginning next week and a number of players requiring match practice, our team was very keen to have a kick so the game proceeded with Fitzroy players rotating through the Whitehorse team.
A more skilful and physically imposing Fitzroy dominated play throughout the course of the game despite stiff opposition from the Whitehorse “ring-ins” including Matt Bediaga who nearly secured his first goal for the year!
Dylan Temple, Will Pickering & Sam West, all returning from lengthy injury breaks, showed how valuable they will be, come finals next week.
Michael Cussens was one of the stars of the day with 6 goals whilst Christos Varivides (best player), in his last game for Fitzroy, followed up his excellent form from last week, to pick up plenty of touches.
Fitzroy had even contributions from players all over the ground and the winning result was a reflection of the team's desire to ensure all aspects of our game plan was adhered to.
Bulleen-Templestowe emerged as our semi-final opponents for next week and with the team back to full strength we look forward to the contest in what we hope will be a positive outcome for us.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 20.19.139 SFX Whitehorse 3.4.22
Best Players: Team effort
Goal kickers: TBA
The Colts 2 team faced an in-form Bulleen-Templestowe team who needed a victory to keep their finals chances alive and Bulleen showed right from the start that they had come to play.
An inability to contain the run and match the hardness of the Bullen midfield left Fitzroy struggling to keep up despite the strong play from Christos Varnivides and Conner Smith on the wings and Thomas Dudgeon in the ruck. A much needed goal from Connor meant Fitzroy were staring at a 7 goal half-time deficit with a greater work rate and change in attitude required to get back into the game.
With the prospect of playing Bulleen in the finals in two weeks, the team resolved to come out in the second half and playing a harder and more attacking brand of football.
To the boys' credit, their attitude and work rate could not be faulted in the second half as Sam Forbes in the mid field and Matt Bediaga & Gary McCarthy in the backline, tried to rally the team. Fitzroy played very competitive football and had numerous opportunities in the third quarter to build their score but only Will Johnson, playing on Bulleen's best player, managed a goal.
As the rain pelted down, Fitzroy did not let up in the final quarter however a stronger Bullen, aided by a forceful wind, finished the game with a flurry of goals. Rory Angiollela and Dom Westcott continued to try hard while Ben Westfold snapped a clever goal however Bulleen, fielding a significantly better equipped team than our last encounter ran out convincing winners by 71.
With one game to go against SFX Whitehorse, the Colts 2 can look forward to the return of a number of players next week as we fine tune our game before finals the following week.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 3.10.28 Bulleen 14.15.99
Best Players: Forbes, Smith, Varnivides, Dudgeon, Bediaga, McCarthy
Goal kickers: Smith, Westfold, Johnson.
The challenge of facing the second placed team, St Mary's, awaited the Colts 2 team on Sunday, however even on our home ground, Peterson Oval, Fitzroy, for the second time this season, were unable to stop a rampaging St Mary from comprehensively outplaying us in the first quarter.
St Mary's run from the backline, non-stop play-on football and fierce attack on the ball left Fitzroy with a five goal deficit at quarter time. Our inability to run in numbers and lack of necessary response to St Mary's rapid counter attacking was pointed out to the team at the break and we saw a transformed team in the second quarter.
Thomas Dudgeon got the team going in the ruck while Gary McCarthy (best player) and Rory Angiollela supported him on the ball. The lift in work rate and better adherence to our team structure saw Fitzroy dominate the quarter and be rewarded with goals to Blake Chilcott and Will Oldfield.
Nick Reinalda was playing well at full back while Will Johnson and Khalil Abou-Eid on the wings ensured that the forwards had a constant supply throughout the quarter. The change in approach by Fitzroy saw the deficit reduced to 14 points at half-time.
The second half was largely forgettable with St Mary's hard running and team discipline overwhelming Fitzroy. Sam Forbes, Will Johnson and Gary McCarthy were credible; however in very wet conditions the loss by 9 goals was reflective of St Mary's dominance in the third & fourth quarters.
We expect an improved performance in next week's game against aspiring finalists, Bulleen-Templestowe
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 3.7.25 St Mary's 12.5.77
Best Players: McCarthy, Johnson, Forbes, Dudgeon, Reinalda, Angiollela, Chilcott
Goal kickers: Chilcott , Oldfield , Ahern.
A dull sky and muddy Peterson Oval greeted the Colts 2 team in their game against Doncaster Heights . Skipper Brown again won the toss and Fitzroy kicked towards the Alfred Crescent end. Alex Vella-Horne, Nick Brown and Rory Angiollela kick started the team out of the middle, driving the ball forward repeatedly to the dangerous Tom Dudgeon who quickly snared two goals.
Blake Chilcott picked up where he left off from last week, gaining multiple possessions and kicking a handy goal. Alex Vella-Horne handed Fitzroy a three goal lead at quarter time with a thumping goal just before the break.
The second quarter saw Fitzroy dominate all over the ground, with Christos Varnavides & Will Johnson continually clear the ball from defence while Nick Brown and Gary McCarthy roamed the ground picking up numerous possessions .
Will Oldfield was moved to full forward where he had a purple patch kicking three goals in succession through a combination of quick leading and playing in front. Sam Forbes, on the wing, again imposed himself on the game through strong tackling and hard attack on the ball. Fitzroy went into the change rooms with a well deserved seven goal lead with their eyes on a substantial victory.
Unfortunately, the third quarter belonged to a resurgent Doncaster Heights as they outplayed a Fitzroy team who were content to be second to the ball. Despite Matt Bediaga and Will Johnson staving off a flood of forward thrusts from Doncaster , Fitzroy were outscored by three goals in one of their most disappointing terms for the year.
With St Mary's and Bullen-Templestowe coming up in the next two games, the team resolved to finish the game with a positive final quarter and proceeded to completely control the term recording 14 inside 50's to Doncaster's three. Rory Angiollela and Gary McCarthy provided ongoing drive around the ground while Will Johnson, our best player on the day, took a number of strong marks to repel Doncaster again and again.
Dom Westcott was moved onto the ball and immediately gave the team a lift while Tom Dudgeon marked strongly up forward to kick another goal while characteristically clever play from Blake Chillcott netted him a further two goals.
St Mary's, second on the ladder, awaits us next week at Peterson Oval.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 14.16.100 Doncaster Heights 5.6.36
Best Players: Johnson, Angiolella, Chilcott, Brown, Dudgeon, Oldfield, McCarthy, Vella-Horne, Bediaga
Goal kickers: Chilcott 4, Oldfield 3, Dudgeon 3, Westcott, Vella-Horne, McCarthy, Angiollela
Colts 2 skipper, Nick Brown, won the toss and provided the team with an opportunity to kick with the advantage of 3-4 goal wind. Despite kicking against the wind, Banyule surprised by kicking the first goal which sparked Fitzroy into action. Rory Angiollela immediately lifted the team with his trademark grunt around the ball while Blake Chilcott had a purple patch where he picked up numerous possessions and kicked two goals.
The team continued to pump the ball forward where Thomas Dudgeon showed his body-on-body skills to take a strong mark and goal whilst Luke Ahern, who was proving a focal point at centre half-forward also booted a handy goal to help the team to a 20 point lead at quarter time.
The on-ball division led by Nick Brown, Gary McCarthy, Dylan Temple & Rory continued to win the ball both at the centre bounces and stoppages around the ground, supplying the forward line with plenty of opportunities where Blake Chilcott scored another valuable goal against the wind.
Sam Forbes, on the comeback after a long term injury, picked up plenty of touches on the wing, whilst the backline again displayed a strong willingness to play in front and run hard when we had possession with Matt Bediaga, Will Johnson and Nick Reinalda (best player), starring in the back pocket, helping to restrict Banyule to 2 goals for the quarter.
Fitzroy came out after half-time and, assisted by a dominant midfield, continually drove the ball forward where Connor Smith, one of the team's big improvers, showed his ability to read the play by kicking two clever goals. Key forward, Khalil Abou-Eid, had also proved elusive through the day and was rewarded with a goal while Blake Chilcott chimed in with his fourth goal for the game.
Entering the final quarter with a comfortable lead, Fitzroy maintained their focus on the ball despite physical attention from Banyule. Nick Brown, in particular, continued his brave attack on the ball while Gary McCarthy repeatedly rebounded the ball from half-back. Nick Reinalda, in the ruck, and Connor Smith, across half forward, continued their good form in the last quarter while Sam Forbes on his wing was a consistent avenue for the transfer of play from defence.
Whilst goalless in the last quarter, Fitzroy finished up winners by 38 points, and now look forward to three games in a row at Peterson Oval
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 9.11.65 Banyule 4.3.27
Best Players: Reinalda, Angiolella, Chilcott, Brown, Forbes, Temple , Smith,
Goal kickers: Chilcott 4, Smith 2, Dudgeon, Ahern, Abou-Eid
On a cold and wet afternoon at Peterson Oval, the Colts 2 came up against a determined and strong Ivanhoe team who indicated early in the game that they would provide a very physical contest throughout the day. Despite winning plenty of possessions in the first quarter Fitzroy were unable to capitalise until persistent work by Sam West paved the way for Khalil Abou-Eid to kick our first goal to lead by 2 points at quarter time.
Ivanhoe continually cleared the ball from the many stoppages that took place in the second term however Will Johnson, Dylan Temple and Gary McCarthy proved resolute in defence with their willingness to play in front and consistent run from the back-line. Our midfield started to lift with Rory Angiolella leading the way while Alex Vella-Horne and Khalil continually presented themselves up forward. Michael Cussen tackled everyone in sight up forward and was rewarded when he snapped a clever goal just before half-time.
Protecting a half-time lead of 7 points, Fitzroy were outplayed by Ivanhoe in the third quarter with our midfield unable to stem the run of the Ivanhoe on ball players, resulting in our defence being constantly under pressure. Will Johnson continued to block multiple forward thrusts from Ivanhoe and Michael Cussen & Blake Chilcott started to lift the team around the ground. Terrific work from Alex Vella-Horne at centre-half-forward saw him kick a vital goal to allow us to go into the last quarter with a slim 3 point lead
Injuries to Pete Kerr and Will Pickering meant we had no bench for the last quarter and Ivanhoe took full advantage, winning contests all over the ground to dominate the for the majority of the term despite Michael Cussen and Rory Angiolella doing their best to win the ball in very heavy traffic. Ivanhoe kicked two goals to lead by 10 points with only 5 minutes to go, a seemingly unassailable lead on a wet and low-scoring day, yet the fiercely competitive attitude of this Fitzroy team had not been counted on.
The ball spilled clear on our half forward flank where Ciaran Hudson, one of the teams' biggest improvers, took possession and threaded through a fantastic goal. Fitzroy again took the ball forward from the centre bounce although a series of ball-ups in a very crowded forward-line seem destined to deny victory to Fitzroy. However
Michael Cussen threw himself into another pack, received an errant knee to the head and a subsequent free kick. Michael was unable to take the free due to the injury to this head meaning that Dylan Temple eagerly accepted the responsibility and coolly slotted the kick home from 35 metres. The siren sound soon after and Fitzroy secured an exciting and brave victory by 2 points – a win to be very proud of.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 5.9.39 Ivanhoe 5.7.37
Best Players: Angiolella, Cussen, Johnson, Temple , Smith, Hudson , Chilcott
Goal kickers: Cussen, Abou-Eid, Vella-Horne, Temple , Hudson
Colts 2 had been eagerly awaiting the clash with ladder leaders, Bundoora, all week and quickly showed they were here to play by dominating possession in the early stages of the quarter to jump to a 3 goal lead. Michael Cussen and Blake Chilcott (best player) continually drove the ball forward where our offensive pressure resulted in goals to Khalil, Pete Kerr and Michael Cussen. Nick Brown and Thomas Dudgeon formed a strong wall every time we went forward and for the first 10 minutes of the quarter Bundoora were unable to take the ball into their forward line.
Unfortunately, injuries to Rory Angiolella and Brad Hammond unsettled the team with Bundoora taking full advantage to score two late goals to see Fitzroy lead by 8 points at quarter time.
Bundoora came out full of running in the second term and despite the best efforts of Matt Bediaga, Christos & Will Johnson in the backline as well as Thomas Dudgeon at centre-half -forward, they quickly poured on the pressure to score 5 goals and take a convincing lead of 27 points at the main break.
A severe corky to Sam West coupled with the earlier injuries meant that Fitzroy started the second half undermanned and with Bundoora playing hard running confident football, Fitzroy struggled to win enough of the football to exert any pressure on the scoreboard. Will Johnson, Khalil and Christos continued to playing attacking football out of defence while Michael Cussen and Pete Kerr showed the value in leading hard and fast in our forward line, however Bundoora were simply too good in the end, eventually winning the game by 70 points.
With a quite a number of injured players at the moment, the Colts 2 boys will appreciate the week off before tackling Tally-Ho on Sunday 18 June.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 4.3.27 Bundoora 14.13.97
Best Players: Chilcott, Dudgeon, Johnson, Bediaga, Varnavides, Abou-Eid, Cussen
Goal kickers: Chilcott, Cussen, Angiollela, Kerr, Abou-Eid
In a virtual repeat of last week, the Colts 2 again started very poorly against a pumped up MacLeod who was intent on securing their first victory for the year. A lack of hardness around the ball coupled with poor defensive pressure from our midfield resulted in MacLeod leading by 28 points at quarter time.
A pledge by the players to attack the ball more aggressively and lift their work rate saw a pleasing turnaround in the second term. Led by Michael Cussen, Blake Chilcott & Nick Brown in the middle, Fitzroy continually drove the ball forward where Alex Vella-Horne (1 goal) provided an imposing target. Sam West and Rory Angiolella provided tremendous competitiveness in the forward line and each chimed in with handy goals. Gary McCarthy was also proving to be a handful for the MacLeod defenders and our human wrecking ball, Michael Cussen, tackled everything in sight as well as snapping a clever goal to leave us down by 2 goals at half-time.
For the second week in a row, Fitzroy came out in the third quarter and played exhilarating football. An early goal to skipper Nick Brown encouraged the team to play unselfish football for the next 20 minutes. An impassable backline, headed by Matt Bediaga at full back, Dylan Temple at CHB & strongly supported by Dom Westcott, Christos and Will J, contributed to Fitzroy's domination of the quarter in which we recorded twelve inside 50's and kick seven goals.
Thomas Dudgeon's ascendancy in the ruck paved the way for Blake Chilcott and Nick Brown to consistently clear the ball from stoppages to a forward line whose team work and kicking to position saw easy goals to Nick Reinalda, Pete Kerr and Blake Chilcott (2 goals). Michael Cussen (1 goal) continued to lead strongly at full –forward and Dylan Temples chase & tackle at half-back provided further inspiration to the team
Despite significant physical pressure from a frustrated MacLeod team, Fitzroy finished off well in the final quarter with Blake Chilcott, Sam West and Dylan Temple capping off their good work for the day with valuable goals. Connor Smith continued his brave work on the wing whilst Ciaran and Ben in the forward line provided helpful defensive pressure.
After a shaky start, Fitzroy ran out convincing winners by 38 points and look forward to next week's game against ladder leader, Bundoora next week at Peterson Oval.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 15.8.98 MacLeod 9.6.60
Best Players: Cussen, Brown, Chilcott, Dudgeon, Temple , West, Angiollela
Goal kickers: Chilcott 3, Cussen 3, Angiollela 2, West 2, Vella-Horne, Brown,
Reinalda, Kerr, Temple
In our most disappointing quarter for the year, the Colts 2 team failed to offer any resistance to St Mary's and were staring at a 6 goal deficit at quarter time, having scored only a solitary behind. Aside from backline players, Gary McCarthy, Matt Bediaga and Thomas Dudgeon, the team were second to the ball and failed to put any pressure on St Mary's running players.
A more resolute Fitzroy team put on a much improved display in the second term with captain, Nick Brown, leading the way in the middle and ably supported by Blake Chilcott and Michael Cussens as our midfield took control of the game. Suddenly our forwards, who were starved of possession in the first quarter looked alive as goals by Will Pickering (2) & Khalil Abou-Eid started to put pressure on our opponents however late goals to St Mary's resulted in Fitzroy trailing by 6 goals at the main break.
The third quarter witnessed Fitzroy playing some of its most exciting football for the year as an inspired Nick Brown took advantage of Thomas Dudgeon's aggressive ruckwork to continually clear the ball from the middle with great assistance from Blake Chilcott. Our small forwards, Ben and Connor bagged vital goals as we repeatedly pumped the ball forward to Alex Vella-Horne at centre-half forward.
The backline bolstered by the return of Brad Hammond and the courageous play of Matt Bediaga (best player), Christos Varnavides, Rory Angiollella & Will Johnson continued to reap the rewards of playing in front as Fitzroy outscored St Mary's by 3 goals to give ourselves a chance of coming home over the top of St Mary's.
Despite an early goal to Blake Chilcott and the brave ball winning efforts of Nick Brown and Michael Cussens, St Mary's finished the quarter full of running and secured a deserved victory by 32 points. Aside from our forgettable first quarter, the boys can be proud of their efforts to fight their way back into the game and is proof that we can match it with the best teams when we want to.
Go Roys
Michael
Score: Fitzroy 7.6.48 St Mary's 12.10.82
Best Players: Bediaga, Brown, Dudgeon, Chilcott, Cussens, McCarthy,
Goal kickers: Pickering 3, Chilcott, Smith, Abou-Eid, Westerfolds.
On a wet & windy afternoon at Bulleen reserve, Bulleen Templestowe jumped out of the gates to kick the first two goals and the Colts 2 team had a real challenge on their hands against a physically imposing team that were dominating the early centre bounces and stoppages.
Fitzroy worked their way back into the game with Michael Cussens & Gary McCarthy providing plenty of run from the backline, often finding Pete Kerr on the switch of play. The latter part of the quarter saw Fitzroy continually entering their forward 50m and goals to Dylan Temple and Blake Chilcott resulted in the teams being even at quarter time.
The team were encouraged to win more 50-50 contests and duly responded with our midfield led by Thomas Dudgeon, Nick Brown, Blake Chillcott and Pete Kerr finding plenty of the ball and providing our forwards with numerous opportunities. Injuries to Nick Reinaldo and Sam West hampered us with the wet conditions making the ball extremely slippery. Will Oldfield displayed tremendous skill to snare two valuable goals to put us 4 points up at half-time.
The third quarter proved a real slog with both teams struggling to handle the ball cleanly. Will Johnson and Gary McCarthy continued to repel Bulleen's thrusts forward whilst Fitzroy inspired by both Thomas Dudgeon & Michael Cussens' tackling and fearless attack on the ball started to contain Bulleens' key ball winners around the ball.
Ben Hudson in his first game for the club showed he will be a valuable player for us through his intelligent reading of the play and clever use of the ball. Pete Kerr, in his best game for the year, threaded through a vital goal with Will Pickering following with another soon after to give Fitzroy a 3 point lead going into the last quarter.
In a very encouraging performance Fitzroy, after being reminded of the fitness value of the long pre-season they endured, overwhelmed Bulleen in the final quarter with all of the team making a vital contribution. Thomas Dudgeon (best player) continued to lead the way with his fierceness at the ball whilst Dylan Temple contested strongly in the forward line and showed great skill to goal from a tight angle. Despite having an inside 50 count of 11 to 3 in our favour, Fitzroy were only 10 points up with 5 minutes to go when Nick Reinaldo underscored his improvement this season by marking in the middle, passing the ball off and then receiving the ball back to kick the sealer for Fitzroy.
Well done boys on a hard fought win & let's meet St Mary's next week with plenty of confidence.
Go Roys
Michael
Best Players: Dudgeon, Kerr, McCarthy, Chilcott, Oldfield, Johnson, Reinaldo
Goal kickers: Oldfield 2, Temple 2, Chilcott, Pickering , Kerr, Reinaldo.
On a wet & windy afternoon at Bulleen reserve, the Colts 2 team defeated SFX Whitehorse by 33 points.
Fitzroy dominated the first quarter through Nick Reinaldos' improving ruckwork & Michael Cussens' ball winning ability around the packs however poor kicking from some of our key forwards saw many scoring opportunities (8 behinds) go wasted with only Sam West, chiming in with two handy goals, making our quarter time score line respectable
Whitehorse started the second quarter full of run and had numerous shots on goal before Fitzroy got going. Will Oldfield, Dylan Temple & Will Johnson kick started Fitzroy with some tremendous run through the midfield and half-back with Gary McCarthy also enjoying his return to football with a number of characteristic weaving runs from the backline.
Acting skipper Rory Angiolella was relishing his opportunity at full forward, producing two timely goals, with Blake Chilcott and Alex Vella-Horne also proving to be key targets across half-forward.
An undermanned Whitehorse provided plenty of challenges in the third term as Fitzroy continued to spray the ball up forward. Whilst Gary McCarthy, Matt Bediaga & Will Johnson (best player) repelled numerous attacks from Whitehorse , Fitzroy were unable to capitalise & failed to score a goal for the quarter, although Alex Vella-Horne provided a highlight with his spectacular attempt at mark of the year and then equally impressive crash to the ground!
Thomas Dudgeon moved into the ruck at the commencement of the final quarter and immediately had an impact, continually throwing himself at the ball and driving Fitzroy forward where Sam West and Will Oldfield snared valuable goals. Pete Kerr and Blake Chilcott maintained their high work rates by picking up plenty of possessions and helped see the team ultimately end up comfortable winners although the score line of 8 goals 19 points will see plenty of goal kicking practice at training this week!
Go Roys
Michael
Despite a determined effort throughout the game, the Colts 2 team were comfortably defeated by 62 points by ladder leaders, Heidelberg .
Whilst the late withdrawal of some key players was unhelpful to Fitzroy, Heidelberg 's excellent use of the ball and greater numbers at the contest resulted in the Fitzroy defence being under continual pressure.
Heidelberg jumped Fitzroy in the first quarter kicking six goals although Nick Brown & Sam West provided plenty of drive around the packs with also Dylan Temple, our best player for the day, continually repelling Heidelberg at half-back.
In the second quarter, Connor Smith, in his first game for the club, displayed some spark on the forward line winning the ball cleverly on a number of occasions while Dom Westcott in the unfamiliar role of full back showed the value of continually playing in front. However, Fitzroy failed to score any goals in the second quarter with Heidelberg using their height advantage & switching of play to have a strong lead by half-time.
The third quarter saw Fitzroy lift and start to win more of the ball around the ground aided by Nick Reinaldo's good work in the ruck and terrific drive from Will Johnson at half-back, however we were unable to capitalise, only kicking 5 points.
Fitzroy dominated play early in the final quarter with Pete Kerr and Nick Brown providing strong leads through the middle of the ground, Rory Angiolella displaying great attack on the ball and Will Oldfield snapping a clever goal. However Heidelberg responded with a quick goal and finished the game strongly to show why they have moved up into the third division.
Go Roys
Michael
In a disappointing result, the Colts 2 team were unable to match the greater run and aggression at the ball displayed by the Bundoora 2 team on Sunday, losing by 34 points.
Kicking with a strong breeze in the first quarter, Fitzroy had plenty of the ball but a crowded forward line and wasteful kicking resulted in a score line of 1goal, 6 points at quarter time leaving us adrift of Bundoora by 15 points.
In the second quarter, despite some hard running by Chris Polidoras from half-back and great drive from Michael Cussen and particularly, Rory Angiolella, in the mid-field, we were unable to contain Bundoora's tall marking forwards. Whilst we were showing glimpses of our running and transfer game we were unable to convert on the scoreboard, although Will Pickering was proving a handful for Bundoora at full forward.
The third quarter proved very even with Fitzroy starting to win more possessions around the ground through Nick Brown, Blake Chilcott & Nick Reinaldo capped off by strong marking up forward by Will Pickering (2 goals) however poor accountability through the middle of the ground in the latter part of the quarter permitted Bundoora to move the ball rapidly to their forward line where our defenders were out marked by their two very strong key forwards.
We headed into the final quarter with a 20 point deficit, and made a great start, adding quick goals through Pete Kerr & Dom Westcott however Bundoora were able to bounce back via strong rebound from half back to score vital goals and kick away to a winning score.
We look forward to a big challenge against ladder leaders, Heidelberg , on Sunday 30 April at Bullen Reserve
Go Roys
Michael
After a crushing win over SFX Whitehorse in round one, the Colts 2 team continued in the same fashion on Sunday by trouncing Macleod 2 by 143 points.
Our midfield led the way right from the word go with Alex Vella-Horne, Nick Brown (Captain), and Chris Polidoras continually driving the ball forward where Ross Borland, despite missing a few early shots, marked powerfully and had five goals on the board before half time.
With a commanding lead at half-time, the team was challenged to maintain their current work rate and consistency of effort to ensure Macleod was not allowed back into the game. Happily the team responded very well with Michael Cussen and Dylan Temple provided great drive off the half back line which was capped off by some fine marking and creative play in the forward line by both Khalil Abou-Eid and Will Pickering.
After dominating at centre-half forward, Thomas Dudgeon moved to full-back to allow Luke Ahern to provide some spark on the half-forward line whilst Blake Chilcott showed us why we were very keen to see him in the Fitzroy colours this year.
The final quarter, through some strong work by Nick Reinaldo, saw the Colts 2 team pour on the goals with Sam West continuing to win possessions in heavy traffic whilst Will Johnson, Christos Varnavides and Peter Kerr provided plenty of run through the middle.
Well done guys!
Michael