FJFC U-11 Blue 7.9 (51) d Heidelberg 5.2 (32) at Alfred Cres, August 5, 2007.

So not only was it the last game of the home and away season, but it was Richard's first outing as coach for the year. He was, if memory is right, one from one last season. Would he be able to get the boys over the line again? It was the only time the Roys played Heidelberg this season, so the visitors were a bit of an unknown quantity.
And the opening minutes were scrappy as the teams tried to sort each other out. There were flashes of another winter game - rugby union - as the ball was pushed forwards and backwards in large packs.

But after a chain of handballs Fraser ran around his opponent and kicked the Roys' first goal. Then Walt found Adam who kicked another.
The heat went out of the contest for a while, although the Roys were still potent down forward. Atticus marked and passed to Elia who kicked truly for the Roys' third and at quarter time, Heidelberg looked a little stunned at the boys' 22-point lead.

Not that it was going to last. Heidelberg came out charging after quarter time and in a blink had kicked two goals that brought them back in to the game. The quarter then became a fierce arm wrestle, with both sides struggling to make headway. Jaquan stopped a couple of Heidelberg attacks by grabbing the ball and working it out of danger from the half-back line. And Digby was trying to find the rebound that would send the Roys past the half-forward line. But it was a grim struggle at half time with only 11 points separating the teams.

It is always tempting to think about next week when the oranges and snakes are handed out at half-time and you've got the chance to catch your breath. And the Roys knew that whatever happened against Heidelberg, they would be playing in next week's finals. But you don't want to go in to the finals without a bit of good form behind you. So when the game resumed, the Roys started to show a bit of system: Elia tumbled one through and Aleks dodged, weaved and goalled. Just as the Roys looked like they were set for a big win, Heidelberg snaffled a goal to keep in winning distance with only a quarter to go. No one was any doubt it was a goal because goal umpire Sue followed the ball so closely she fell over an optimistic Heidelberg boy who was lurking behind her, like Kevin Bartlett in the old days.

If the truth be told, the Heidelberg boys were very strong overhead but the Roys were no slouches: six weeks ago, flying for marks was only something to try at training. On Sunday, there were packs, with Roys boys deep in the heart of the contest, aiming for the mark or ready for the spoil.
The boys needed all their emerging skills in the final quarter when the intensity of the match increased: the tackling was bruising, the running was harder, the endeavour was terrific. Heidelberg rallied and started to put some pressure on the Roys down back. A smart snap from Kent to register a goal only eased the pressure for a moment, and Heidelberg rebounded with a goal. And once more the Roys pushed the ball forward where Patrick sidestepped and kicked the sealer. There were some anxious moments before the siren, but the Roys had enough on the scoreboard to guarantee Richard's perfect coaching record remained intact.

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