Whatever happened, it was going to be the last match of the season for both teams. But that didn’t mean there wasn’t plenty to play for.
In fact, the coach of the other Fitzroy Blue team, Mark, was a particularly interested observer. As he carefully plotted his way across a muddy Alfred Cres before the opening bounce, Mark explained that if our Roys beat St Damians, then it could mean his Roys would later that day finish ninth, not tenth. And a win for St Damians would be their first victory of the season and possibly lift them off the bottom of the ladder.
But it was an ugly day for footy – cold, wet and miserable. The goalsquares were like ice rinks, slick and slippery and the rain came and went, and even the sun, occasionally appeared: Melbourne in August – what else could we expect?
It made for some tough footy. The key was to get the ball on the boot and kick it long and St Damians did that so well in the opening minutes that they scored the first goal. It was Nick N, with an act of strength and determination that put the ball in to the Roys’
scoring zone for Kieran to convert and level the scores. It was tight and desperate and Jaquan was at his best in the middle, and somehow the Roys found a way through traffic for Sam to snap a goal.
St Damians responded quickly and scores were locked together at quarter time.
The second quarter resumed with the same intensity as the first: Adam was still zooming around the packs like it was a dry day. Lucy was creative up forward and Jesse W relished the hard work around the packs. Martin kept grabbing the footy and gaining precious metres in to the forward line. The Roys kept pushing, and James T grabbed the ball, gritted his teeth and swung around on his left foot to snap the Roys third. It was the only score for the quarter and gave the Roys a goal advantage at the main break.
Yet there was no cause for rest. St Damians still looked dangerous and kicked two goals quickly after the start of the third quarter to snatch back the lead. The game was becoming tight: Kent was forced to defend bravely, while Josh was a tower of strength but St Damians managed a couple of extra behinds to stretch their lead. Then it was James T who bobbed up to mark in the goalsquare to pull one back for the Roys. St Damians entered the final quarter with a three point- lead and everyone knew it was going to be a tense final quarter.
Terry reminded the Roys that this was it – the last quarter of the season. There was nothing after that, no Friday night training, and no matches, just the uninterrupted routine of Sundays.
And for a moment, it looked like the Roys were going to make it happen. Sebastian won a free and his kick found James T for his third and the Roys’ fifth. The game hung in the balance and a couple of bigger St Damians boys started to find the ball and kept roosting it downfield. A rattle of points followed and then a goal rewarded St Damians efforts.
As the quarter ebbed away, Patrick was nudged out of the contest, won the free and found Sebastian, who kicked a goal.
Scores were level and in the heat of the contest, St Damians managed a point. The seconds ticked away as the Roys ran the ball out the backline towards the wing, and just as they threatened another forward move, the siren sounded. So season 2008 was over with a defeat by the smallest possible margin. It was joy for St Damians, and disappointment for Fitzroy. The Roys had been brave all year: they sang the song four times and finished eighth on the ladder.
ENDS
