It was a family atmosphere – surrounded by all the other Fitzroy players and their families. Some of the Under-11 blues from last year came down, to see how the two blues of 2008 were travelling. It was like a “derby’’, with the guarantee that the club song would get an airing after the final siren.

Mark Colbert, in his first season of coaching at Fitzroy, had the bad luck to find that his team was struck by injury and accident on the eve of the match. So when the game got underway, Terry’s team was quickly on to the loose ball and Kent, continuing his good form from last week, put the Roys on the board with a goal. There was a great eveness across the ground: Nick B was in everything early, Max was applying a blanket to his opponent and Martin, in foreign territory on the forward line, was running and running. Lucy was kicking well in defence and Nick N, fresh off the plane from a family holiday in the United States, took a powerful mark on the forward line. Soon after Jessie W was given a free in kicking range that he converted.

To complete the picture, Jaquan marked and goaled to give Terry’s Roys a solid lead at quarter time.
Of course, the down side of these games is that only one team gets to wear the Roys’ jumper, and the other team is given the Yarra Junior Football League strip. Some in Terry’s team had worn the strip in previous derbies, and were disappointed to be wearing it again. But what can you do?
”C’mon Roys,’’ one parent shouted. “Which one?’’ Noah Colbert responded from the half-forward flank. He had a point.

Still, Terry’s team was on the burst in the second quarter and Patrick’s hard running from the forward flank to the goal square was rewarded with a goal. James T was immovable at centre half-back, giving the Roys drive and a bit of finesse, working a give-off and get-back with Nick B, and sending a thumping torpedo that bounced in to the base of the goal post. Patrick added his second for the quarter and then Atticus, after some strong ruck work, snapped a goal before halftime.

After the main break, the other Roys started to win some more of the ball and scored their first goal. But for some problems with their accuracy, the match could have started to get a little closer. But Adam was speedy and determined when it was needed and then Josh at full-forward kicked truly. Jaquan, in wonderful form, capped it off with his second goal to give Terry’s Roys a big lead.

They peppered the goals in the final quarter, but scored only four behinds. The boys in the Roys’ jumpers kicked their second major of the morning and won some vital takeaways from the stoppages. But when the siren sounded, it was the Yarra boys and girls who had the four points and their first win of the season.
And then we heard the song.