Four winters ago, a group of boys came together to pull on a Fitzroy jumper for the first time. They were smaller back then, just under-10s, and a lot has happened since that first session at Brunswick St. They have had their ups and downs, moved in to other teams, but they have always worn the Fitzroy jumper. And now, many of them are marking personal milestones: 50 games, an achievement that says a lot for the boys’ commitment to the club and enthusiasm for footy.

On Sunday, it was Kieran and Patrick’s turn to run through the 50- game banner. In the coming weeks, there will be others who will mark the moment. All of them deserve it because they have all made a contribution to the club, their team and their jumper.
But footy tells you often enough that there are not too many fairy stories out there: just like the song says, there’s always somebody with their finger on the dynamite.

Bundoora was on top of the ladder, undefeated and with a percentage of three bazillion. They were not tall, but they looked fast and well- drilled. But the Roys were fantastic. They knew what to do and followed coach Terry’s directions to the letter – they were first to the ball and quick to get rid of it. It was no wonder that the Roys led at quarter time after Josh kicked two goals from strong marks. Bundoora had just one major.

The second quarter was a tougher affair and Bundoora started to find their feet and a couple of players, notably number 1, kept running in to space and setting up some clean possessions. The pressure mounted, but the Roys refused to yield – Kent was desperate for the ball; Sebastian kept repelling the Bundoora flankers, while Darcy showed great courage to smother a kick off the boot and prevent another Bundoora attack.

Even so, Bundoora ran in a few goals, with some hefty kicks from the half-forward line and a bit of baulking and clean running from its mosquito fleet. When it came to speed though no one was quicker than Adam, who ran like he Barry Hall was chasing him. But it helped drive the ball forward, and with Max resuming his role as goal-sneak and Patrick having the best of the contest at centre half-forward, the Roys threatened again. And when the ball landed on its end just near the goal line, James A was there to seize it and dob the goal.
Only seven points separated the teams at half-time, and Jaquan set about making sure the difference didn’t get any bigger, with some tearaway clearances on the resumption. And as Bundoora surged, the Roys showed their grit. Lewis took an outstanding mark in the last line of defence and Lucy, in a tough marking contest, hung on for a great grab. Kieran slipped through tackles and Dominic chased hard.

Atticus once again showed his strength. Bundoora had three goals for the quarter, but they were all hard-earned.

The Roys started the quarter with the same kind of great effort, but they were slowly worn down by Bundoora’s dash. Sam snaffled a handball and goaled with a lovely snap, but Bundoora kept coming and finished up winners by 43 points.

The reality of the game was, however, that the Roys had a good share of the ball. And it was a terrific contest. The 50-gamers might not have had a chance to celebrate a win, but after four seasons, they know a thing or two about triumph and defeat.