The long weekend made it seem like forever since the last game of footy but the Roys started the game with zest and confidence. Back on home turf, and having shaken off their first-quarter sluggishness, the Roys were quickly in to their stride. The Hawks were on the top of the ladder, and there was a touch of dash and flair about how they moved the ball.
But the Roys were fierce and committed to winning the footy. There were some strong work overhead from Charlie and Patrick while Nick B was ferocious at ground level. Although the Hawks scored the first goal, the Roys answered soon after when James T ran around in the pocket and roostered one home. Martin took a strong mark and Adam was swift around the packs, ensuring the Roys could launch the counter attacks against the Hawks’ run in to the forward line.
Then Kent took the ball in the middle and passed to Atticus, who sent it in to the goal square where Sebastian crumbed an excellent goal.
At quarter time, the Roys were in front, after making the most of every opportunity.
The game tightened up in the second quarter and it was played between the two half-forward lines. The Hawks collected a couple of goals and a flurry of behinds, but some fine defensive work from Dominic on the smother and Jaquan helped the Roys stay in it. But it was Kent who brought the house down after he seized on a loose ball deep in the forward pocket and kicked beautifully with the outside of his foot.
The ball darted towards the goal and bounced through, to bring the Roys to only seven points behind at the main break.
The pressure mounted after half time and the Hawks showed why they were in such winning form. Yet Lewis took a good mark and in the teeth of defence, Nick N spoiled his opponent with the flair of a veteran and Max was on the bottom of packs, surrounded by Hawks, with his eyes firmly on the football. The footy was tense and hard: there were no easy possessions and the ball was often snagged in packs and congestion. The Hawks couldn’t get any run and the Roys just kept trying to work the ball forward. Patrick, in the ruck, worked hard at the contests, especially in defence when the Hawks kept pressing.
Sixteen points behind at the start of the last quarter did not seem an impossible task, but when they goaled early in the final quarter it looked like it was long way home for the Roys. But the Roys desperation was outstanding: Kieran spoiled magnificently and then followed it up with a tackle that earned him a free kick. Sam applied his fist to spoil some marks and marked what he couldn’t spoil.
James A was a target up forward, who was too strong for his opponent.
And Lucy, who had worked hard all day, got a free kick on the edge of the goal square. The resulting goal gave the Roys four straight for the day but they fell short by 18 points, in a tough, memorable match ENDS