FJFC U-13 Blue 2 6.8 (44) d St Marys 5.10 (40), Ramsden St, August 9,
2009
The final game of the season started with a celebration for Sam Mack and Will A - 50 games apiece, a fine way to send off the winter of 09.
But the cruel wind that had blown through the Roys' season was still around, pushing everything down the city end, swirling about like a boy searching for lost pocket money.
And St Marys knew to make the most of it. They started with a wet sail and kept coming hard: first to score with a long bomb goal, the visitors kept at it, pushing the brave Roys' defence harder and harder. There was plenty of determination in defence: Patrick was scouting hard, trying to find his way through and Sam Mack, cool and clam, was just intent on the Roys rebounding. But St Marys had three goals on the board at quarter and four behinds to the Roys' single point. It was looking lop-sided. The consolation was the wind was with the Roys in the second quarter.
Digby bounded off the pine and started to find the ball across the centre, and within minutes the elusive Sam H, snapped truly for the Roys first. It didn't take long for Sam to be back in the action and a centimetre-perfect pass from the flank in to the corridor saw Ned take the mark and convert for the Roys' second. It was game on now, and Josh, Ahmed and Whiz started to make an impact across the ground. A rash of points followed, which helped narrow the gap to five points at the major break.
The third quarter was going to be the biggest challenge: the Roys couldn't relax and rely on coming home with the wind. Richard made it clear that shutting down the St Marys run would be the way to stop their scoring. A score against the wind would be like gold - or chocolate - depending on your taste. But the Roys had to defend like never before if they were going to turn for home with a sniff.
The Roys carried their new-found intensity in to the third quarter:
Hugh did some tough body work In the back half and Jesse sliced across the lines with dash, but on a couple of occasions St Marys broke through the wall of the Roys' midfield and surged in to open ground.
With the wind behind them and an open goalsquare, there was going to be only one result. St Marys added 2.4 for the quarter to had a 21- point lead at the last break.
So it came down to this - could the Roys regroup and pinch it? Or were they too far behind? Everyone scanned the skies and smelt for the wind
- was it dying out? Would the Roys be denied by Mother Nature? Could it be that St Marys would ride the wind to victory in the final match of the season?
Well, sometimes it can work. And there are times when boys walk tall and on this day, there were quite a few boys who grew in stature in that final quarter. It started with Atticus taking a strong mark despite plenty of attention in the contest. He kicked the goal - 15 points the difference. Moments later Connor B got free and marked. He goalled too - nine points the margin. St Marys sensed the momentum was shifting and started to rally: down the field they went, pushing, jinking the ball around, searching for a way through. And the Howard boys, and Al kept denying them. Once, twice and three times St Marys looked like they were going to score, and only once did they manage it, a point, to stretch the difference to double figures.
Soon Diggers found some space, and then he found Whiz, who neatly found Connor B again. Slowly Connor went back to sum up the situation:
Richard's words for the goalkickers were simple - start the ball right to allow for the wind. Connor bent down over the footy and took a calm and measured approach. He let fly, the ball started right and swung back through the goals. One straight kick the difference. But St Marys have always been tough. They never give up and so they came again, once more along the pavilion wing, arcing the ball in to corridor from the pocket, and then being repelled again.
This time the ball went back down the far side wing and from a boundary thrown in the ball spilled free. Josh raced for it, so did Ned. The reached the ball at the same time and bounced off each other.
Ned recovered first and kept running. He had the ball now. He looked up - the goals were ahead. He went for for it, and the ball swung and dipped like a wounded bird, before curving through the goals. The Roys were in front! And it was almost like the boys knew that was the last roll of the dice. They celebrated, and then, moments later the siren sounded. It was over: a historic win crowned a terrific season of footy when the Roy Boys, every one of them, learnt something about what it takes to be a footballer and probably a few other things as well.
ENDS
Report by Nick Richardson
Under 13 Blue 2