Round 14 Match Report

Glen Iris 8 . 8 - 56

Fitzroy 4 . 6 - 30

For the first time this season the Roys were unable to field a full team.  Despite an initial player list of 26 at the start of the season, injuries, sickness and family commitments combined to deplete us in this 2nd last game for the year.  We travelled out to Kooyong to take on Glen Iris with just 17 players in trying conditions for a game of footy - a howling north easterly wind.  We won the toss, kicked with the wind and put on 3 goals straight (to one behind) for the quarter - great kicking in the conditions.  Even better was the level of intensity of all our blokes across the whole ground.  Our tackle count for the quarter was as good as it has ever been and it was great to see everyone switched on, prepared to go in hard at the footy and running in numbers.  During the 2nd quarter against the wind we had several thrusts into our forward line but only managed three points for the quarter.  All of those shots on goal were gettable and it was a great pity not to convert a major against the wind.  We held Glen Iris goal-less for the first 5 minutes of that 2nd term but they finally got some run on and with clever crumbing skills and managed 4 goals for the quarter.  Unfortunately, just before half-time, Tom Kellock was hit in the back of the head with a raised elbow well behind the play and had to be carried off the field taking no further part in the game.  The umpire sent the offending Glen Iris player off for the rest of the quarter but the loss of Tom, who was running hard for us in the mid-field, was costly.  In the third quarter, with only 16 players on the field, we were unable to capitalise on the wind advantage and only managed 1 goal for the quarter.  Glen Iris had fresher legs with players on the bench and ran out the game with the wind to finish 4 goals up.  It was pleasing that our blokes tried hard all day and that our intesity at the contest was far more consistent than it has been in recent weeks.  Next week we finish the season as we started it - with an away game at Warrandyte - and our challenge is to apply the same level of commitment from the Glen Iris game to complete season 2009.

                                                         Go the ROYS!!!