Match Report

Round Nine

Fitzroy Blue 17.14 (116) d Kew Rovers 1.3 (9)
at Bulleen Park, Sunday, June 6, 2010

League headquarters at Bulleen is a vast oval with the wings the size of a jumbo jet and pockets as deep as Port Phillip Bay but it's a pretty good spot to play footy. Even better if the boys are in reasonable form and are up for a contest. And they started out as they intended to go on with Diggers getting it from Lachie and then snapping a goal in the first forward movement of the game. On a day when another 16 goals came the Roy Boys' way, the things that made them look good were the little assists, the tap here, the handball there, and the odd piece of speccie footy that comes from confidence and self-belief.

There were contested marks in the first quarter, and clever possession footy along the outer side of the ground where Richard and the coaching staff could see the value of the drills and skills rehearsed on the chilly evenings at Brunswick St and Rammo. Kent fell from the pack and slung one on the boot to find Connor in the goal square for the Roys' second, then Diggers added another for a convincing lead at quarter time. Last week, the Roys struggled to put two quarters together: not this week. Connor kicked four goals in 10 minutes, generated through some excellent work in the midfield that saw Charlie in good touch, Jesse steaming forward with fearless attack on the ball and Kieran finding room on the wide open flanks. Sebastian was the perfect foil for Connor in the forward line and helped set up a couple of majors. So it was 50 points the difference when the snakes and oranges were handed out.

The locals looked across the ground at the resumption and saw black clouds heading our way. "Give it 10 minutes,'' one said. He was three minutes late. The heavens opened and it tipped it down during the third quarter but somehow it didn't make any difference to the Roys. Richard reshaped the forward line and Max snagged one early. Patrick added another and then Sam, reading the play was in the right place at the right time, to kick two. Josh was the dominant ruckman, often grabbing the ball and swinging his way through packs like a barn gate that refused to be shut. Kai in only his second game showed plenty of dash and then Ahmed ran into an open goal.

With a big lead, it's often easy to take the foot of the pedal. But the Roys were terrific. None better than Sebastian who even when Kew were pressing for their first goal, stretched himself to full length to ensure he got a touch on a ball as it went through. Kew had to wait until deep in to the final quarter for their first goal. There were other moments too: Luke's smart bumping and second efforts, Lachie sharking a mark and converting it in to a goal, Max using his body to trap the ball and then feeding it out to Mo for another major, and Andre's gusty work at the bottom of the packs. That's the stuff that makes the difference, weather you're 10 points in front or a 100. By the time the siren sounded, the sun was starting to shine again. It had been a hard day at the office for Kew but the Roys found something extra in the way they played - there was a pattern and some strategy, whether it was Charlie's deft handball to a player running past or Kent's calm and measured attack on the footy. Half-way mark of the season Roys and winter's here. And still a long way to go.

Nick Richardson

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