Kangaroolz
Debutant
Fitzroy v Old Carey – under lights!
As I write this it is a stunning Melbourne Winter day. The sky is blue and the sun’s warmth is cutting through the chill. A perfect day for football! Brunswick St would have been a picture. However, the U19s had the excitement of a night fixture this week and played Friday night, under lights at Vic Park.
Vic Park is a credit to the City of Yarra. It has been maintained as a community space and they have redeveloped it with great respect for its rich history. Walking through the stands and down the race to the room brought back many childhood memories. I can see the crowd, feel their energy, I can see Kink, Picken, the Shaw Brothers, Stan Magro, Phil Carmen, I shiver slightly and shake it off. Some things are better left in the past!
Tonight, however, was about the Fitzroy Football Club and the future. Old Carey had been terrific in their support of changing the time and venue of this game. They came in numbers and brought an unbridled enthusiasm for the game. We came too however , en masse. This was to be an u19 showcase game. Fitzroy was not fielding its best side, still without the Captain, Daz amongst others but it was a strong side.
As the boys ran out onto the slippery dewy ground, the aroma of Kerry’s legendary hamburgers wafted across the ground. Many grey hoodies could be seen in the stands. The Senior captains, Rory and Sam and senior coach, Pickers was here and the President, Joan. Many players and friends and family of the u19s also braved the icy evening to come watch. So, let the friendly banter begin!
From the first siren to the final one, this game was tough. I know the score line makes it look like an easy win but it wasn’t. As one bottom age player said as he pulled his bloodied sock off, “how can a 87 point win be so hard?”
It took everyone a while to get used to how slippery the ball and the ground was. At quarter time things were tight but Fitzroy pulled away in the 2nd term. At half time, both sides were counting the cost. Bruce seemed happy with their efforts though. There was a bigger crowd than usual in the change rooms for the half time address and they were left disappointed when Bruce took the players from the big room to the small room for the final rev up. I don’t know what was said but I wondered if he was begging them not to have one of their infamous fade-outs in the 3rd.
Whatever the secret message was, it worked. A solid 6 goal to nothing quarter took the game out of Carey’s reach. It was a really solid team effort. Joe Hill was moved after being double tagged up forward. A shame on one hand as I am sure people came to watch him play but he is a feared opponent now and will continue to be the center of attention of opposition coaches. He still played very well and accepted his new role. Luke Baker showed every ounce of his class in a best on ground performance. Silky skills and a love for the contest is why he is just about a permanent Senior player. His interception, gather and goal in the 2nd were a joy to watch. Josh Sawyer was (again) just a rock in defence and had a ball mopping up everything. Meltzer was fantastic on a very dangerous forward. Leech was strong, McAdam relentless. Woody was solid at CHB. Fraser, back from suspension, was displaying his skills and Edwards was showing us why he was the Juniors 2012 Club Champion. Dalts made sure Carey knew they were in a contest too. Menzies was fantastic. Otto lively. Zimmerman solid. I could go on…
All up, an even performance right across the board. However, the injuries were killing us. The bench looked like an emergency ward - the trainers working overtime. Gelly did a hammie. Callum, a corky. Gibbo, who did his ankle last time against Carey now had a suspected broken foot. Paul had a knee, Otto was limping. With only 1 on the bench now, the rotations were gone. Chaos reigned for a while when Tregellis yelled form the ground, “Bruce, check your board, we have no half forwards!”
Didn’t matter, we were home. Carey looked dejected. A proud team but they should feel content to some extent. Our boys knew they had played a game of football.
The crowd dispersed surprisingly quickly considering most of them had no feeling in their extremities. Bruce was beside himself with joy after the game, thrilled with the all round effort. There seemed no need to take them back into the smaller room! The Provan Hardware & Timber Player of the week was awarded to Bakes – well deserved.
Next week, it is Caulfield Grammarians at Glenhuntly Oval. Hope the weather holds.
As I write this it is a stunning Melbourne Winter day. The sky is blue and the sun’s warmth is cutting through the chill. A perfect day for football! Brunswick St would have been a picture. However, the U19s had the excitement of a night fixture this week and played Friday night, under lights at Vic Park.
Vic Park is a credit to the City of Yarra. It has been maintained as a community space and they have redeveloped it with great respect for its rich history. Walking through the stands and down the race to the room brought back many childhood memories. I can see the crowd, feel their energy, I can see Kink, Picken, the Shaw Brothers, Stan Magro, Phil Carmen, I shiver slightly and shake it off. Some things are better left in the past!
Tonight, however, was about the Fitzroy Football Club and the future. Old Carey had been terrific in their support of changing the time and venue of this game. They came in numbers and brought an unbridled enthusiasm for the game. We came too however , en masse. This was to be an u19 showcase game. Fitzroy was not fielding its best side, still without the Captain, Daz amongst others but it was a strong side.
As the boys ran out onto the slippery dewy ground, the aroma of Kerry’s legendary hamburgers wafted across the ground. Many grey hoodies could be seen in the stands. The Senior captains, Rory and Sam and senior coach, Pickers was here and the President, Joan. Many players and friends and family of the u19s also braved the icy evening to come watch. So, let the friendly banter begin!
From the first siren to the final one, this game was tough. I know the score line makes it look like an easy win but it wasn’t. As one bottom age player said as he pulled his bloodied sock off, “how can a 87 point win be so hard?”
It took everyone a while to get used to how slippery the ball and the ground was. At quarter time things were tight but Fitzroy pulled away in the 2nd term. At half time, both sides were counting the cost. Bruce seemed happy with their efforts though. There was a bigger crowd than usual in the change rooms for the half time address and they were left disappointed when Bruce took the players from the big room to the small room for the final rev up. I don’t know what was said but I wondered if he was begging them not to have one of their infamous fade-outs in the 3rd.
Whatever the secret message was, it worked. A solid 6 goal to nothing quarter took the game out of Carey’s reach. It was a really solid team effort. Joe Hill was moved after being double tagged up forward. A shame on one hand as I am sure people came to watch him play but he is a feared opponent now and will continue to be the center of attention of opposition coaches. He still played very well and accepted his new role. Luke Baker showed every ounce of his class in a best on ground performance. Silky skills and a love for the contest is why he is just about a permanent Senior player. His interception, gather and goal in the 2nd were a joy to watch. Josh Sawyer was (again) just a rock in defence and had a ball mopping up everything. Meltzer was fantastic on a very dangerous forward. Leech was strong, McAdam relentless. Woody was solid at CHB. Fraser, back from suspension, was displaying his skills and Edwards was showing us why he was the Juniors 2012 Club Champion. Dalts made sure Carey knew they were in a contest too. Menzies was fantastic. Otto lively. Zimmerman solid. I could go on…
All up, an even performance right across the board. However, the injuries were killing us. The bench looked like an emergency ward - the trainers working overtime. Gelly did a hammie. Callum, a corky. Gibbo, who did his ankle last time against Carey now had a suspected broken foot. Paul had a knee, Otto was limping. With only 1 on the bench now, the rotations were gone. Chaos reigned for a while when Tregellis yelled form the ground, “Bruce, check your board, we have no half forwards!”
Didn’t matter, we were home. Carey looked dejected. A proud team but they should feel content to some extent. Our boys knew they had played a game of football.
The crowd dispersed surprisingly quickly considering most of them had no feeling in their extremities. Bruce was beside himself with joy after the game, thrilled with the all round effort. There seemed no need to take them back into the smaller room! The Provan Hardware & Timber Player of the week was awarded to Bakes – well deserved.
Next week, it is Caulfield Grammarians at Glenhuntly Oval. Hope the weather holds.
