It was a great day for footy as the boys prepared themselves for a tough contest, against a team they had not beaten in their previous three meetings. Bruce reminded the players of their roles and responsibilities in the rooms before the game, he also asked the boys to aim for a target of 30 one per-centers each quarter.
The first quarter was an even contest early with both sides playing attacking football but inaccurate in their shots for goal. David was leading the way for Fitzroy with some strong play out of the centre, leading to a contest in the goal square and a crumbing goal to Orien. Camberwell enjoyed a purple patch attacking continuously and scoring 2 goals five behinds heading into the quarter time break.
Bruce told the boys there needed to be more talk at the centre bounces and ruck contests, and to kick long with the wind. The second quarter was another arm wrestle with goals to Otto, Jules and Orien, whilst Camberwell scored two goals into the wind. Camberwell were playing hard, fast running, team football, but the Fitzroy defence was doing a terrific job restricting their scoring.
At half time the margin was just three points but there were many areas of the game where we needed to improve. Bruce emphasized the need to be harder and committed to the contest and asked Jules to move into the midfield half way through the 3rd quarter to change with Luke or Matthew.
The contest was again tight in the third quarter, though the game was scrappy at times as both sides made skill errors under pressure. David and Jules scored early goals for the ‘Roys, but Camberwell bounced back scoring two goals later in the term. Bruce told the team to kick long at every opportunity in the last quarter, and asked for a greater effort from our midfielders.
In the last quarter Jules kicked an early goal as a result of some excellent work out of the centre by David. Then a free kick to Jules at half forward led to a mark and goal to Otto. However Camberwell once again gained the upper hand and scored two unanswered goals. Some strong play out of half back and a pass to David resulted in a running goal to Luke. Camberwell attacked once again and scored a point, putting them into the lead by exactly that margin.
With time fast running out, the tension around the ground was palpable, as nervous spectators chewed through centimetres of fingernail. Both sides were desperately throwing themselves into each contest, as Fitzroy forced the ball into our forward half, where Otto gained front position and marked strongly a fair way out from goal. Maintaining his concentration and composure he prepared himself for the kick, strode in and kicked the ball loooong and gun barrel straight, through for a goal… Less than a minute later the siren sounded, and the boys celebrated a terrific win.
Final score: Fitzroy 10. 10. 70 d. Camberwell 9. 11. 65
Filed under: Uncategorized Tagged: | Round 13
