Round 11 - Fitzroy vs Camberwell

Cold, slippery conditions met the boys for their Round 11 home game against a confident Camberwell side. During the pre-game warm-up, Scott spoke with the boys about the importance of playing in front and keeping the ball in front of them. He outlined that when two players were going for the ball, the boys were to talk with each other to ensure that one dropped back. In the rooms, John told the team that the Camberwell coach had suggested his side 'not drop games against teams like Fitzroy'. Justifiably outraged, John suggested that this should motivate the boys to try their hardest to win. Team captains, Stanley and Joel, led the boys out. The first quarter saw Joel win the first tap-out, with strategic placement. Laird immediately cleared the ball from the centre and kicked to Isaac, who narrowly missed kicking a goal in the opening 30 seconds. As Lance noted later, this was possibly the team's best clearance all season. Shortly after, and with the ball in Fitzroy's backline, Joel followed up with a courageous smother to thwart an opposition scoring attempt. With Fitzroy's defence under pressure, Sam Ward and Noah Cameroux were rock solid, saving almost certain goals, while Noah Dekker took on five opposition players to create a well timed stoppage. At the quarter time break, the coaches praised the team for playing in front and Dom was thanked for his outstanding quarter at Centre Half Back. Gerry talked through the stats. He said while that the boys had started off with intent, as the quarter progressed, they'd let Canterbury get the easy ball. John suggested in terms of desire, Canterbury had wanted the ball more than Fitzroy. The second quarter started with Fitzroy in the attack, but unable to capitalize on their opportunities. Jack was peppering the forward line with kicks, but scoring opportunities were hard to come by. At the other end of the ground, the Fitzroy's defenders were performing strongly. Noah Cameroux applied a bone crunching tackle in the back pocket, while Sam Clarke was having a wonderful quarter, winning countless possessions to clear the ball. Dom was continuing to down the fort at Centre Half Back, while Tom Ward was demonstrating an impressive work rate to limit the opposition advances. Despite the team's hard work, Camberwell finished the quarter  with a three goal lead. Back in the rooms, Gerry outlined that despite the conditions, the boys needed to pick up the ball with their hands, rather than try and kicked it from the ground. He also noted that Fitzroy had been second to the ball every time that quarter and that while they they could still win the game, this situation needed to change. The third quarter started on a more positive note with Tom Ward in the action again, contesting hard and winning a free kick for his efforts. To the dismay of the Camberwell fowards, Lachie was here, there and everwhere in defence, while Finn and Yianni were working hard in the forward line to create opportunities and bring others into the game. Stanley and Alex were playing like the superstars that they are, winning countless possessions. Prolific player maker, Laird, won a free kick and directed one of his trademark, accurate passes through to Sam Ward, who marked. Calm under pressure and a picture of grace, Sam made no mistake kicking Fitzroy's first goal for the game. Shortly after, Yianni narrowly missed kicking another goal, while not to be outdone, the irrepressible Tom Ward burst out of a pack and was a desperately unlucky not to score. A lack of on field communication saw an unlucky Isaac miss out on what would have been a well deserved scoring opportunity. Despite this, the momentum had turned Fitzroy's way. At the final break, the team's shift in desire and commitment to get the ball was praised by Scott, while John noted that the boys were still into the game 'up to their eyeballs'. Max was congratulated for his efforts. The final quarter started with Kyle in dashing form in defence, looking like a younger, improved version of Cameron Ling in his heyday. Lachie was running the Camberwell full back all around the forward line as he created opportunities, while Isaac was doing the hard yards in the packs. Joe took a wonderful contested mark, while Yianni was courageous as he put his body on the line to create space for his team-mates. With the ball in Fitzroy's foward line, Jack took a overhead mark. With the umpire slow to blow the whistle, he played on and kicked Fitzroy's second goal, ably shepherded by Finn. Sadly, and despite an excellent second half, the game ended with Fitzroy unable to overtake the lead that Camberwell had built up early in the game. The team's lined up to shake hands and Kyle was award the opposition medal for his striking performance. Back in the rooms, the boys surprised John with a cake to celebrate the end of his 30s and everyone sang a resounding 'happy birthday'. The lolly bags where awarded to Sam Ward and Joel; Sam for his excellent consistent form all season and Joel for being one of the most effective taller players in the league. With four games left to go for the season, the boys all departed to have a warm shower and ponder the opportunities that awaited them.