Fitzroy V Peninsula

[DERRINALPHIL]

This is a game that we should win. Imagine that. Fitzroy starts favourite in a game in the first few weeks in a season. Remember last year when we were thrashed early and made that late charge for the finals.

I remember playing them in a second semi final in 2003, a season that Peninsula only lost two games for the entire season. They were the second semi final and the Grand final and you don't get a prize for guessing who they played in both those two games.

A free beer at the BSO for anyone who, don't look it up you miserable pricks, what the half time Peninsula score was.

There is no excuse. Be at the BSO.

Say Hello at the scoreboard during the Seconds

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

Fitzroy played the Pirates (Peninsular Old Boys ) on Saturday. Julius Caesar, the Roman Emperor, was captured by pirates early in his career. They held him until a ransom was paid ( Caesar told them to up their demands as he was worth much more than they originally were going to ask for) and until the sum was paid Caesar was held a prisoner by these pirates. They must have treated him well as he exercised with them, but he cheerfully told them that when he was freed the first thing he was going to do was to raise a fleet of ships, and come back and crucify the lot of them.


This is exactly what he did, but he mercifully had their throats cut before he strung them up on crosses.


We wouldn’t do anything like that now. Imagine the health and safety regulations governing blood spills for a starter and Peninsular Old Boys (POB) and the Reds go back a long way.


I was delighted to see Sambo and Howard, the founders of the POB, at the post match drinkies and they all they wanted to know “Where is Peter Hille?” The Reds beat POB in a preliminary final in 1980, by a point, and the next week we won our first Premiership. The flag has pride of place in the function room. Sambo reckoned he and Howard should knock our 1980 Flag off!!! This was POB first year in the Ammos.


The next time we played them in a final was in the early 2000’s, when they were undefeated all year, apart from two games, the second semi-final and the grand final. We beat them both times and once again we went up a grade so I hope this is an omen for this season.


Unfortunately POB have come up a grade without recruiting any new A Grade players so they will struggle, in the same way we struggled, when we did the same thing a few years ago. I noticed that both their Firsts and Seconds gave away numerous twenty five metre penalties, becoming frustrated with the umpires. In both games POB, at times, competed well and were ‘in the game’ but undisciplined acts cost them dearly. If I was coaching them I would make it a rule that any player who gives away a twenty five metre penalty immediately runs to the interchange bench, sits down for a minute and settles down.


The seconds had an easy win despite inaccurate kicking for goal. Ross B looked a class act and may come into the seniors next week. Max Davie had the ball on a string but butchered his disposals. Tommy C and Dalts looked a bit rusty but at least Dalts did not kick any points. Of the young blokes I was impressed with Lachie Grace, playing in number 50, who is just out of the under nineteens but moves well, can take a grab, and has some size about him.

The big news out of the senior’s game was the debut of Nino Lazzaro who kicked five goals. With the retirement of Danny B, Dohers and Dillan P, injuries to Lachie Henderson and Pickers I thought at the start of the game we needed some new goal kickers and, boy, did we get one.


The game started the way it finished. POB lacked polish, making many skill errors, deep in defence which gave them little chance to transition play cleanly down the ground. This, allied with several silly twenty five metre penalties, meant we might have been looking at a massacre but late in the quarter POB dug deep, kicked a couple of goals, and dominated general play.


We went to quarter time fourteen points up but the POB ruckman was dominating play and at the start of the second quarter, he laid the ball down beautifully. They went forward, kicked a goal but this was as close as they got all day. We then kicked some beautiful goals. Nino oozed class as he hit the score board and Nathan J earned himself a new kick name by threading the needle with a simply wonderful goal.


I am now calling him 15C. Now this is not 18C which is the law that says if someone offends in certain ways, all hell can break loose. No, 15C is the name of my favourite scalpel and I wish I could cut as well as Nath sliced through the POB defence in the second quarter.


Down back, Maxie Ellis, back from OS, is having a stellar year and I am now calling him our very own Back Acting Gingivectomy Knife and this is the very instrument I always use after the 15C. Max got forward in the last quarter and nearly had a shot at goal, and this was the only thing that got me excited in the second half. Max, who I sponsored for years, has never kicked a goal (he kicked a point once and his parents are very proud of it).


The game wound down to its inevitable end. Apart from their ruckman, we out sized around the ground, which is something I can rarely say in these reports. Corbs and Aiden B had good games but Matty K impressed me in the last quarter when he forced a spillage with a savage tackle, bounced to his feet, spread from the contest, and received a handball; perfect inside and outside play.


So we are now two zip, something I have never been able to say in these reports but we play Old Brighton next week. They have thrashed Mazenod and Parkdale so far this season so it is game on next week.


I will see you all there. Go the Roys.

 

[DERRINALPHIL]

Mobs, mate can you clean this up.

 

[By George!111]

Category 5 El Nino shipwrecks Pirates

Strategy insights as to team preparation for the season ahead were unravelled by senior coach Nick Mitchell at the pre game talk he gave to the assembled faithful at the President’s luncheon last Saturday afternoon.

It was apparent to those whom had followed the practice matches beginning with the St Bernard’s game at Tullamarine playing fields (training grounds of the AFL Essendon FC) in 35 degree heat that the fitness of the playing group was unquestionable; neither was that of St Bernard’s in a 7goal 3 goal game their way.

After a six day break and employing a micro Malcolm Blight/Neil Craig Adelaide Crows 97/98 strategy the boys trained a further three nights including the Friday evening before their second practice match against last Saturday’s opponent Peninsula Old Boys. Unlike the expected second half fade in the practice game and a similar falling away in the third practice game against Monash Blues after further heavy training until season’s start the early ‘4 point’ matches so far are a welcome result of all the hard work, and the timing of it, put in by players, coaches, fitness guru Steve Hurl and team managers and helpers. Well done all :so far so good.

We have not had an undefeated start after 2 games since 2014 when the Roys defeated St Kevin’s at their home ground and drew with Haileybury at the BSO the following week in a game where the Roys held a 15 point lead at three quarter time. Then as now the real test came in rounds 3 & 4; the result a 101 point loss to University Blues at the University oval and another 5 goal defeat by Old Carey, both teams down from Premier A the previous year.

This year we face Old Brighton and St Bernard’s in successive rounds. Old Brighton on their windswept coastal flat oval are a daunting prospect. We have not beaten them there in 2013,2015 or 2016 though we came within 9 and 19 points respectively in the latter two matches and arguably would have won last year but for two things, firstly the loss ,during the game, of ‘the anagram’ - ‘General’ Al Green- and secondly failing to kick ‘cleverly accurate’ in the windy conditions. Against St. Bernard’s the score line is more remote. A practice match victory each; Roys 2015 St.Bernard’s this year. A victory in either or both games sets up the season.

On Saturday’s effort we look to have the ammunition for victory. Our young 18 year old Nino Lazzaro put the pirates to the sword with 5 goals. Across the backline Clayton and Lincoln showed if Ted don’t get it/you Eddie will. Our dour South Australian defenders Peter Baccanello and Mark Obushak had plenty to ‘crow’ about post game having shown their ‘personal best’ and ‘modus operandi’ on the BSO before an appreciative group of fans who have adopted them as favourites readily as they did with J Lo last year. All of the aforementioned benefitted from the Ligris lightning left footers and the full steam ahead approach of Max Ellis ‘a la’ Southby and Dench circa 1980’s.

Relearning his craft in the ruck, after a rowing scholarship sabbatical took him to the USA for three years, Owen Symington is improving exponentially weekly and his raw recruit partner Harris Sholtz Mitchell up from the U/19s is doing likewise. Old hand RNA was not heavily called upon last week but did what he did well leaving the lions share to best players Aiden Burke, Lewis Pavlich and Cailean Moore to control our centre dominance.

Go Roys for your third ‘seasiders’ victory at the BRIGhton Beach Oval.