After two weeks on the road the Senior Men returned to Brunswick St to take on one of Premier B's top side, writes Garry Gorilla 

After Tottenham Hotspur’s triumph in European soccer last week, I found myself beginning to wonder: could Fitzroy could channel Ange Postecoglou’s favourite Prime Minister, Paul Keating, and produce a win “for the true believers” against Old Trinity in Round 7?

My optimism was challenged when I saw the team sheet. The Roys had another five players out injured. I can’t remember the last time the Fitzroy men’s team named an unchanged line up from the previous week. It certainly hasn’t happened this season.

That lack of selection continuity makes life difficult for the players and coaches, but the person I feel for most is one of our heroic volunteers, Louise Maniatakis, who knits unique beanies to present to each player who makes a senior debut. She had to come up with beanies for another three debutants this week – Iggy Gorman-Andrews, Sam Jordan and Sam Roberts-Lovell – and has knitted 11 so far this year. Luckily she is the earl of the purl and has a steady supply of red, gold and blue wool.

Arriving at a blue-skied but windswept Brunswick Street Oval, I was reminded that the availability issues have a flow-on effect to the Reserves team, as well. Bernie’s Twos, with more than a scattering of unfamiliar faces, were a goal down at three-quarter time in their top-of-the-table match against the Old Trinity, and despite continuously driving the ball forward in the final minutes, couldn’t capitalise on their chances. They lost by a point, but would still have taken confidence out of the match for later in the season.

The prelude to the senior match was the now annual Welcome to Country and smoking ceremony, performed by Wurundjeri Elder Uncle Colin Hunter Jnr. The line ups of players from both clubs listened attentively and you sensed they felt privileged to individually waft the gum leaf smoke towards their jumpers.

The first quarter did not go well for Fitzroy. The Roys struggled to get first hands on the ball, and when they did, failed to move the ball fluently. To their credit, the Ts excelled at both of those facets of the game and took some solid contested marks up forward. Our only early goal came when we did manage a slick passage of play and young Jordan ran on to a Lester handball to stream goalward and kick truly.

The pattern continued in the second quarter, and despite the excellent quality of the half-time Afternoon Tea in the Community Room, there was a bit of a grim atmosphere for Roys’ supporters as they nibbled on their sandwiches and neenish tarts and discussed the 50-point deficit.

In the end the Roys were well beaten, but there were some positives to take away from the loss. Rather than turn up their toes, the Roys responded well after the main break and pretty much halved the contest for the next hour.

Furthermore Fitzroy is getting some good game time into U19s players who will benefit in the coming years, and is also giving some senior exposure to footballers who have had to wait for their opportunity. And the older and established types, such as Davie, Hart, Ligris, Lowrie, Roberts and Seakins, continue to put in solid shifts and set a standard.

There is still enough talent there to suggest that – provided the team can produce a four-quarter effort and hopefully regain some senior players – there are more wins to be had in the coming weeks.

It will take grit, hard work and a proactive, positive attitude. But sometimes football is all about another quote from a different Australian Prime Minister: “Life wasn’t meant to be easy.’’