Tokyo’s Finest help Mighty Maroons bounce back
Yuki Tabuchi’s dream has been to play for Fitzroy.
A footy star in Japan, Yuki plays for the R246 Lions in Tokyo, last year helping the club to the premiership. The club was founded 15 years ago and its uniform pays respect to Fitzroy
He represented his national team, the Samurai's, who took out the inaugural AFL Asia Cup in 2024, and he was selected in the All-Asia Team.
Now he can add Fitzroy player to his career CV, winning best on ground honours for the Mens Thirds Maroons last Saturday in the win at Monash.
"I actually have a close friend from Australia, and the first time I visited was when I was 13 or 14. That was the first time I ever watched AFL, and I remember being completely blown away.
"From that moment, I genuinely believed that one day I wanted to play in Australia myself,'' Yuki says.
It was a quick preparation for his debut, with Yuki flying in from Tokyo last Wednesday, heading straight to training at Ramsden St before debuting on Saturday.
"Playing full 18v18 on a full-size oval was exactly what I’d been craving. In Asia, we often play 9-a-side on smaller grounds, which is a great entry point for local players, but the real thing is something else entirely,'' he said.
"The dynamic ball movement, the intense contests in the forward line, the contested ball in the midfield and then celebrating a win together with the team. It’s an experience I’ll never forget."
Thirds Coach Kane King said Yuki’s “pace, skill, fierce attack on the ball and tackling, was impressive.”
“Yuki was dominant in the midfield and Mikaze lively forward. Along with the other 22 Maroons, the boys helped the Roys to a big win and climb to second on the ladder.”
The Maroons are Fitzroy’s third Mens thirds team, playing alongside the Golds and Reds.
Players from eight different countries have run out from Fitzroy’s thirds this year, including Ireland, Scotland, England, New Zealand, USA, India, Japan and Australia.
Saturday was a special moment with Yuki’s compatriot Mikaze Hasegawa also running out for his debut.
Mikaze arrived in Australia late last year, leaving Japan for the first time.
With a baseball background and having never played our great game, he came to Fitzroy to try and play Australian Rules football.
After a solid preseason, Mikaze earned his call up to play, and kicked his first goal for the club at a crucial time in the last quarter.
Well done Mikaze, Yuki and the seven other new Roys who enjoyed singing the famous Fitzroy song with their teammates for the first time.
The Fitzroy Thirds won all three games last round and we look forward to our Thirds triple header at Ramsden St Oval this Saturday.
Super Thirds Saturday at Ramsden St
