Prelim here we come!

The Fitzroy-ACU Reserves Women are through to the preliminary final of the VAFA’s Premier Women’s Reserves competition after a convincing win over Caufield 4.8.32 to 2.5.17 in front of a huge Fitzroy cheer squad.

Caufield turned into a sea of red, gold and blue as the beanie-clad cheer squad made its way to Glenhuntly Oval and made their presence felt. As coach Simon Jackson said afterwards, the rowdy crowd certainly helped give the side a boost.

Playing in a howling wind, the Neerim Road end of the ground was clearly the scoring end and Fitzroy made the most of it. After losing the toss, the team defended grimly against the wind and kept the home team to just 3 points. With the wind it was another story, as Fitzroy piled on the pressure and three goals, to head into the long break ahead 3.3.21 to 0.4.4.

After half time Caufield came out strongly and this time kept Fitzroy scoreless while they kicked 2.1 and went into the final quarter just four points down. The tension was high but the Roy Girls were not to be overawed and if anything, they continued to grow in strength and confidence. Their marking was a strong feature of the game in the woolly conditions and they continued to tackle well, which has been a focus all season.

Susie Worthington collected the best on ground award from Bontempo Pizza, having tackled like a champion and used her powerful kicking to great effect with the wind, getting the ball out of the danger zone a number of times.

Tess Plant Thomas continued to show so much poise and pace, while Freya Shearer, Emily Fitt, Shannon Alexander and Jess Ashcroft rounded out the best players in a very even performance.

One player who definitely needs a mention is Cate Rushan who put in a crunching, goal-saving tackle in the forward pocket late in the third quarter as Caulfield had pulled extremely close. It was a crucial time in the game and really helped swing the momentum.

If anything, Fitzroy-ACU is hitting its straps at the right time as they come up against the Mugars in the Preliminary Final on Sunday.

The performances against Melbourne Uni this year tell the story of the development of this side. The first game in Round 1 saw Melbourne rack up a score of 20.14.134 to nil. By the time they met again in Round 13 at the University Oval, the home side won by just four points over a fast-finishing Fitzroy.

Given the last game against Melbourne Uni is fresh in everyone’s minds, there will be plenty of confidence that they can match it with the favourites on Sunday. Go Roy Girls.

GROUND and entrance fees: there has been a late change to the venue for Sunday’s game. It will be played at Burbank Oval, Morris Street, Williamstown; the Williamstown VFL ground. There is always a cost for the VAFA Preliminary and Grand finals and no pets will be allowed entry.

Adult fee (full entry fee for 18 years of age and over): $10.00

Concession fee (for the following categories): $5
– Pensioner Concession Card
– Commonwealth Seniors Health Card
– Full-time student with a current Student Card

Free entry: Children UNDER the age of 12 years.

And please remember NO PETS. If you show up with your dog (or other pet) you will not be able to enter the ground.

(With thanks to Bethany West and Tayla White for the photographs)

Thirds host first semi final tomorrow

Fitzroy Thirds’ barnstorming end to the home and away season has seen them finish in third spot and with the right to host Semi Final 2 this Saturday at Ramsden Street at 11.40am against Old Trinity.

It was only percentage which kept the side from having the double chance, but a home final may prove just as useful.

In the two meetings between the sides this year, Fitzroy lost narrowly early in the season at Ramsden Street but in the more recent game, Fitzroy took the points. The teams seem to match up well against one another.

As with the Women’s Reserves, this is a Fitzroy side which has been building momentum at the right end of the season.

The final home and away round victory was another strong one over Monash Blues at Monash Uni, 20.16.136 to 7.5.47, with captain Tim de Natris putting the icing on the cake by kicking seven goals to take out the Thirds Section 2 goal kicking. Nick work, captain.

Harald Jorgensen was again happy to play second fiddle and supported his captain with three goals. A feature of the recent Thirds’ victories has been the even spread of goal kickers and this was no different. The best players against Monash included the two main goal kickers, along with Rhys Dolby, who has been simply outstanding for much of the season, Ben McDonald, Kai Menzies and Bryce McAdam.

If you like a good, close, hard contest, head down to Ramsden Street on Saturday morning and see if the team can go at least one better than last year.

Adding a bit of extra interest to this game for Fitzroy players and fans, will be the 50 game milestones for Hugh Morris Dalton (left) and Trent Carpenter (right).

Coach Trent Coleman had plenty of praise for both, saying Hugh has stepped up to senior footy seamlessly this year and has really improved over the year to become a key player in the Thirds side. For his namesake, the coach said Carpenter is always a hard worker and solid as a rock down back. Congratulations Trent and Hugh.

Go Roys!

Mitch hotfoots it to 100 fast-paced games

On the eve of his 100th game, Red Roy traces Mitch McWhinney’s journey to and with Fitzroy, uncovering a few secrets along the way.

Mitch McWhinney crossed over to Fitzroy as an under-17 Colts player, having played his junior footy at Alphington. Along with friend and teammate Jack Dalton, with whom he’d played as a young footballer, Mitch was lucky enough to feature in the 2010 Under 19 Fitzroy premiership along with a handful of guys playing senior footy with the Roys today.

But as we know, luck can be fleeting and Mitch’s has been sorely tested with a series of injuries including a broken ankle in Round 4 in 2012 which saw him miss the remainder of the year in a season where all three senior teams made the grand final. A situation Mitch acknowledges was really tough.

Without doubt, Mitch’s greatest strength as a footballer is his explosive speed. “He has pace to burn,” says Daltz, “and he uses it to burst out of packs with the ball, chase down opponents and rebound off half back.”

But something not everyone may know is that Mitch has an extensive background in track and field which no doubt accounts for what Daltz calls his “big engine” and ability to cover a lot of ground.

And (as anyone who has experienced the pleasure and pain – and ultimate exhilaration – of a boot camp session with sister Zoe) the fact is he comes from a family dedicated to health and fitness. Given his track record for being on time to games (Daltz reckons they’ve only ever been on time once in all the times they’ve travelled together to the ground) it’s lucky he makes up for it once he hits the track!

When pressed, Mitch nominates Will Pickering (apart from Daltz of course) and as one of his favourite team mates and he will run out alongside him tomorrow in the Ressies.

“I’ve always enjoyed playing with Pickers,” says Mitch.

“I always seem to play better when he’s in the team because I know whenever I’m in trouble I can just bomb it into the forward line and he’ll do the rest. And make me look good!”

When contacted earlier in the week, Mitch told Red Roy he had no idea his 100th game was coming up.

“I’m proud to have reached this milestone with such a great and famous club,” he says, “and having played two premierships so far, both with Daltz, I reckon that’s a good omen for 2018!”

Who are we to argue?!

Caption: Mitch’s gentle ways bely his fierce determination and attack on the ball.

Big block of three starts with Old Ivanhoe at BSO

Fitzroy’s Seniors and Reserves start their run towards the finals tomorrow at Brunswick Street Oval when they play host to Old Ivanhoe.

There are three testing games ahead with the opportunity to try different players and structures before the finals start and with any luck, get some game time into players who have been side-lined with injuries.

But this Saturday will be no walk in the park. Old Ivanhoe is two games out of the four and is still a chance to sneak into fourth spot in the Seniors if they can get everything right. You can bet they will throw everything at Fitzroy. The inclusion of Nino Lazzaro, Sunny Brazier, Jack Hart and Bernie Wright for Fitzroy will give the fans plenty to enjoy at Brunswick Street.

In the Reserves competition, where Fitzroy sits clear on top of the ladder, a game and a half clear of Williamstown (next week’s opponent), Old Ivanhoe is well in the race for the top four and will need this win to put pressure on those above them. It’s great to see Tom Biscaro named in the line up as he makes his way back from injury.

It’s been a month since Fitzroy has played at BSO and the boys are excited to get back out there; enjoy the BBQ, the atmosphere and some great footy. Expect these games to be close.

Pick your project! Voting opens Monday

Women love footy. And we love watching them play.

But as we know, access to enough grounds across Melbourne is a challenge. We'd love our women to be able to train in better light and to be able to play under lights at Ramsden Street and Brunswick Street Oval too.

So we’re encouraging people to vote on a football oval lighting project as part of the State Govt's Pick my Project community funding round, which opens for voting on Monday. There is $30 million available across the State to fund local projects, with the most votes receiving funding.

Better lighting and an electronic scoreboard at Brunswick Street Oval will ensure our women have access to the same quality of training and playing arenas as our men's squads. And give greater access to playing, spectating, and volunteering for everyone in the local community.

Keep an eye out for the voting to open on Monday, share the link and encourage all your friends, relatives, neighbours…everyone…to vote.

Voting opens 9am on Monday 13 August and closes 5pm on Monday 17 September 2018.

Watch our Facebook page on Monday and over the coming weeks for clear instructions on how to place your vote and to watch a special video recorded by the Roy Girls at Ramsden Street (with just a little bit of help from The Boss). Share it with everyone you know.

Let there be light! And let’s give women equal opportunity to play footy in Yarra!

Women’s footy forum on North West FM

Senior women’s leadership group member and fullback, Jess Hayes, coach Mick Symons, and Fitzroy-ACU Reserves Captain, Rachael Telfer, represented Fitzroy on the women’s footy forum on Sunday night on 98.9 North West FM radio.

The three-hour forum hosted by Glen Scarborough, featured a discussion with the VAFA’s Women’s Football and Engagement Manager, Shona’s MacInnes, talking about the phenomenal growth of women’s football, helping make the VAFA the largest amateur Australian football competition in the country. He also spoke with a number of clubs looking to introduce women’s football for the first time in 2019.

Fitzroy’s segment was wide-ranging and touched on the numbers of women seeking to play football at the club, the links with the VFLW via a number of senior players, first experiences of football especially for those coming in from other sports, the way the teams work so closely together with the men’s sides right from pre-season, the Fitzroy ‘family’ and the joy of playing on Brunswick Street Oval. Mick’s dad jokes also rated a mention.

Thanks to Rachael, Jess and Mick for representing the club in such an outstanding manner.

The VAFA Census is online now

The VAFA is running a census to map the size of its community and they’d love to get to know you better.

The competition management is seeking to get some more accurate data to find out the make-up of its community, details about family connections, volunteering, past players, engagement with the VAFA’s media channels, feedback on health and wellness issues and the lifestyle trends shaping the VAFA community now and into the future.

Check it out here. It will only take about 5 minutes. Your data will be protected, and individual responses will not be analysed.

Have you got your Mystery Ball for tomorrow night?

You will not want to miss Fitzroy’s traditional Mystery Ball Games Night in the Community Rooms at BSO from 7pm tomorrow night.

It’s a night of fun and games run by the players but we can’t give too much away. You are invited to join the extravaganza and $50 will buy you a ticket in the BIG game. There are some excellent prizes to be won.

Rumour has it, Fitzroy favourite son Al Green will be making an appearance of a different kind, behind the microphone. So don't miss out on some top quality fun and entertainment.

Your ticket price will include the games, finger food, tea/coffee and music. Beer, wine and soft drinks will be at our usual bar prices.

You can pay at the door if you haven’t already booked online.

Calling all Richmond and Pies' fans - your chance at grand final action

With 100,000 Richmond members signed up, not all of them will fit in the great colloseum on grand final day. The best chance to get there could be to win Fitzroy's major raffle prize.

Fitzroy’s annual raffle has gone on sale and with the full finals series tickets (donated by the Brisbane Lions AFC: AFL Authorised GF Promotion Code GFAFL 18/17) on offer and a selling price of just $5 a ticket, you’d better get in quickly.

ALL Fitzroy players in all six teams will have books of tickets to sell so track down your favourite player and put down your vital details.

The second prize is one of Louise Maniatakis’s magnificent Fitzroy-inspired quilts and if you’re a fan of the Fitzroy of old, the quilt has plenty of interest. The stitching detail alone makes this a valuable prize for any Fitzroy fan.

Third prize is from Caltex and is petrol to the value of $300.

Tickets will be on sale at all home games too. The raffle will be drawn at the post match function at Brunswick Street Oval after the Senior men play their final home and away game on Saturday 25 August.

If you are selling tickets, they are due back with the club on Thursday 16 August.

Parma for a farmer

You may well have seen quite a bit of media coverage – particularly on the ABC – of the drought situation in NSW, Queensland… in fact in many parts of Australia right now.

Our fabulous sponsors The Royal Derby have kicked off a campaign in support of drought-stricken farmers called Parma for a Farmer.

For the month of August they will be donating $1 for every parma sold in the pub to the Aussie Farmers Foundation in support of struggling farmers. Get on board. It’s a very simple thing to do to help make a difference.

This weekend’s games

Thirds Section 2 Semi Final 1: Fitzroy Thirds vs Old Trinity – VAFA Thirds Section 2 – Ramsden Street Oval, 11.40am, Saturday 11 August
Fitzroy Reserves vs Old Ivanhoe – VAFA Premier C Reserves – Brunswick Street Oval, 11.40am, Saturday 11 August
Old Melburnians vs Fitzroy U19s – Holmesglen U19 Section 2 – Elsternwick Park Oval 1, 12.00pm, Saturday 11 August
Fitzroy Seniors vs Old Ivanhoe – VAFA Premier C Seniors – Brunswick Street Oval, 2.00pm, Saturday 11 August
Premier Reserve Women Preliminary Final: Melbourne University vs Fitzroy-ACU Women’s Reserves – VAFA Premier Reserve Women’s – Burbank Oval, Morris Street, Williamstown, 12.00pm, Sunday 12 August.