Guy Gorilla found it tough going as the senior men's squad took to the road for the first game of season 2019. But we can turn the tide.

I overheard the boundary ump talking to Ms Gorilla before the main game against Scotch on Saturday: 'Dunno what you're gonna get today – one down from A, one up from C.' Problem was the one up from C, the Roys, only included nine of last year's premiership side. And the former A side, were on their game, big time.
 
The 2s battled manfully, but the turnover of players was greater there, and they were overwhelmed by a superior opponent.
 
We were camped near the old Ladies' Pavilion; not a lady in sight. Not like the 80s when Keka coached Camberwell. The stand was full of them. Not in 2019. The larger stand above the change rooms had signs banning the consumption of alcohol – it was amateur before its time – and another that proclaimed 'children remain seated and under the strict supervision of adults at all times.' Camberwell was not and is not Fitzroy.

Our first quarter was pronounced by tight marking, fierce tackling and endeavour, not to mention willpower. Speaking of, Will Symons’ attack on the ball and all in its way was inspiring. Harri Grace was Mr Everywhere in his second senior game. Rosco Borland's positioning made up for the lack of inches, and the defence and those with jobs to do were cohesive.  A late rubbish goal to Old Scotch took the wind out the sails, but 23-7 wasn't too bad. At the huddle, the coach was rapt with adherence to the game plan, the endeavour, but bemoaned costly turnovers. 'Make sure we get into a spot to reload, but above all, be brave.'
 
The second session revealed that the lack of size was starting to tell. We made costly turnovers, and there was less time to plan and reflect at this level, and against this opponent. Fitzroy was scoreless, with a portent of floodgates opening. Inside at the break, it was noted that the endeavour was 'super', that we were a bit over anxious, but that we must remain positive.
 
In the third, we defended heroically; Ligris, Hart, Ellis, Symons, and Doc O'Donnell inspirational. Nathan J kicked a beautiful goal, Toohey continued to add to his tackle tally. Or maybe it was 'Rocky' Humphrey, the Tackle Twins. Sore body count mounting, a superior opponent was getting its act together.
 
Fair to say we were happy to see the end, but the effort never fell away. We achieved little wins, but it was hard to stem the tide. We now have to make the tide turn. Total club support of the players and coaches will achieve results. Sure, one down, a tough opponent this week, but fortune favours the bold, especially on our own green pasture.
 
 Guy Gorilla.

Photos by Phyllis Quealy

In their season opener at Brunswick Street Oval the Roy Girls were determined to put on a great display and the large crowd on hand enjoyed what they saw… until perhaps the final quarter.

Things were going to plan in the Premier Women’s game until just before the three quarter time siren when a late goal to the SKOB Saints – in fact their first – completely turned the momentum and they didn’t look back.

The fast-finishing Saints ran away in the final quarter to win 4.7.31 to 2.5.17, having trailed at three quarter time.

There was plenty to like about the determination of the Fitzroy-ACU side and the return of Tash Ross-Harris was noticeable on a number of fronts; her marking was a feature in a best on ground performance, and it also freed up fellow ruck Beth West to get around the ground more using her height to great effect.

The other pre-season performer, who took her strong form into Round 1, was Theresa Zampaglione, who kicked the opening goal of the season.

With captain Jess Hayes and vice captain Gemma Minuz to come back into the side this week, there is plenty of upside going into Round 2 against Kew.

The Reserves finished stronger than they started with a highly changed line up from last season, taking a while to gel. In fact the team had quite a few first gamers and a number of the leaders in other roles. New captain Mia Sutherland and former captain Rachael Telfer had the call up to the seniors, along with one of 2018’s stand out players, Bridie Murphy. Vice captain Freya Shearer is still some weeks off playing with a broken finger.  

SKOB Saints meanwhile, were well drilled and showed they will be a force to be reckoned with in 2019.

Despite not scoring in the first half, the Fitzroy-ACU Reserves kept the Saints to 2.3 at half time. The third quarter was where it got away with five goals to one. There is always plenty to learn from a game like this and the Roy Girls are up for the challenge.

Tomorrow’s opponent Kew is also a well-structured side and will present another good challenge for Simon Jackson’s charges, who will welcome Emily Aitken, Emily Fitt and Sutherland back into the side.

For a magnificent album of photos of on and off field images, take a look at the work of Peter Casamento and Ellie Misch:  https://photos.app.goo.gl/kwLguTmdEcWE9ygp6

One was playing her 50th game and another two their first; the Fitzroy-ACU squad featured six sisters who pulled on the red, yellow and blue on Saturday.

It perhaps reflected the turnover in the Reserves’ side but also the pulling power of the Roy Girls that Alexia Kroussov joined sister Tash and Nina Coffey, joined Hannah, for their first games at Fitzroy. Tash and Hannah have both been playing for a while and their sibling recruitment efforts during the off-season are to be applauded.

Meanwhile Chrissie Atkinson (ressies) and Lauren Atkinson (seniors) did what they’ve done for a long time and rocked up to Brunswick Street for another day of high quality play. It was a big one for Lauren, who joined an elite group of Roy Girls with a 5-oh beside their names. For the Atkinsons, it’s not just about sisters as Jack is the captain of the Reserves and dad, Roger made his debut as team manager. Julie Atkinson had the right idea; she came to the women in footy lunch!

As is tradition, Fitzroy will host an Anzac ceremony at half time during the Round 3 game against Caufield Grammarians. 

The club will honour its fallen at the sportsman's memorial at Edinburgh Gardens which was beautifully done up last year. 

The pre-game lunch will also have an Anzac theme. Book your seats now for Saturday 27 April. 

Fitzroy has a new Director, with the Board appointing Health McDonald this week.

Heath brings a wealth of experience with AFL clubs and other high profile sporting bodies. He is a local and loves nothing more than walking his dogs around Brunswick Street Oval.

Heath is Professor of Marketing, and Head of the School of Economics, Finance & Marketing, at RMIT University. His research work focuses on the field of customer acquisition and retention, particularly in subscription markets (e.g., season tickets, memberships). Major sporting leagues, including the AFL and BBL, have used this research to drive growth in fan and member numbers, to inform pricing decisions and evaluate stadium design and development.

He currently consults on fan behavior matters to 28 different professional sport teams across AFL, Cricket, Soccer and Rugby. He recently co-authored the book "Sports Consumer Behavior: Marketing Strategies" published by Routledge. Professor McDonald sits on the editorial boards of five international journals, is a lifetime Fellow of the North American Society for Sport Management (NASSM) and is a Graduate of the Australian Institute of Company Directors.

Kate Nolan has been in the Marketing and Communications role for the last four seasons and will gradually hand over to Heath so she can have a focus on events.

At the end of our first week of the 2019 season, RedRoy sends a shout out to our band of fabulous volunteers. We always say we couldn’t do it without you. And we couldn’t. It’s a fact of life – and community football. Season-in, season-out, your support and hard work sees all our teams hit the ground running, kitted out, watered, umpired, and just generally nurtured.
 
Very special thanks to Roger Atkinson, Camille Augustin (pictured) and Tim Bell who’ve respectively taken on team management of the Women’s Reserves, Senior Women’s and U23 teams for the first time. It’s a huge job and according to Sharon Torney, done perfectly by all. Meeting the VAFA reporting requirements and earning Sharon’s praise is no mean feat! Thank you.

We can never have enough volunteers, so if you're still keen to get involved, there are still plenty of opportunities. Get in touch with Gabrielle Murphy at volunteers@fitzroyfc.com.au if you want to talk about options.