Get behind the Thirds as they start their finals quest

The Fitzroy Thirds go into their third finals series in as many years, with a strong belief they can get the job done.

The team will have a sense of déjà vu tomorrow when they travel to Glenhuntly Oval to take on Caufield Grammarians in Semi Final 2 of the VAFA Thirds Div 1 comp. And hopefully the trip over in the car is where the sense of déjà vu ends!

After a dour but dominant display by the Caufield Grammarians at home last week to win the final home and away game against Fitzroy, each team knows what lies before them in order to lift the cup in September.

It builds the story that the only team to defeat The Fields this year is Fitzroy; and the only team to defeat Fitzroy is Caufield. Game on!

The 26-point margin at the end of last week’s game was the biggest of the game. Despite four goals from captain Tim De Natris, Fitzroy just couldn’t pull close enough to put serious pressure on Caufield. They always maintained a gap.

With a three-quarter time score of 6.10.46 to 4.5.29, Fitzroy injected some interest with the first goal of the last quarter, but Caufield pulled back away and possibly their kicking for goal kept us closer that it should have been. The final score was 9.14.68 to 6.6.42.

Nick Curran, Owain Dunn and Tom Grbac played strong games.

Former Thirds captain and member of the leadership group, Jared Shaw (pictured right), will play his 50th game tomorrow too, adding some extra motivation.

Mind you, he’s not the type to be pulling focus. He does, however, provide excellent insights for his coach and his teammates.

Coach Trent Coleman praised Shaw this week saying he was a ‘midfielder turned 100 per cent reliable back man’.

“He’s a very skilful player. He knows how to take a big hit and get back again no worries. He always gives insightful feed back to the players.”

Trent also praised Shaw’s team-first ethic. “He’s a humble player who offered up his spot last year so his teammates could get a game when numbers were massive. He’s such an asset to the Roys.”

It is possible Caufield and Fitzroy will end up meeting three times in four weeks the way the season has panned out. De La Salle, who defeated us in last year’s finals, and Monash Blues make up the four and the winner of their elimination final will face the loser of this game next week.

Tomorrow is a huge challenge, but it can be done. Go Roys!

Photos by Ellie Mitsch and Peter Casamento

Now or never as we chase a win

Caufield Grammarians stamped their authority all over the Round 16 Senior game – and the competition – against Fitzroy last week and really, the less said the better about our visit to Glenhuntly Oval!

No really, the players have moved on. And for those who would also like to erase the memories, just close your eyes for the next couple of paras.

Caufield is a well-oiled machine with some incredibly talented players who have played at the top level and they will be mighty hard to beat for the premiership this year.

But on a perfect day for football, a 120-point loss and two goalless quarters by Fitzroy were not what the doctor ordered for a team attempting to get out of relegation calculations.

The quarter time margin was very manageable after a strong defensive effort held the home side to four goals, albeit against the breeze. Quarter time score: 4.3.27 to 2.3.15.

Despite the sunshine, the footy gods were just not smiling on a team working incredibly hard.
The second quarter started okay with a couple of Fitzroy shots at goal hitting the post. These kinds of things however are a symptom of intense pressure and rushed kicks, given limited opportunity.

Caufield certainly took theirs and the damn wall burst late in the second term. Six goals to nil in the second quarter and the result was beyond doubt at half time. For all that, Fitzroy came out and won the third quarter. It was a bloody good effort and as much as anything stemming the tide of goals was an excellent performance within itself.

But at the three-quarter time buzzer, something stopped. One point to 64 was the margin in the last. Definitely enough said now.

Even the inclusion of Nino Lazzaro – playing for the first time this year in tandem up forward with the talented Sunny Brazier – could not make much of a dent in the onslaught. To his defence, he was in the best players and his three goals definitely helped the Fitzroy score. Between them, Nino and Sunny kicked five.

Tom O’Donnell also played part of the game forward and was awarded best for Fitzroy. Max Ellis, Luke Baker and Julian Turner also put in huge efforts.

After the game, coach Luke Mahoney said the senior side was consistent in their inconsistency. He promised the week would be about addressing the highs and lows of performance which were too far apart and very evident during the Caufield game, particularly the final quarter.

Tomorrow will be all about a four-quarter effort against one of the other sides also keen to maintain their spot in the Premier B competition. They are far more comfortable with a game in hand.

Old Haileybury put Fitzroy to the sword earlier in the season with a series of indiscretions late in the game ending any chance of sneaking a victory against them at home. All efforts will be made to rectify that tomorrow.

Five changes have been made to the side and it’s now or never.

Tomorrow is the final game at Brunswick Street this season, so come on down, enjoy a burger and get behind the boys as they strive for a win.

Go Roys!

A tough day a the office for the Ressies

With the Thirds playing the 9.20am game, the stage was set for a big day at Glenhuntly Oval with three Roys' sides doing battle against Caulfield Grammarians.

The Ressies were hopeful of repeating their winning form of last week, but knew it would be a big task with Caulfield sitting in third position.

With the warmth of a shining sun for the first time in many weeks, the game started at a frantic pace and the Roys scored a couple of early goals in the first quarter but Caulfield opened a handy lead by the first break.

Caulfield dominated the second quarter and went into the rooms at half time with a 63-point lead, with the Roys unable to score a major for the quarter.

The second half saw Caulfield take complete control of the game, but the Roys kept at the task regardless and battled the game right out until the very end, scoring the final goal of the match.

With a loss of almost 150 points, nobody would have blamed the players for wanting to get off the ground as soon as possible and disappear from sight. Not the Roys!

True to form, the Ressies remained on the ground, lining up for and urging on their Senior club mates as they ran onto the ground for their battle.

This has been a hallmark of the team all season - regardless of win or loss - and speaks volumes about the character of club, coach and players.

Well done Roys!

By Stephen and Janis Harrington

Raffle drawn tomorrow – LAST CHANCE to see every AFL final

If you don't have your tickets, tomorrow is the very last chance to win our fantastic raffle prize of the full AFL finals series for just $5.

Tomorrow at Brunswick Street you can still buy tickets and then be on hand for the draw during the post match event.

The winner will take out the best footy prize going around: tickets for two to every game in the 2019 Toyota AFL Finals Series (including the Grand Final), again generously donated by the Brisbane Lions (GFAFL19/49).

Second prize, kindly donated by David Leydon, is a framed Fitzroy Team of the Century guernsey featuring Roy legends including Hadyn Bunton, Mick Conlan, Bernie Quinlan, Paul Roos, Allan Ruthven and Garry Wilson, and beautifully autographed by the great Kevin Murray.

And this season Universal Traveller have come on board to offer a $500 travel voucher.

And a note to our players, if your tickets aren't back, they need to be delivered to BSO before 12pm, sold or unsold.

Final round of the year for Under 19s and 23s

The Fitzroy Under 19 and Under 23 teams play their final games of the season tomorrow, with a sense that they have grown and developed as teams over the season.

The Under 19s had a strong win over Uni Blacks last weekend at Ramsden Street, making the most of their final home ground outing. Keane Ramshaw led the way with a five-goal haul as Fitzroy ran away to a 93-point win. The final score was 21.11.137 to 6.8.44.

The Roy Boys shared the goal kicking around, with Dion Baruhas kicking three, and two each to Jonathan Zapantis, Matt Holgate, Jacob Bourke and Marcel Laidlaw.

The coach gave the votes to Ariel Barresi, with Holgate, Ramshaw, Laidlaw, Liam O’Connor and Zapantis also amongst the best.

Tomorrow the team travels to Mentone to take on fourth placed St Bede’s/Mentone Tigers as they warm up for finals. It will be a good, tough challenge to finish off the year, something they haven’t shied away from at any stage this season.

The Fitzroy team will finish in 8th position of 12 teams, having won five or six games for the season. They’ve been very competitive throughout but haven’t been able to take a big scalp for the year. The highlight was possibly the win over Old Trinity in Round 3.

Congratulations and thank you to first-year Under 19 Coach Monty Stuart and his assistant coaches Mel Story and Silvano Inserra and all the volunteers and parents who support the team each week. They’ve done a terrific job and have continued to provide a great avenue for excellent young talent to take the step up to seniors, which we have enjoyed throughout the year. Players like Charlie Faubel, captain Darcy Lowrie and Jock Green have shown us there is plenty to get excited about.

Check out some of the Under 19s pics (above and below) from last week's win over Uni Blacks, courtesy of Peter Harrison.

The Under 23s head to St Bernard’s College tomorrow. Neither team is playing finals this year, but this will still prove a tough test, with St Bernard’s finishing just outside the top four.
Last week’s forfeit due to a lack of players across the club was disappointing and they will be keen to finish strongly.

When this team was belted by over 30 goals in the first week of the season, things seemed a little grim.

In the VAFA’s newest comp, with no lead-in time, they have put together a very creditable season and built a lot of resilience along the way. Four wins looked a big mountain after that first week, but they’ve continued to work hard and maintain a very positive outlook.

The first win in Round 7 over Old Brighton was something they are unlikely to forget in a hurry.

A huge amount of credit goes to coach Tony Keehan, who was given the gig just a week before the season, and with the great support of Tim Bell, Gabrielle Murphy, captain Ezra Derby, parents and volunteers, has built a strong positive culture within the group. We can’t wait to see what you can do next year.

Go Roys!

Redlow save the date - Friday 4 October

We will have a new guest MC and the photobooth will be back as we prepare for Redlow 2020.

Details will be unveiled next week and tickets will go on sale, but in the meantime, please save the date as we unveil the best and fairest players for all seven of our teams on Friday 4 October.

iPod shuffle night - dance like it's the end of the season

Choose your favourite song and win at Fitzroy's first iPod Shuffle night.

The final social function at BSO for 2019 is all set to your favourite music on Saturday 24 August in the Community Rooms at BSO from 7pm.

It's free entry for those who don't want to pick a song, but to go into the big prize pool - with a first prize of $400 - you'll need a ticket for just $15. Be ready with the name of your favourite song.

Only 50 songs, so if you don't book early you'll miss out on getting into the draw. Bookings close at 5pm tonight, with no exceptions. We need to put the song list together!

You can purchase tickets online now. Your ticket price will include entry into the iPod shuffle comp (with spot prizes throughout the night), finger food, tea/coffee and music. Beer, wine, sparkling, cider and soft drinks will be at our usual low bar prices.

Without a booking, feel free to rock up on the night and join in with the fun.

New Fitzroy supporter gear now available online

Already some of the most popular supporter gear in Melbourne is running low, but don't worry we've ordered more stock.

The new Fitzroy supporter gear is available for sale online and at the ground tomorrow if you don't want to pay for postage.

Online orders can be made here https://www.fitzroyfc.com.au/merchandise/fitzroy-supporter-gear

Choose from the following items:

adult hoodie (pictured): $60 + postage and handling
children's hoodie: $50 + postage and handling
polo: $45 + postage and handling
long sleeve t-shirt (pictured): $40 + postage and handling
jacket: $90 + postage and handling

Thank you to Will Zahgis and Rachael Telfer for their oustanding modelling work!

Postage and handling will apply to online orders only, so buying at the ground will be the best option.

This weekend's games

SEMI FINAL 2: Caufield Grammarians v Fitzroy Thirds – VAFA Thirds Division 1 – Glenhuntly Oval, Caufield, 11.20am, Saturday 24 August
St Bernard's v Fitzroy Under 23's – VAFA Under 23s – St Bernard's College, 11.40am, Saturday 24 August
Fitzroy Reserve Men v Old Haileybury – VAFA Premier B Reserves – Brunswick Street Oval, 11.40am, Saturday 24 August
Fitzroy Senior Men v Old Haileybury – VAFA Premier B Seniors – Brunswick Street Oval, 2pm, Saturday 24 August
St Bede's/Mentone v Fitzroy Under 19s – Holmesglen U19 Division 1 – Brindisi Street Oval, 2pm, Saturday 24 August