OMFC Hit Hard by Fitzroy Reds

28th May 2008

The Panthers headed out to the old Brunswick Street oval on Saturday to take on Old Fitzroy on a perfect day for football. The scenic oval with the city landscape in the background provided the scene for a great battle between two sides sitting on 4 wins and 2 losses.

 

 

The game started off in tight fashion with Fitzroy making better use of the large ground to go into the first break just one goal in the clear. One of the low lights of the quarter, and the season so far for that matter, was co-captain Daniel Carroll spraining his ankle and now looks set to spend a few weeks on the sidelines.

 

 

Fitzroy seemed to settle early in the second and used the ball a lot better than the Panthers. The on ball efforts of Stephens, Field and McCloskey not going unnoticed, however the Reds had all the run and kicked a further 4 goals 4 to just 4 behinds from our lads.

 

 

The boys managed to stem the flow for a further quarter after the main break, however the flood gates finally opened in the final quarter and the Reds managed to knock us off by a resounding 17 goals at the final siren. We’ll be looking to put the game behind us as soon as possible, but must learn from the sour taste of defeat that lingered afterwards.

 

 

OLD MENTONIANS

 

 

Goal Kickers: D. Cochrane, N. Fisher, R. Ironmonger
Best Players: D. Field, M. McCloskey, J. Thompson, R. Ironmonger, R. Ball, J. Moon

 

 

 

 

 

Q1

 

 

Q2

 

 

Q3

 

 

Q4

 

 

FITZROY REDS

 

 

3.3-21

 

 

7.7-49

 

 

9.11-65

 

 

19.19-133

 

 

OLD MENTONIANS

 

 

2.3-15

 

 

2.7-19

 

 

3.10-28

 

 

3.12-30

 

 

RESERVES

Panthers Just Fall Short Against Top of the Ladder Fitzroy Reds

 

 

With a few key players back from injury (and holidays) it was a stronger Panther line up that ventured out to the Brunswick St Oval (W.T. Peterson Reserve), focused on erasing memories of the previous week. The conditions were made to order, and with one of the largest grounds in the league in pretty good condition it was clear that plenty of hard running was going to be required.

 

 

We got off to a great start with the whole team working hard, and ensuring that Fitzroy knew they had a game on their hands. All around the ground the Panthers ran hard, both offensively and defensively, and made the opposition earn every touch they had. Tackling was intense, as was the attack on the footy, especially through the middle of the ground. Again, James Dodd continued his recent strong form, and led the way from the very first bounce. The raw talent of Jesse Prowse was also great to see in his first game of the season. By the first break we had a 19 point lead, and the spirit amongst the group was fantastic.

 

 

The second quarter was more of a dour struggle. The ball was still moving well around the ground, but both teams’ defenses were superb, and would not give an inch. We maintained the lead for the most part, but were not rewarded on the scoreboard for all the great work up the ground. Dale Messina set up many chances running hard off the half back line, and through the middle, but a couple of wasted opportunities up forward cost us dearly. We still lead well late in the quarter, but ran out of steam in the last 5 minutes, and Fitzroy made us pay. A 5 point lead at half time was still a good position to be in against the top of the ladder opposition, but we needed to find something more to hold on.

 

 

The second half was pretty much goal for goal, and the pace of the game was more like what we expect watching the senior team. Some great kicking by Gerard Smith and James Kelly, continued to create effective attacks from our kick ins, which was something that was focused on at training during the week, however, by the last change we were 4 points down. No matter how hard we tried, and the effort was one of the best of the year, we were unable to bridge the gap and eventually went down by 11 points.

 

 

Overall it was a much improved effort from the team, and although we were chasing 4 points, there were a lot of good signs for the remained of the year. The season however, is quickly moving along, and to play finals footy we will need to play as well as, or better, for each of the remaining 11 games. We can not afford any lapses now if we want to be part of the finals action.

 

 

Next week sees us back at Keysborough against South Melbourne Districts, and nothing short of a good win will be acceptable.

 

 

 

OLD GEELONG                     2.1       5.5       8.10     10.14-74

 

OLD MENTONIANS               5.2       6.4       8.6       9.9-63

 

 

Goal Kickers: P. Flaskis 2, S. Alexander 2, J. Prowse, M. Lawes, T. Speers, M. Siemers, J. Dodd
Best Players: D. Messina, J. Dodd, A. Wilson, G. Smith, J. Kelly, S. Alexander