The first thing that struck JG Gorilla when she arrived at the Camberwell ground for the Roy Girls second foray against Old Scotch (aka MLC old girls) was the difficulty identifying who was supporting who. So difficult that her comment on how good the Twos were performing in the early stages was mistakenly shared with two opposition supporters sporting scarves of Roy colours. To their credit, they politely agreed, but couldn’t hide sly smiles.
The first quarter was looking more like a war zone than a football game, with general concern being expressed about OS’s tendency to add slings to tackles. But as coach Jason Valastro saw it, the Roys were having none of it. And apart from a blatant example in the second, he credited his charges with shutting it down for the remainder of the game.
“The backline was switched on and the restructured forward line helped reflect the effort and determination on the scoreboard,” Jason said. “I was really pleased with the efforts of captain Emma Bourke and Vette Godby for their ability to consistently glue the side together.
“Their communication was perfect.”
There were some really nice highlights for the Twos: Jess ‘Lenny’ Hayes and Christina ‘Moose’ Kelly (fresh from a long haul from Geelong on dodgy public transport after feeding her three-month old) managed to contribute goals, Elyse Campbell was extraordinary through the middle and, as always, Steph Amy kept the backline strong and together.
“It was always going to be tough for the Ones against the ladder leaders, particularly with a band of VFLW players back in the side,” said coach Nathan Jumeau. “But we settled into the game after the first quarter, and in the second played more like we want to and, through Molly Tancred, were able to register a goal on the board.”
After making some adjustments at half time, Jumeau reckons the Roys played their best quarter in the third, clearly matching it with Scotch. But despite some strong and direct ball movement up field, fell down at the business end of the field.
In a stand out highlight for the game, a superb check side goal from Molly in the last quarter brought the house down and, although seeming to run out of legs, the Roys continued to battle hard, resulting in some likely chances for more goals. But, again, without successful conversion.
Coach plaudits went to Amelie Lay who put in another performance of great footy, negating the effectiveness of one of the league’s best footballers and repeatedly winning the footy herself.
All up, Molly was a good target up forward. And the backline battled hard all day.
“Really looking forward to the game against Collegians next week for our final game of the year,” Ju says. “And to finishing off with a bang!”
We’re with you all the way Ju. Go Roy Girls!
JG Gorilla
