Youth-1 Boys Division 1 2025

Round 1 - Balwyn Tigers at Gordon Barnard Reserve, Sunday 6 April 3pm

Balwyn: 4.4-28
Fitzroy: 5.5-35

Weather: Sunny warm-up, 22 degrees half-time, last-quarter sun shower to make things slippery

Canteen: Slim pickin’s this late in the day but the canteen blokes rustled up 2 warm snags in fluffy white

Quote of the day: ‘We don’t want to play too well in these grading games – do we?’

IT WAS in 1996 that one bore witness to one of the great milestone matches when the then 32-year-old Paul Roos, in his 300^th match, put in a rampaging performance for the Swans against the eventual premiers North Melbourne at Princes Park.

The former Fitzroy legend had 30 touches and pulled down 11 marks in the 79-point thrashing. But before the tears well up, and I start to remember that year’s grand final result, I need to get to a modern Roy Boys’ milestone match in the first round of this year’s Colts.

Noah Atkinson ran with his comrades through the impressive homemade banner marking his 100^th game in a Lions guernsey and the influence he had in the victory was Roos-like in a tough, defensive away game against Balwyn.

In a match ultimately decided by a couple of pieces of random brilliance, the Roy Boys put the clamps on a Balwyn midfield which at first glimpse appeared to be populated by a mob of fleet-footed classy lads with Hawthorn-style hubris.

Our lads hit the lead deep into the first when Finbar gathered the footy in the centre square, took a few strides and booted truly from about 50 out. The boys had a bit of momentum and took a two-goal lead into quarter time after Lachie similarly dobbed one from 50 in a second scintillating game breaker. A two-goal lead at quarter time reflected a high-pressure hit-out with just the couple of pieces of brilliance separating the teams.

The lead got out to three goals in the second when the hard-working midfielders Samuel and Fred combined with Toby and Alessio to get an adventurous ball forward to where Finbar was once again in the right place at the right time, marking right on the goal line and kicking his second. All was rosy when Toby channelled Tom Hawkins and wrestled the ball from a boundary throw-in and kicked an underground sausage for our fourth. It was just reward for Toby who had been working his butt off all around the ground.

So the first half of the year couldn’t have really gone any better with Balwyn failing to bring up the twin calicos score in a half of footy while the mighty Gorillas had four on the board. A major reason for this was the defensive marking of our milestone man Noah. Not just his marking, but his ability to be where the ball was (in a mangled tribute to Jack Dyer) and the resultant pressure he applied to his opponents was just inspiring to his mates.

But at half time when the hunt for a decent feed from the most disappointing kiosk of the season so far yielded modest reward, the skies darkened and an ominous atmosphere hung over the ground.  And as we all know, four goals in modern footy ain’t what it used to be and just a few minutes into the third Balwyn had put two through the big sticks and the game was on. The rest of the quarter was just rough and tough footy and a winner hard to pick.

So into the last and just two straight kicks was the difference. Balwyn capitalised on an errant kick in from the first behind of the quarter to make it a five-point game. We breathed a sigh of relief when an always threatening Alessio finally got on the board with a great snap from the pocket but when Balwyn answered almost immediately our hearts were back on our mouths.

The quarter was highlighted again by the pressure of both teams and a mid-quarter sun shower beckoned as a good luck omen. A bit of individual defensive hard brilliance and run from James Edgar personified the effort required. Noah went to town again in the last and his untiring work across half back was ultimately the difference when the siren mercifully went with us seven points in front 5.5-35 to 4.4-28.

Watching the match, one was reminded of just how much faster and more physical our little ones had become since the days of the under-12s or under-16s or whatever. Our lads have arrived as young men in 2025 and they looked well and truly at home. They revelled in their first game of what for many will be their last year of junior footy.

A great season beckons! And congratulations to you Noah!

– Steve Marmo