A few of the Roos’ old boys enjoying the footy.
The Yass Roos returned to the top of the AFL Canberra 2023 Community Men’s Division Three ladder after thumping Tuggeranong Valley 28.18.186 to 2.7.19 on Saturday afternoon at Joe O’- Connor Park.
The Roos jumped out of the blocks in the first quarter kicking 8.7.55 to just one point and by half-time, the result was well beyond doubt with Yass holding a 92-point lead.
Yass piled on another 13 goals to just one to Tuggeranong in the second half, to record a 167- point, percentage-boosting win to send themselves back to the top of the table.
The Roos spread the load of goal kickers on Saturday, with 12 players troubling the scorers.
Darcy Paine kicked five goals, Joven May kicked four, Jarrad Forlonge, Ben O’Connor, Brad Porter, and Jake Collins all kicked three each, Geordan Whitton kicked two, while singles went to Dom Johns, Tom Lemmon, Ryan Ulrich, Macauly Harvie, and captain Sam Williams.
Rex Stacey, Dominic Johns, Joven May, Macauly Harvie, Ryan Ulrich, and Darcy Paine were all among the best players on ground for Yass on Saturday.
Forlonge, who also serves as President, said it was important his side responded after a narrow loss to Goulburn last week.
“I think the game was a good reaction to a disappointing game the week before. We had a really good training session during the week and then that flowed into a good warm-up and a lot of boys had a point to prove this week. It was a bit of a perfect storm, and the result took care of itself this week,” Forlonge said.
“We can go back and forth with Murrumbateman over the next few weeks if that’s what happens, but I think it’s pretty clear it’s going to be one of us on top of the table at the end of the year. “That next clash with the Eagles will be the real decider of who will finish top. Being top now looks nice on paper, but it doesn’t mean all that much right now.”
Saturday’s game against Tuggeranong included the Yass Roos Old Boys Day and mid-season ball that night.
The hill at O’Connor Oval was packed with past players who all had the chance to catch up with some people they hadn’t seen in years. It was also a special moment when those past players were invited into the rooms to sing the song after the win.
The day was rounded out with a fabulous evening at the Yass Golf Club, where everyone donned their finest clothes for the mid-season ball.
“It was a really good day, starting off with Old Boys Day, I think we would’ve had around 25 past players there for that, which is a good result considering it was the first time the Club has ever done something like that,” Forlonge continued.
“There was a lot of good feedback from people that did come. I know that there were people that came from Taree up north and even down in Victoria, so it was quite a few people that made a big effort to get there, which was really cool and very positive for us. We look forward to doing it again in the future.
“We had really good numbers for the ball too. It was a great night all around, getting the whole team together with live music and
some auctions as well on the night, which doubled as a bit of a fundraiser as well.
“It was nice to see everyone together with their partners or families and just having a good night together.”
This Saturday, the Roos will take on the sixth-placed Belconnen Magpies at Holt Oval in Round 10 action.
“It’s still a bit of a tricky competition to figure out, especially these bottom teams. The other week, Belconnen beat Goulburn, so they can clearly play decent footy at times. It’s just a matter of what team we get on the day.
“After our little upset against Goulburn last week, we’re not really looking to take anyone lightly. That was evident on the weekend, we’re just going to go out there and train hard during the week and then when Saturday rolls around just rip in, whether we’re playing the top of the ladder or bottom of the table.
“We don’t really know what we’re going to get, but we know how we want to play. That’s what we’re probably more focused on than anything, because we believe that if we go out and play the way we want to play, we’ll match and beat anyone.” Ladder.
•Yass – 32 points – 352%
•Murrumbateman – 32 points – 299%
•Southern Cats – 20 points – 129%
•Goulburn Swans – 20 points – 106%
•Cootamundra – 16 points – 122%
•Belconnen – 12 points – 46%
•Eastlake – 8 points – 41%
•Tuggeranong – 4 points – 27%
Tim Warren
