Jarrad Forlonge (pictured here on the shoulders of his teammates) became just the 8th Roo in history to reach the 150 game milestone.
The air at Murrumbateman Park crackled with anticipation. It was more than just another game; for the Yass Roos, this was a do-or-die clash, a final, desperate lunge for a spot in the 2025 AFL Canberra Community Men’s Division 1 finals. Across the field, the ADFA Rams stood ready, knowing a victory would cement their top-four position. The stakes were clear, the tension palpable.
From the first bounce, both teams threw themselves into the contest with fierce determination. The Yass Roos, fueled by their burning ambition for the finals, saw early brilliance from their midfield maestro, Ryan Ulrich, whose relentless work rate and precise ball movement set the tone. Joven May, Sam Williams, Jesse Monaghan, Leo Lahey, and Max Shadbolt all joined the fray, pushing hard and creating opportunities. Sam Williams, a consistent threat up forward, managed to slot two crucial goals, while Lachie Gillam and Ryan Ulrich also added majors, keeping the Roos in the hunt.
Yass Roos coach Steve May reflected on the game’s intensity, emphasising that the final 17-point margin didn’t tell the whole story. “We didn’t have a great first half; we were down 21 points at halftime,” May recounted. “Then a huge fight back in the second half. We were in front by three-quarters of the time, so that was pretty amazing, and then we got away to an eight-point lead in the last quarter. Then they kicked a goal about halfway through last quarter, they had the wind in the last quarter and then with four minutes on the clock, we were still one point ahead, so so close, and they just kicked a couple of lucky ones in the last few minutes. But the final scoreline of 17 points didn’t reflect how close it was. It was a 50/50 game in the end. At one stage, we were thinking, oh God, it’s going to be a draw, and that wouldn’t have been a good result for us. In the end, we just didn’t get over the line.”
The challenging conditions played a significant role. “It was shocking conditions, the weather ruined the match,” May lamented. “It just became an absolute scrap because it was really strong wind, so kicking skills in particular just went out the door, which didn’t help us.”
Yass Roos President Jarrad Forlonge concurred, noting, “The wind favoured their kind of style… a lot of times they just kicked it as far as they could and then that sailed on the wind and that kind of favoured them a little bit, whereas we probably took a little bit too much time to adjust in the first quarter.”
Despite the loss, May expressed immense pride in his young team. “It’s very frustrating. ADFA are bigger, stronger athletes, more experienced than us,” he admitted. “Our team on Saturday had 17 players who were 22 years old, so a very young side. They put in an amazing, really amazing effort to get as far as we did.”
He also highlighted the team’s significant growth: “We lost to them by 41 points in round one, and we were very close to beating them at the end of the season, so I think that shows our improvement throughout the year as well.”
However, the ADFA Rams, a formidable out-fit themselves, were not to be denied. Their forward line proved more potent when it mattered most. Josh Barry, Ethan Grills, and Sam Woods each bagged two goals, showcasing their accuracy and ability to convert under pressure. Owen Stothart and Joss Walker also contributed, ensuring the scoreboard ticked over steadily for the Rams. In the midfield, ADFA’s best players truly shone. Noah Smith and Deakin Andrews were instrumental in winning contested possessions and driving the ball forward, while Ethan Grills and Josh Berry’s dual contributions in goals and general play highlighted their all-around impact. Sam Woofs and Jakeb Harris were relentless, providing crucial support and maintaining pressure across the ground.
As the final siren sounded, it was the ADFA Rams who emerged victorious, 8.7 (55) to the Yass Roos’ 5.8 (38). The relief on the faces of the Rams players was evident; their hard-fought win secured their place as the fourth team in the 2025 finals series.
For the Yass Roos, the final whistle marked the end of their season, a heart-breaking conclusion to a campaign where they had pushed to the very brink of finals contention. They had battled valiantly, but ultimately fell short, finishing a respectable fifth on the ladder.
Jarrad Forlonge echoed the sentiment of a tough but well-fought season. “We’ve won five out of the last six now, and the last three have all been elimination finals, so we have had to win each of them,” Forlonge stated, reflecting on their recent form. He acknowledged the challenge ADFA posed: “We lost to ADFA earlier in the year as well, but it’s been a bit all over the shop with their numbers and results lately. Coming to the pointy end of the year, we would fully expect them to be fully fit again.”
Both May and Forlonge voiced frustration with the league’s structure. “It’s just frustrating that ANU find themselves in the finals and they’ve beaten them twice,” May said. “The fixture was just really frustrating. It was a lopsided fixture. It was uneven, and I was disappointed that the League didn’t have the foresight to make it a top six.”
Forlonge added, “Our division had 12 teams in it, and then for only four teams to make it, it’s easy for us to say, because we were the unlucky one that missed out this year, but there were some good teams that missed out on playing finals this year because of that, so I would hope that they look into that, but I guess at the end of the day we knew from the start of the year it was going to be a top four, and every result was going to matter so much, particularly with so many teams fighting for the one or two spots.” He concluded, “Hopefully they will look into it, but it’s probably a little bit too late for our benefit.”
Despite the bitter disappointment of missing finals, May held a long-term view. “It’s clear that Batemans Bay, Woden and ADFA are the three best sides when they had their best teams on the park, and we’re not up to that level yet. No qualms with that,” he stated. “We were a very young side our first season in this competition, so we’ve got some work to do, but I think with ADFA it’s just frustrating as well. It’s always been the case with ADFA where they go and have forfeits throughout the season and they’re under strength at various stages throughout the season and if you get to play them at those times, it’s a big advantage, but we copped them when they were at their best both times and they were too good for us on both those occasions.”
Forlonge expressed optimism about the club’s future and the decision to move up a grade. “I think coming into the year, we didn’t have any expectations. We didn’t know what the competition was going to be like, or we knew that we were going to be up against it week in and week out,” he said. “The fact that we were still winning with five minutes to go, we were five minutes away from playing in the finals this year, and we beat ANU twice this year, who finished third. So, I think without a shadow of a doubt, we’ve proved that we belong in this grade and we can compete in this grade, so we’re only going to get better from the experience and what to expect now, and hopefully once we get back into it next year we’ll be in a much better spot.”
Looking ahead, May sees growth potential. “There’s one more spot available in the top four next year with Batemans Bay going up,” he noted. “We are very young, so if we keep working hard at our game, there are a few more pieces of the puzzle we’d like to add to the mix, but there’s going to be natural improvement because the team is so young.”
He also acknowledged the challenges of being a single-team club: “There’s disadvantages about being in this competition with only having one team, that puts us at a massive disadvantage against most of the other clubs who have two teams, so they have a lot more depth than us, so that’s something we have to think about how we can tackle that moving forward, to stay competitive in this competition, it’s going to be a challenge with only one team. We have some challenges ahead, but exciting times, and with such a young group, plenty of improvement left in them.”
Forlonge further elaborated on the player situation. “We struggled for numbers a few times this year, and I think that’s something that the coaching team have been working on, and at this stage it looks like numbers should be in a bit better spot next year and hopefully a few new faces as well,” he said.
He also touched upon the women’s team’s success: “They finished off their season with another win, which I think is well earned and a good reward for their efforts this year. I’m super happy for them and all the girls, and I think they had the most players available this week that they have had all year as well, so it’s a nice way for the girls to finish on such a high.” He added, “The preliminary discussions and everything they have had suggest that numbers next year are going to be good, which is exciting to have those discussions and that confidence in the playing group next year as well.”
May hopes for a more favourable fixture and home ground advantage next season. “You’d assume that Murrumbateman will come and join your group, hopefully, which will mean that you’d be kind of a stand-alone club in a way, and you’d probably get to play more games at Joe O’Connor Park, which would be a plus, and, as well, the draw is unlikely to be as tough on you next season as it was this year. It can’t be much harder,” he mused.
“We had the hardest fixtures of anyone. If you look at the teams that we had to double up against play two games against, we copped the raw end of the deal. Googong had a pretty tough tour as well. And to miss out on home games was tough as well, you know, if that game on the weekend was played at Yass, maybe it’s a different story. So playing a home game at Murrumbateman is not ideal. So hopefully a few of those things go our way next year.” Forlonge also discussed the possibility of aligning with other clubs, given the challenges of a single team. “I guess if Belco went down, that would mean that there would be an opportunity to align with Belco or maybe Cooma, I hope not, but Cooma would be the other option because Cooma were buddied up with Belco this year, but I’m not sure what that looks like. I know that Goulburn didn’t have a buddy-up team this year; they were the odd ones out, I guess. There is potential for us to not have to fill that gap because we’ve got the women’s team there, so there are still two games on. But I don’t know, AFL Canberra do some funny things sometimes, so who knows what they will come up with, but there is potential to align with someone else.”
Ultimately, despite the immediate sting of missing out, May believes the team will find pride in their 2025 performance. “It’s pretty hard to sort of put all that in focus at the moment. At the moment, you’re just feeling pretty gutted and despondent about missing the finals, but I think once the dust settles, we will look back on the season and be pretty happy with the success we’ve had and the results we’ve had,” he concluded. “You know, we’ve pretty much beaten all the sides that we were expected to beat, all sides that came up with us, and knocked off a few of the big sides as well. Probably when we look back on it, we’ll be pretty happy with the way it’s all panned out, but bitterly disappointed that we didn’t make the finals. That was our goal. That’s going to leave a bitter taste in the mouth.”
Forlonge summarised the overall feeling: “I mean, no doubt, it’s still very raw, I guess, but there’s going to be other teams that will no doubt get better next year as well. I think it’s exciting and there’s a lot of positives, but it’s also imperative that we make sure that we get better next year as well to try and bridge that gap a little bit.”
He concluded with a strong statement of belief: “I think it’s helped instil a lot of belief in the players that we can compete in this grade, and it was the right decision for our club looking back now to go up a grade and challenge ourselves and do everything there. A lot of positives, and it is still very raw at the moment, but I think once the dust fully settles and we all sit back and reflect and think about the year, there are just so many positives for men’s, women’s and the club as a whole.”
The top four of the AFL Canberra Community Men’s Division 1 is now officially set: Batemans Bay Seahawks finish as minor premiers in first, followed by Woden Blues in second, ANU Griffins in third, and the ADFA Rams proudly claiming fourth. The Rams will now prepare for a challenging Elimination Final against the ANU Griffins on August 9, a clash that promises another intense battle as they vie for the 2025 premiership.
– Tully Potts
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