There was a real buzz in the air as players got around the excitement of the Pride Round and everything that it meant for the club. Rainbow painted faces and flags up and down the grandstand gave the day an insatiable atmosphere.

The Reserves were clearly pumped for a big game of footy, and it was action-packed from the first bounce. Emma “Tags” Mactaggart continues to be an absolute menace in the midfield, and her energy off the mark is unmatched. Seemingly blessed with an abundance of towering recruits this year, the Reserves are never short of an excellent tall ruck. Bec Mercer continues to show no mercy when she lines up the ball in the ruck.

The season, the Reserves have shown signs of maturity beyond many players footy years. Their link-ups, the way they move the ball down the wing show they are clearly working well together as a team and putting the drills into practice. Co-caption Schmitty provided outstanding leadership and direction in the midfield, driving the ball out of heavy and muddy contests. And we are loving the big, bold bulldozing energy that Suzie De Abreu is bringing to the game – even if that energy is roosting the ball down the wrong end of the field. Thanks to fast-reacting backliners like Jess “Stocko” Stockton, the ball has difficulty making it into the opposition’s fifty.

We love to see the big hangers and cool, calm set shots Kat “Ratty” Capel lines up and sends through the big sticks like it ain’t no thing. Chasing down the lead, the Renos made sure Mazenod knew we weren’t going down without a fight. Liz “Lizzo” Fitzgerald gave the crowd what they were looking for when backing up the second half with a career-defining moment. Another incredible mark and set shot in front of goal. She showed us just how hot that hotspot can be in the right hands. You can tell the spirit of a team by how they celebrate their little wins. Watching the team get around the little victory that they knew meant the world to their team mate is why we keep coming back for more, even if the scoreboard doesn’t go in our favour at the end of the game.

In another history-defining moment, the Renegades were invited into the opposition’s change room to enjoy a half time Drag Show performance. You would never have guessed that 5 minutes earlier, the teams were hunting each other down on the football field as they joined together dancing and singing along with the performance. Looking around, you could see the joy in everyone’s faces as they embraced the theme of the day and celebrated everything LGBTIQ people and culture bring to our game and our community. It was one of those special moments everyone in the room will take away with them and has already got the team planning what they will do for next year’s Pride round.

It may not have been a win on the board, but hearing the opposition coach say the Brunswick Renegades are the hardest team to beat in the competition is a credit to our player’s determination never to give up.