Fitzpatrick fairytale slips away

FOR a fleeting moment, Brothers stalwart Ben Fitzpatrick’s final CDRL match looked to be a fairytale, but it ended in bittersweet circumstances.

The brethren held a commanding 24-6 lead in their semi-final against Yarrabah Seahawks only to lose 32-28 at Barlow Park last Sunday afternoon.

Fitzpatrick had a chance to score a late match-winning try off a pass from Corey Child but couldn’t cross the line.

“All I had to do is catch it,” he said wistfully post-match. “It would have been nice. “But we’ve got a good young team. If they stick together they’ll only go further and further.

“We should have run away with that … I’m pretty gutted.

“We had a good lead and they had two players sent off.

“There was a good opportunity for us … (but) it happens.”

Asked if he’d consider taking up a coaching position, Fitzpatrick said he was “no chance” of taking up an official role with a CDRL club next season.

“I’m done. I’m happy to have finished,” he said.

The longtime clubman said the strong sense of camaraderie within the group would hold the team in good stead.

“It’s a great bunch of blokes that enjoy not just playing together (but) hanging out with each other, which is good to see,” Fitzpatrick said.