Recap

Fitzroy have returned to the winners’ list just one round after their first loss of the season, beating third placed Balwyn to keep the pressure on league leaders Carlton.

Balwyn started the game explosively, opening the scoring in the first minute of play.

That explosiveness transformed from a positive to a negative in a matter of minutes, as Balwyn manager Gabriel Zeballos was sent to the stands for descent by referee Evan Robotis.

That shift in momentum was enough to see Fitzroy turn the game on its head and take a three goal to one lead into the half-time break.

Balwyn scored the first goal of the second half to close the gap to just the one goal; but that is as good as it got for The Blues, as Fitzroy scored the final two goals of the game to run away with the win, their sixth in seven games this season.

Man of the Match: Fernando De Moraes (Fitzroy FC)