A determined Williamstown outfit went close to ending top of the table Port Melbourne’s unbeaten VFL season on Saturday, going down by five points at Chirnside Park.

In an enthralling finish, the Seagulls trailed by three goals inside of five minutes remaining before consecutive majors to Mitch Hahn and Brett Goodes reduced the margin to less than a goal.

Moments later another Goodes snap appeared goal bound, however it faded late and with it Williamstown’s hopes of an upset victory.

Arguably the match of the VFL season to date, Williamstown supporters will draw much confidence from their team’s performance knowing they can match it with the league leaders come finals time.

Backing up from their Foxtel Cup Grand Final victory in Perth last Sunday, Williamstown added Bulldogs listed players Jarrad Grant, Will Minson, Lindsay Gilbee and Hahn to their line-up, while Matthew Cravino was rewarded for his first senior game of the year.

Return travel from Perth didn’t appear to impact the Seagulls’ performance, as it was them that started stronger through impressive forward pressure and fierce tackling. Grant was lively up forward early, as were Andrew Hooper and Patrick Veszpremi, with the Gulls slamming through seven goals to take a 27 point lead at the first change.

Inaccurate goal kicking prevented a larger quarter time margin, as did handing Port Melbourne two goals through free kicks at the other end.

Port Melbourne hit back hard the second quarter as the Borough’s Dwyer, Valenti and Francis started winning more football in the middle. Despite the defensive efforts of Dane Rampe and Ayce Cordy, Port Melbourne swung momentum their way kicking four goals to one, reducing the margin to eight points at the main break.

Ineffective disposals and turnovers hurt the Seagulls in the third quarter, with Port Melbourne continuing to assert their authority over the home side. Brett Johnson tried everything in the middle to will his side forward, but a lack of quality delivery inside forward 50m allowed Port Melbourne’s defence to thwart many attacks.

Minson continued to dominate the ruck amassing many of his game high 50 hit outs, but it was the Borough that kicked seven goals in the quarter to stretch their lead to 24 points entering red time.

A late goal to Lindsay Gilbee reduced the margin to three goals at the final change, providing the Gulls with hope for a final quarter comeback.

With nothing to lose, the Gulls took the game on in the last quarter through hard running and quick ball movement. In a pulsating final quarter, Port Melbourne appeared to have the game won on several occasions only for Williamstown to hit back and keep hope of an unlikely victory alive. Quick goals to Hahn and Goodes reduced the margin to five points, however that would be as close as the home team would get.

Williamstown   7.7  8.10  11.12  16.18 (114)
Port Melbourne   3.4  7.8  14.12  17.17 (119)

GOALS:
Williamstown: Grant 4 Veszpremi 3 Barlow 2 Hahn 2 Hooper 2 Panos  Gilbee  Goodes

BEST:
Williamstown: Minson Rampe Stretton Johnson Veszpremi Cordy


Development Report:

Williamstown continued their good form at development level, handing a 55 point defeat to title contenders Port Melbourne.

A poor last quarter prevented the winning margin from stretching further as the Gulls produced a dominant performance with many contributors. Ed Carr responded to his demotion from the senior side with a best on ground performance, while Tom Hill kicked six goals up forward in his second game back from injury.

Others to impress were defenders Jake Wilson and Lee Spiteri, while Sam Caruso, Dylan Conway and Dion Lawson were valuable contributors through the midfield and across half forward.


Next Week:

Williamstown heads across town to tackle the Box Hill Hawks next Saturday, with victory required to cement second place on the VFL ladder.

Williamstown v Box Hill

Saturday 20th August, 2011
Box Hill City Oval
Development: 10:10am,  Seniors: 1:10pm