Williamstown were hoping for a fairytale return to Burbank Oval last Saturday, but after 18 months of homesickness it was no ‘happily ever after’ going down to Box Hill in a six-point thriller. Brendan Lucas reports.
Windy, wet and a soggy pitch set the scene – it seemed like a Seagulls day out.
Post-match coach Peter German could only lament his side’s inability to capitalise on opportunities.
“You have to take your chances in the conditions, that’s what it comes down to,” he said.
However, the Seagulls took advantage of their chances in the first term - five goals to one giving the Hawks headaches in defence.
Liam Jones set the tone up forward for the Seagulls, but had no help from teammates, pushing up the ground to win his own ball.
But it was all one-way traffic in the second term - the Seagulls were smashed around the stoppages.
A snap from Cameron Bruce who kicked his second put the Hawks in front by one at the 21-minute mark.
Small-forward Andrew Hooper turned it on for the Seagulls in the third quarter with two goals bringing the lead out to 10-points at the 17-minute mark.
With a four-point margin in favour of Williamstown, coach Peter German was animated at the final break and hungry for a win.
The ground became soaked in the final term, and the small forwards rose to the occasion.
Early final term goals to Andrew Hooper and Hawks young-gun Amos Frank set the game alight.
However it was the Hawks’ forwards who made the most impact.
Andrew Hooper’s fourth at the 29-minute mark brought the margin back to seven-points.
A late miss by the Seagulls Brodie Moles all but ended the heartbreaking loss.
Williamstown coach Peter German said his side paid the price with costly mistakes and their poor record in the wet.
“We continually made errors at critical times which allowed them to kick some goals,” he said.
“I just thought Box Hill in the end were more clinical.”
“I just think we don’t adapt quickly enough with our ball use in the wet, I think that is critical.”
On a lighter note, German said the club’s new facilities gave Williamstown the opportunity to be more competitive.
“You are trying to attract players, and it is hard to do that when you were bringing them down here, in many ways it was embarrassing. So the club has worked really hard to get this, and we have to make sure that the players appreciate it and use what they have now.”
Last Modified on 14/06/2012 16:14