North Ballarat is in the top eight for the first time since round one after the Roosters handed Williamstown its third loss in four games at a soggy Burbank Oval on Sunday, as Adem Saricaoglu reports.
The seven-point win also knocked the Seagulls out of the eight for the first time this year.
After both sides kicked a combined 7.1 in the first quarter, Williamstown squandered several scoring opportunities in the second term.
The Seagulls added nine behinds to its tally in the quarter and went goalless, while North Ballarat’s 1.4 ensured them a six-point lead at halftime.
Williamstown coach Peter German admitted after the game his side’s second quarter inaccuracy was ultimately costly.
“If you want to isolate where we lost the game you could probably say that was the quarter,” German said.
“To have 23 inside-50s to eight in the second quarter and to kick nine points and actually lose the quarter by a point, it’s disappointing.
“We’ve worked really hard to get the ball in there, but until we can start being able to hit the scoreboard and reward ourselves with our good work, then we’ll keep putting ourselves in tight finishes.”
Williamstown’s midfield dominance continued after the main break, but staunch defending by the Roosters’ back line ensured goals were still hard to come by.
However the Seagulls managed to scrap a goal to get themselves in front, which kick-started an end-to-end shootout.
But it was the Roosters who again made the better of its opportunities, and with two goals in a minute to Aaron Black and Lachlan George their lead was again beyond a goal.
Williamstown kept on pressing, but continued to blow golden chances.
Three shots on goal late in the third quarter all missed out on the full, and by three-quarter time their deficit remained eight points.
In the second minute of the final term Jason Tutt kicked his third goal to again bring the Seagulls back within a kick, but four minutes later the Roosters answered through Ben Cunnington, who slotted his fourth goal with a classy set shot.
Williamstown kept on coming, but every time they did North Ballarat had an answer.
The arm wrestle continued into time-on, as the Seagulls continually won the footy but struggled to penetrate North Ballarat’s last line of defence.
Rooster Coleman Schache seemingly iced the game with a goal at the 24-minute mark, but when Williamstown’s Ed Carr broke free from a stoppage in the forward pocket and goaled three minutes later, the game was once more in the balance.
However the resilient Roosters proved too good, working the clock down and forcing two behinds deep inside their own 50 to seal a stirring win.
North Ballarat coach Gerard FitzGerald was proud of his side’s resilience after the game.
“I thought our resilience was outstanding today,” FitzGerald said.
“We had one other very close game against Casey earlier in the year and we weren’t quite able to hang onto the ball that day, so we learned a lot from that game.
“We needed to be a bit more measured today late in the game when we had the ball.”
FitzGerald said the efforts of his back line were particularly impressive.
“I was very pleased with our group generally,” he said.
“I thought we had some very good players in the backline because there were times there when Williamstown was getting a lot of the ball, and it put a lot of pressure on our back six.
“I thought they were terrific.”
German said he was happy with the effort his young side produced, but admitted it lacked execution when opportunities arose.
“Effort was ok, but at the end of the day you’ve got to be able to have the composure to be able to just do the right thing at the right time,” German said.
“You look at Marc Grieg for them, his ability to cut off four or five forward thrusts from us in the end just showed that experienced players can really make a difference when the game gets in the balance, and we seem to not be getting the rub of the green in that area.
When asked to rate the potency of his forward line, German gave it “three out of 10”.
“Grant missed a few but if he turns them into goals, all of a sudden he becomes an effective player for us in those conditions,” German said.
“It’s wasn’t a day for forwards, but you’ve got to take your chances, these are the days where the unlikely heroes are the ones who step up.”
Round 15 sees Williamstown hosting Collingwood at Burbank Oval on Sunday, while the Roosters face a refreshed and in-form Bendigo outfit at Eureka Stadium, also on Sunday.
Last Modified on 03/07/2012 16:31