A six-goal haul to Western Bulldogs rookie Matthew Panos has helped Williamstown cap off an impressive 2011 season with a 93-point drubbing of Frankston on Sunday as James Hunter Smith reports.
In front of a raucous Dolphins crowd, the Seagulls kept the home side goalless in the second and final quarters to cruise to a 20.18 (138) to 6.9 (45) win.
Had Williamstown kicked straighter, the score line could have been a lot worse.
The win has locked the Seagulls into second place on the Peter Jackson VFL ladder, setting up a showdown with North Ballarat in the Qualifying Final- a team Williamstown has not beaten in two encounters this year.
Ben Jolley found plenty of the ball for the visitors with 32 possessions, while Ben Davies, David Stretton and Brett Goodes all racked up 27 touches each.
Sam Reid’s strong game (27 possessions) was soured by a report in the second quarter for rough misconduct against Tyson Mitchem, leaving Williamstown with a nervous wait to see if he is cleared for next week.
For Frankston, youngster Mark Baguley continued his stellar form with a best-on-ground performance while Jake Greeley booted three goals.
Seagulls coach Peter German said while the scoreboard reflected a huge deficit, Frankston played out a hard-fought game.
“I don’t think we should’ve had it all our own way,” he said.
“We knew they were going to come out and take the game on…I thought it was a pretty good hit out.”
Despite the convincing win, German admitted his side still had areas to work on heading into the finals.
“When you have a good win you can still work on certain areas,” he said.
“Our ball use can still improve, our structures and stoppages can still improve.”
German said he is confident going into next week’s clash with the Roosters despite the possibility of further roster changes.
“[We’re] as confident as you can be, I guess. We’ll see what happens with selections, if our side will stay the same or have six or seven changes again,” he said.
“I just like to think that whoever does roll out, they’re blokes who’ve been with us for a majority of the year and they’re going to tackle the game.
“I think it’ll be a ripping game of footy.”
Williamstown was faced with an enthusiastic Dolphins outfit early, who matched – and even outplayed – the visitors in the opening quarter.
A courageous marking attempt from ruckman Russell Gabriel allowed Greeley to crumb a loose ball and slot his first major to the delight of the Frankston faithful.
But Williamstown’s dominant second quarter all but blew the game out as the visitors piled on six goals to Frankston’s two behinds, including two majors to Panos from undisciplined 50m penalties.
Frankston showed some fight early in the third term and was determined to finish the season on a positive note.
But Williamstown charged on, blocking out the slightly off-key trumpet solos blaring from the sea of Frankston supporters as Ed Carr stretched the lead out to 56 points midway through the quarter.
Frankston’s effort was never questioned throughout the game, but the young players struggled to match the intensity and physicality of Williamstown’s more experienced playing core.
A blistering burst of speed early in the final quarter saw Panos dribble through his fifth for the day, promptly followed by a Michael Fogarty goal as the Seagulls continued to roll their opponents.
The final siren signalled not only a comprehensive 93-point win for Williamstown, but also the end to Frankston’s season.
When asked about the most pleasing aspect of the game, German simply replied with: “We got the four points. And a home final.”
The Seagulls take on North Ballarat at Box Hill next Sunday in the second Qualifying Final.
Last Modified on 31/08/2011 14:51