Inaugural Foxtel Cup winner Williamstown was knocked out of this year’s edition at the hands of SANFL club South Adelaide at the MCG on Saturday, as Adem Saricaoglu reports.
In a low-scoring game the Seagulls couldn’t claw their way back into the lead, leaving their run too late into the game to go down by five points, 6.7 (43) to 6.12 (48).
Williamstown coach Peter German was bitterly disappointed after the game, and was blunt in his assessment of his team’s effort.
“We were terrible, we played terribly all game to be honest,” he said.
“Our start was poor, I think it was 10 inside-50s to them and four to us (in the first quarter), so that tells you right from the start our willingness to work as hard as them right from the start wasn’t there.
“We just didn’t seem as hungry and as committed to the one-percenters, and I think their three smothers (late in the third quarter inside Williamstown’s 50) really summed up their desperation in that 10-second block.
“They showed that endeavour far more often than what we did.”
Williamstown’s Anthony Anastasio scored the only goal of the first quarter as the Seagulls took a five-point lead into quarter time.
However the Panthers quickly took hold of the game early in the second term as free kicks inside defensive 50 began hurting Williamstown on the scoreboard.
Two quick goals to Matthew Panos briefly had the Seagulls out to a nine-point lead, but again it was the free kicks given away inside defensive 50 that cost them the lead at the main break.
South Adelaide continued to pepper their goal after halftime, and they were eventually rewarded when Andrew Ainger slotted his second goal for the game to extend their lead to 11.
The Panthers began dominating Williamstown out of the middle and could probably have iced the game before the final change, but wayward kicking limited the three-quarter margin to 15.
Kwame McHarg finally found the goals for Williamstown early in the last term, reducing the margin to nine and breathing life into the contest.
Down by 13 points with time running out, the Seagulls were able to find space and stream through the corridor to set up a Dale Hoghton goal, but minutes later golden opportunities went begging for Dylan Conway and Jack Frost, leaving the Seagulls five points short at the final siren.
German said his side should have made more of its opportunities throughout the game.
“I think it was a bit windy but good players can control the ball in these conditions,” he said.
German then said he felt his team was left unrewarded for its pressure, as opposed to South Adelaide, who squandered numerous scoring opportunities from free kicks throughout the game.
“It’s always disappointing to give away free kicks but it’s also disappointing not to be rewarded time and time again with our tackles and not getting free kicks, I thought that was on the flipside,” German said.
“They were getting them inside-50 and our willingness to tackle and pressure never got rewarded really for the whole game.”
With Foxtel Cup games shortened to about 20 minutes a quarter, German said it’s a challenge to make strategic moves in these games.
“A lot of the time you’ll be trying to get messages out and before you know it the quarter’s over.
“That’s where you really ask your players to think on their feet a bit.
“This is like playing Twenty20 cricket really, before you know it the game’s over and we move on, so we’ve got Coburg next week and we’re really looking forward to it.”
Panos was Williamstown’s leading goal-scorer with two, while Anastasio, Hoghton, McHarg and Brodie Moles all got singles.
Ed Carr led the way for disposals, gaining 23, while Lin Jong, Jamie McNamara, Clay Smith and Michael Stockdale all got 17 for the Seagulls.
Last Modified on 14/05/2012 09:07