Williamstown slumped to the ground when the final siren sounded and the scoreboard told the story of a 56-point Grand Final loss at the hands of Port Melbourne, as Brittany Shanahan reports.
Thousands of fans flocked to the Etihad Stadium surface on Sunday, celebrating with the Borough whilst Peter German and his group sat, wondering, where did it all go horribly wrong?
Early into the final quarter, just 15 points separated the two sides before the floodgates opened and it was raining goals for Port Melbourne.
In what is the oldest rivalry in VFL/VFA history, the physicality matched the rivalry of the days when Billy Swan, (Father of Dane and Williamstown/Port Melbourne legend) pulled on the boots.
The Seagulls flexed their muscles in the first term, kicking four goals to none in front of 11,859 fans.
Moments before quarter time, Will Minson was steamrolling across the broadcast wing when Ryan ‘Shooter’ McMahon stopped him in his tracks. It was evidently a sign of things to come.
Williamstown showcased 15 primary and rookie listed players but the average age of the side was just 22, three year’s younger than Port Melbourne’s.
Matthew Panos played the bulk of the season in defence but he proved to be a vital part to keeping the Seagulls premiership hopes alive, booting four goals for the match.
In the battle of the midfields, Nathan Djerrkura worked tirelessly to create run through the centre corridor but the Borough were too strong, creating turnover’s and rebounding out of defence.
The Seagulls couldn’t keep up with the pace of the Borough when they opened up the forward line particularly through Dean Galea and Patrick Rose, kicking goals from mercurial angles.
Post match Williamstown coach, Peter German bottled up a world of emotions and held back tears, acknowledging his side wasn’t good enough on the day.
“You actually know the feeling, if you’re lucky enough to win a premiership, it’s probably the greatest feelings you could have and knowing that someone else is having that feeling and you’re not…a lot of things go through your mind,” German said.
“We still felt we were a chance (at three quarter time).
“We rolled the dice late in the game and that either gets you goals or costs you goals. Once the floodgates open, good luck in trying to stop them.”
Gracious in defeat, German said that despite having a list boasting a number of Western Bulldog players, it proves what a quality side Port Melbourne has become.
“They have been able to build this for a long time,” German said.
“It’s an outstanding line-up and it almost needs a really good AFL contingent to beat them.
“When you come off a loss like that you start thinking who let you down rather than who played well.
“They (Port Melbourne) were hungry for it and they were deserving of it and in many ways, I felt, the better side won.”
Photo credit: Damian Visentini
Last Modified on 26/09/2011 16:09