Williamstown fluffed its chance to get back to the top of the VFL ladder when it lost to Geelong by 16 points at Burbank Oval on Sunday.
With Casey Scorpions on the bye, the Seagulls had a free hit at getting top spot back but were left lamenting woeful inaccuracy, with nine extra scoring shots still not getting the job done.
Of their 22 scoring shots, the Seagulls turned just five into goals, while Geelong was nigh on impeccable with 10.3.
Michael Gibbons was again best-on- ground for Williamstown, the fourth time in 10 matches the midfielder has been named best for the Seagulls.
Ben Bese and Willie Wheeler were the other stand-outs for the Seagulls.
Williamstown will be looking to bounce back when it hosts bottom-of-the-ladder North Ballarat at Burbank Oval on Sunday.
In women’s VFL, VU-Western Spurs had a tough time against St Kilda, going down by 33 points at Peanut Farm Reserve. With just four wins in 10 games, the Spurs will need to get a wriggle on if they want to be part of this year’s finals.
In TAC Cup, it was a sombre trip home for the Western Jets, upset by a struggling Gippsland Power by 43 points at Morwell on Saturday.
The Jets let a golden opportunity slip against a Power side that had won only one of its first 10 games.
There was a top-eight spot up for grabs, but the Jets were out-hustled by a side with nothing to play for except pride.
“They were a bit more hungry and wanted it a bit more,” Jets coach Torin Baker told Star Weekly.
Of concern to the Jets was a knee injury to Blake Graham, who sustained damage to his posterior cruciate ligament. A timeframe for his return will be known after scans this week.
And the Jets were without Nick Stuhldreier for most of the game after he was left dazed by a heavy knock.
A pre-game illness jeopardised the ability of Luke Hitch to stamp his authority, but he fought through pain to produce a game good enough to have him judged among the Jets’ best.
But Baker was blunt in his assessment of players’ performances. Besides Oscar Junker’s late impact as a forward, some run and carry from Daniel Foley and the ball-winning ability of Nick Giarrizzo, most Jets were down on their usual output. They travel to Stawell on Sunday for a tough encounter against fifth-placed North Ballarat Rebels.
