Williamstown showed how far it has come in 12 months under coach Andy Collins when it held on for a thrilling one-point win over Northern Blues in the Victorian Football League season opener on Saturday.
The Seagulls lost the corresponding game to the Blues in similar circumstances last season.
Saturday’s result, and how it was crafted, show how comfortable the players are with the plans laid out by Collins for late-game situations.
Seagulls football manager Chris Dixon said the side performed really well when up by a point in the last three or four minutes.
“We were smart in the way we controlled certain situations – we were killing time and clogging it up,” he said.
“It’s funny – you look back 12 months ago when we were in the exact same situation against the Northern Blues.
“This year, we’ve had a much settled list … having less changeover probably allowed us to win the game in the end, because the boys knew each other, knew how we play.”
In beating a Blues team that featured 18 AFL-listed players, the Seagulls proved once again that standalone sides can succeed in this competition.
That the Seagulls ran the game out strongly can be attributed to the late start to the season.
“I think we’ll find across the competition that most of the teams will be fit, but certainly we were pleased to run out the game strongly in that last quarter and overcome a deficit,” Dixon said.
When the going got tough for the Seagulls, they called on their leaders to stand up.
Peter Faulks, Sam Dunell, Ben Jolley, David Fahey, Mitch Banner and Cameron Lockwood answered the call. Faulks was impenetrable at the back, standing tall for the four quarters and marking the Blues dangerous key forwards.
In his first official game with the Seagulls new recruit Dunell, a former St Kilda player at the top level, proved how valuable he will be starring in attack with two goals and having a hand in a number of others.
“He was really important for us,” Dixon said. “He’s a hard player to match up on because he’s so strong overhead but he also covers a lot of territory.”
The Seagulls had 12 individual goalkickers.
“We’re the sort of team that is going to rely on an even spread of goalkickers. We think we can get a lot of goals from our midfielders and we also think we’ve got a real good mix up forward,” Dixon said.
Williamstown will play its first home game of the season against Sandringham at Burbank Oval on Sunday from 2pm.
The club is encouraging families to attend the home opener with free kids activities on offer.
Colourful former Richmond player Jake King will be the president’s luncheon guest. Tickets are available through the club’s website at www.williamstownfc.com.au.
Meanwhile, it was a bittersweet opening to the VFL season for Footscray.
Before the game, the Bulldogs had the thrill of unfurling the 2014 flag for which they worked so hard last season. And there was the feel-good factor of the successful return of Clay Smith from a second knee injury.
But the Box Hill Hawks exacted revenge in the grand final re-match with a hit-and-run 13-point win at the Whitten Oval on Saturday.
The wayward kicking Dogs managed only two goals after half-time.
The Bulldogs will host Casey Scorpions at Barkly Street from noon on Sunday.
