WILLIAMSTOWN is just one step away from playing in consecutive Victorian Football League grand finals.
The Seagulls get their chance to avenge last year’s heartbreaking loss to Port Melbourne in the big one when they meet their arch-enemy again in a preliminary final showdown at North Port Oval on Saturday.
Their remarkable formline continued with an eighth consecutive win, toppling Casey Scorpions by 37 points in a one-sided affair at Casey Fields on Saturday.
The Seagulls were at their dogged best against the minor premiers.
They restricted the home side to just five goals to send them packing for a straight-sets finals exit.
Seagulls coach Peter German said the work at the clearances was going to go a long way to determining a winning side.
“We knew with players like [Tom] Couch and [David] Collins and [Jordan] Gysberts, it was going to be really important around the stoppages today and there were a lot of them,” he told ABC-TV after the game.
“I thought our players were good on the inside and the outside.”
James Wall showed tremendous versatility to be named best on ground.
The jack of all trades finished with 14 kicks, seven handballs and six marks to continue his stellar second half of the season.
Ed Carr, Kwame McHarg, Ben Jolley and Jack Chareston were also prolific ball winners.
Western Bulldogs-aligned forwards Patrick Veszpremi and Matthew Panos booted three goals apiece and Tom Hill added two.
Meanwhile, AFL Victoria will hold its Young Guns game as a curtain-raiser to Sunday’s preliminary final between the Werribee Tigers and Geelong Cats at North Port Oval.
This could be the last chance for a host of young VFL, TAC Cup and even local players to impress in front of the AFL recruiters.
Selectors have named Young Western Jets stars Ajdin Elkasovic, Josh Bench, Spencer White, Jack Walker and Scott Greenhough in the initial squad.
VFL
Semi finals
Seniors:Casey Scorpions 5.8 (38) lt Williamstown 11.9 (75).
Williamstown — Goals: P. Veszpremi 3, M. Panos 3, T. Hill 2, E. Carr, D. Conway, F. Roberts. Best:
J. Wall, B. Jolley, J. McNamara, B. Goodes, E. Carr, C. Lockwood.
Development: Williamstown 10.7 (67) lt Coburg Tigers 11.5 (71).
Williamstown — Goals: J. Bench 3, C. Nastasi 2, M. Lyons, M. Fogarty, J. Wallace, J. Polizzi, J. Gray. Best: M. Cravino, S. Critchley, M. Fogarty,
J. Bench, J. Morris, S. Wyatt.
