When Andy Collins led Williamstown to a long-awaited VFL premiership last season, he made it clear that his next mission was to help the club improve on its one-flag-per-decade strike rate that has been alive since the 1980s.
The Seagulls had spent 12 years in the wilderness, but a fourth premiership since 1986 would satisfy the fan base and draw envy from supporters of most other clubs.
In agreeing to terms on a two-year coaching extension with the Seagulls, Collins will not only be at the forefront of the club’s premiership defence, but continue with his stated aim of producing a long-term powerhouse.
“We’re all on the same page with that,” Seagulls football manager Chris Dixon told Star Weekly. “They’re extremely tough to win, so we’re realistic about that too, but we only want to get better.
“Everyone is driven to make sure we can, hopefully, establish a period of success. But it doesn’t come from sitting on your hands, so we’re going to be digging in to make sure we’re putting ourselves in a position to make the finals and have another crack at it.”
Williamstown’s off-season strategy has been focused on retention and with a high volume of premiership players recommitting, the signatures of coach Collins, assistant coach Robert Campbell and high-performance manager Cam Micallef were a high priority.
When you win a VFL flag, coaches field calls from AFL clubs about job opportunities, rival VFL clubs try to prise away the masterminds behind the operation and local clubs throw money hoping to land a big fish.
The Seagulls might have struggled to sell their retention strategy without locking away the coaches who took them to the top.
“There will always be clubs putting in an offer so we’re really pleased we’ve been able to retain them.”
It is inevitable that movement occurs in and out of a VFL club each year.
Premiership stars Scott Clouston and Mitch Banner have opted to return to local football. while Ben Casley, who lacked first team opportunities with the Seagulls, will try his luck with the Northern Blues. It will be sad for the Seagulls to bid
adieu but it will not set them back. The Seagulls have built a successful development league team in recent seasons and those vacancies will provide opportunities for younger players on the list.
“One of our favourite stats for the year was that five players who played in the 2014 development league grand final went on to play in the 2015 senior grand final,” Dixon said.
“That’s what a lot of our team has been built on, guys who have been brought in through the TAC Cup system.”
A key component to ensuring the next generation of players comes through is former Footscray and St Kilda defender and Springvale premiership coach Michael Ford, who will coach the development league team next season.
The Seagulls could still have a number of ins in the coming weeks, but Dixon said the club would wait until the dust had settled on the AFL rookie and pre-season drafts to see which players were available.
