Williamstown CYMS fell victim to a withering 15-minute burst from
the irresistible Hampton Rovers in a Victorian Amateur Football
Association division 1 semi-final at Trevor Barker Oval in Sandringham
on Saturday.
The CYs will take the long route in the finals, cashing in their
double chance before taking on Ormond in the preliminary final on
Saturday, while the already promoted Rovers await their grand-final
challenger.
CYs coach Mathew Montebello cut a frustrated figure at the weekend, knowing his players’ best was good enough to match it with the Rovers for three and a bit quarters, only for a second-quarter “brain fade” to cost them.
“Basically it was 15 minutes of footy that didn’t go to plan,” he
said. “We were even in the first, won the third and won the last, but
you can’t give a team eight goals in the one quarter and expect to make
up that difference.”
“The positive is that for three quarters we can go with them.”
This was a new experience for CYs.
The club has not featured in division 1 finals, and some of the
players were experiencing senior finals football for the first time.
“The club hasn’t played finals since ’09 and never played finals at this level,” Montebello said.
“More than half of the side hasn’t played senior finals before. It’s definitely a learning curve.”
After a tentative opening from both sides, Rovers upped the ante
with an exhilarating eight-goal-to-nil second term. Competitive in the
first term, CYs went missing in the second, failing to register a score.
CYs outscored their opponents in the third and fourth quarters, but the damage had been done.
“It comes down to mental application,” Montebello said.
“Having it for four quarters of footy is so important.”
CYs were lacking in terms of big-game players standing up and taking game by the scruff of the neck.
Solid contributions came from Jake MacKenzie in defence, Tim
Murphy on the wing and Jason Bencich in the guts, but the Rovers were
more willing when the match was on the line.
CYs captain Ben Gray booted four goals, while Josh Vanderloo added two.
