By Molly Magennis
Williamstown Seagulls VFLW came agonisingly close to taking home its first win in six weeks at the weekend, but were stopped by North Melbourne who remain eager to find a spot in the top six.
While the Gulls fought hard and looked to be in it, an inability to convert earlier on in the game ultimately let the team down in the final stretch, allowing the Roos to claim a 7.7 (49) to 7.5 (47) victory.
It was an up and down game for the Seagulls, who after a quiet first term found themselves in front by nine points heading into the main break.
However after two quick goals from dangerous forward Brittany Gibson, the Roos’ went into the final term with a crucial lead that in the end meant all the difference.
Coach Penny Cula-Reid said it wasn’t the fourth quarter performance that let the team down in the end, but rather the string of missed opportunities in the third term, and their inability to use a home ground advantage.
“In the third quarter, we had three shots on goal and we ended up kicking three points. One didn’t even make the distance just because I think for us, we know how that ground plays, but we weren’t playing to our advantage,” she said.
“It was just, you know, that middle patch, I think in the third quarter was you know, as I say the premiership quarter, that sort of took the game away from us.”
When compared to the last time the two teams met back in round five, the Gulls showed an obvious improvement, particularly in being able to stay in the game and fight until the last siren.
“Previously, we would have dropped our heads and you know, the teams would have kicked away however we really stuck together as a group and it was really nice and really pleasing to see these girls really fight to the end,” Cula-Reid said.
“In terms of what our brand was, we went so far away from who we were in the first game we played [North Melbourne] and it was just really pleasing to see the girls stick to our brand and stick to our guns and trust the process.”
Having the ‘Mac Attack’ duo in Cassie McWilliam and Sophia McCarthy back on field was a welcome sight, Cula-Reid said.
“They just bring a completely different dynamic to our forward line and we just look so much more lively. I guess the word is like we have more opportunity to score where we’ve got them in the team,” she said.
The Gulls have a tough two final rounds approaching, tackling Geelong this weekend and Hawthorn after.
Cula-Reid said despite the tough season, the club has got all the right ingredients to build a successful team.
“It’s just building a bit of resilience through these skills to fight to the end and I thought they really showed that in this game,” she said.
“So we’re going to contest ourselves to see where we’re at [against those] top two sides going into the 2023 season.”
