By Molly Magennis
The Williamstown Seagulls VFLW suffered a tough loss against North Melbourne on Sunday, in what could have been a winnable match for the struggling side.
The Gulls started off pretty strong, but were no match for the Roo’s who picked up the pace in the second quarter and outscored Williamstown 6.8 (44) to 1.4 (10).
The first term looked promising, with Bridie Kennedy hitting the scoreboard for Williamstown halfway through the quarter, and the rest of the Gull’s keeping North Melbourne goalless.
Kennedy’s goal would be their last however, as the Roo’s managed to find their momentum, building quarter on quarter, covering every inch of the ground.
North Melbourne’s dominance was clear when comparing their performance to the Gulls. The Roo’s had 252 disposals compared to 171, 33 inside 50’s to 24 and 38 hitouts to 16 – all of which contributed to their easy win.
The loss marks the third week in a row the Gulls have left their games empty handed.
Coach Penny Cula-Reid agreed that her side had a great start, but fell back into their old routine once North picked up their pace.
“[We] started really strong with our ball movement and defensive principles, the midfields were getting the better of their opposition,” she said.
“Once North got on top and moved the ball around the ground we fell back into old habits, the same habits that we saw in round one versus Darebin.”
“It was clear that we allowed North to play their game, short chip kick and moving the ball to the open side of the ground with their 77 marks to our 10. We couldn’t get our hands on the footy due to our inability to shut down their ball movement.”
With North sitting three spots below Williamstown on the ladder prior to their match-up, there was no doubt the game was certainly winnable.
Cula-Reid said this loss opened up her eyes to where the team actually is, and what they need to change moving forward.
“It is obvious that we are far from where we thought we were. [We are] heading back to the drawing board and reassessing what our year is going to look like and what we can do to improve our players from a fundamental level.”
There were some individual efforts that shone through on the weekend however, including Jasmine Kawa, who led the disposal tally. With 28 disposals, four marks, five tackles and five clearances, Cula-Reid said Kawa continues to grow each week.
“She continues to improve her inside mid craft and workrate around the ground. I have been impressed with her body work and ability to win the ball in the contest.”
The Gull’s have a much needed bye next week, giving the players the opportunity to reset and refocus, and the club time to make some tough decisions about the rest of the season.
“For me, it’s going to give me the opportunity to have some tough conversations with some players about where they are at, and what is expected from them moving forward,” Cula-Reid said.
“Re-assessing the group, the program including staff and what we need to do as a collective to move forward. Hopefully this is the circuit breaker we need if we are going to see any success this year as a program.”
NORTH MELBOURNE 0.2 1.5 2.6 6.8 (44)
WILLIAMSTOWN 1.1 1.2 1.4 1.4 (10)
