Shorthanded Williamstown showcased the depth of talent on its playing list in a 107-point win over Frankston Dolphins in the VFL at Burbank Oval on Saturday.
A virus spread through the Seagulls in the lead-up to the match, forcing a number of changes.
The reinforcements, including debutant Harley Walshe, lapped up the chance to play senior football and ensured no upset would be on the cards.
Seagulls football manager Chris Dixon said the club relished the opportunity to give players senior opportunities.
“The guys that came in represented our club well,” he said.
It was a professional performance from the Seagulls.
They could have taken their eyes off the ball when facing a side that had not won a game all season and with the bye coming this week.
But they set the tone early and showed no mercy to the hapless Dolphins.
The Seagulls booted six goals to one in the opening term and extended the lead at every change to finish with 42 scoring shots to 10.
“For them to come out, especially early on, and really put their foot down and show what type of performance we want to put out, it went a long way to securing the result in the end,” Dixon said.
It all started for the Seagulls through Nick Meese’s influence in the ruck.
Meese an under-sized ruckman listed at 197 centimetres, continues to battle out of his height division with success.
He racked up a whopping 52 hit-outs, 28 possessions and 11 clearances to easily be the best big on the ground.
At 26 and in career-best form, it could be argued he is worth a look for a spot on an AFL rookie list.
“It would be hard to find a better state league ruckman in the country,” Dixon said.
“If he was five centimetres taller, I’m sure he would be on an AFL list now.”
Adam Marcon is another player who should be on the AFL radar.
Relishing the service from Meese’s tap work, Marcon has been racking up the possessions and is finding a way to hit the scoreboard from the midfield.
There was a nice spread of Seagulls goalkickers once again, with 10 individuals scoring
, including four to Dylan Conway and two each to Andrew Gallucci, Ben Casley, Anthony Anastasio, Brayden Monk and Leigh Masters.
The Seagulls are perched on top of the table ahead of the bye and are one of the form teams of the competition.
But they are still yet to create a whole lot of breathing space in a top eight separated by just eight points.
The Seagulls next game is a blockbuster on July 25 against traditional rival Port Melbourne at North Port Oval.
Meanwhile, Footscray enjoyed a 68-point win over Collingwood at the Whitten Oval to move up to fourth on the ladder.
The Bulldogs kicked away in a nine-goal-to-two last term on a day when rookie Bailey Dale claimed best-on-ground honours with four goals and Stewart Crameri played himself into senior contention with three.
