Williamstown curbed offensive juggernaut Casey Scorpions for a bounce-back 44-point win at Casey Fields on Saturday night.
The Seagulls had to re-group quickly on a six-day turnaround after a loss to Box Hill Hawks in the VFL grand final re-match.
And they did so in devastating fashion to beat the in-form Scorpions 17.12 (114)-11.4 (70).
“A lot of individuals were looking to make amends for their performances last week and as a team we did a lot wrong,” Seagulls football manager Chris Dixon told Star Weekly.
“It was pleasing we could put all the talk about it during the week into action and put in a four-quarter performance.”
Of concern to Williamstown was the Scorpions’ ability to score quickly and heavily, and nothing short of their best football for the full 120 minutes would be enough to bring the four points back to Morris Street.
“Casey have been really dominant in the second halves and particularly in the last quarter,” Dixon said.
“They’d kicked something like 22 goals in their previous two last quarters, so even when we were five or six goals up at three-quarter time, we were mindful that the game was still on the line.”
After taking a six-point lead into quarter time, Williamstown gained the ascendancy with a five goals to two second term.
It all started out of the middle for the Seagulls, with ruckman Nick Meese racking up 52 hit-outs against Scorpion bigs Max King and Oscar McInerny.
Willie Wheeler, aided by some clever tap work from Meese, returned to his best with 14 clearances, while former St Kilda utility Arryn Siposs booted four goals.
Williamstown will return to Burbank Oval on Sunday for a clash with traditional rival Port Melbourne.
The game will start at 11.40am to accommodate Channel Seven’s live broadcast leading into its Sunday AFL game. It’s a game that is unlikely to disappoint the neutral observers.
“They’re coming in with some form, as are we,” Dixon said. “When we play the old enemy, it’s a bit like the Anzac Day game; no matter where the teams are on the ladder, it’s always a good contest.”
Meanwhile, Footscray dropped to 1-2 after a disappointing 18.9 (117)-12.17 (89) loss to Sandringham Zebras at Trevor Barker Oval.
The Bulldogs will now host Werribee Tigers in a mouth-watering contest at Whitten Oval from noon on Saturday.
