By Lance Jenkinson
You know how well Williamstown CYMS is travelling when its coach Mathew Montebello remarks “we still had our frustrations today” after they thrashed Marcellin by 65 points.
The CYs might not have enjoyed the most aesthetically pleasing win but it sure was effective as they racked up a seventh consecutive win in a quick kill in the Victorian Amateur Football Association Premier C game at Fearon Reserve on Saturday.
“It just wasn’t a free flowing game for us in the second half,” Montebello said.
“The boys worked really hard in the second quarter, but the game closed up a little bit in the third, so Marcellin did a really good job.”
It was much better than the alternative for Williamstown CYMS.
Last year, it was Marcellin who knocked CYs out of the finals, so they were keen for a bit of payback.
“They gave us a bit of a reality check about what Premier C football was like,” Montebello said.
It was a result that showed how far Williamstown CYMS have come in 11 months.
The CYs youngsters have developed at a fast rate and their new recruits have gelled magnificently.
There is a real togetherness about the 2018 version of CYs that Montebello likes.
“I’m really proud of how well they’ve bonded together,” Montebello said.
“It’s a massive factor in any level of sport, but particularly local level.”
Williamstown CYMS once again showed its a well balanced side.
The CYs scored over 100 points for a 10th time this season and held Marcellin, a side that had averaged 78 points per game, to just 43.
“We have some firepower, we can put the points up, but we do pride ourselves on being able to restrict teams a little bit more than we can out-kick them,” Montebello said.
Williamstown CYMS had 10 goalkickers, including six – Nick Ebinger, Jacob Wheelahan, Ben Gray, Sam Callard, Jack Gray and Russell Ackerly –who snared two goals apiece.
Defensively, CYs strangled the life out of Marcellin. Montebello praised the influence of defensive coach David Ackerly, who has the CYs backline, including captain Fin Adamson, Ben Connolly, Jack Connolly, Kallan Dawson and Damon Tucker, working nicely as a unit.
“I’m blessed that I’ve got a 200-game AFL footballer in Dave Ackerly as my backline coach,” he said.
Williamstown CYMS will travel to fifth-placed PEGS on Saturday.
