Williamstown is again the premier state league football club in the land.
The Seagulls collected a second Foxtel Cup title in four seasons with a stroll-in-the-park 63-point win over shell-shocked WAFL premiers West Perth in the grand final at Simonds Stadium in Geelong.
It was a groundbreaking night as the unrelenting Gulls restricted the WA side to a single goal and the lowest score in the competition’s history, with a lopsided scoreline of 10.11 (71) to 1.2 (8).
The Seagulls are the first club to swoop on multiple Foxtel Cup titles after winning the inaugural competition in 2011 under previous coach Peter German.
The mastermind of this Cup run, Andy Collins, created his own slice of history, standing on the podium as the only two-time premiership coach in the knockout trophy’s short history. He won his first title with West Adelaide last year.
In Williamstown’s 150th year and a year after severing its Western Bulldogs link, the Seagulls were eager to add more silverware to an already-bulging trophy cabinet and prove it can again succeed as a stand-alone club.
Ben Jolley has played a significant role in the Gulls’ two Foxtel Cup triumphs, the first time as best-on-ground in the decider and this time as the inspirational captain. He paid tribute to his team on the premiership dais.
“[It was a] fantastic effort,” he said. “We set ourselves a goal, I suppose. We were in this competition to win it and we achieved that.”
The Seagulls had winners across all lines and in every position on the ground.
Their ball movement was slick, utilising the overlap created by hard-working teammates.
They were more direct with their ball use and even happy to go to the air, such was their aerial domination.
On the other hand, West Perth was left embarrassed by its sloppy skills, ill-discipline and unwillingness to take risks. It was no surprise to see the Falcons finish with just the one goal across four insipid quarters.
Experienced Seagulls midfielder Ben Davies collected the Coles Medal as best-on-ground.
His workrate was unsurpassed and his impact was at its greatest early on when the game was up for grabs.
Scott Clouston, who moved from Werribee to Williamstown in the off-season, showed why the Seagulls were so eager to get him with a stellar performance across half forward.
The former Brisbane Lion marked everything that went his way, including one for the highlight reel when he went back with the flight of the ball in the face of oncoming traffic.
Clouston, Jack Johnstone and late inclusion Charlie Nastasi were the Seagulls’ multiple goalkickers, with two apiece.
Sean Tighe was an important physical presence when the game was at its hottest early on. Not only did he win the lion’s share of ruck battles, he followed up at ground level to win possession or create a hole for onballers Davies, Jolley and Kane Lambert.
If the Foxtel Cup is treated as a shop window for AFL recruiters, Lambert did his chances no harm with 20 possessions.
He oozed class with every touch and it would be a shock if he missed out again at the draft table.
Defensively, the Seagulls were miserly, building an impenetrable wall between the centre line and half back through Peter Faulks, Brad Mangan and Jake McKenzie.
Lance Jenkinson
