Williamstown shot itself in the foot in a topsy-turvy two-point VFL loss to traditional rivals Port Melbourne at Burbank Oval on Sunday.
A combination of ill-discipline and wastefulness in front of goal saw the Seagulls spoil their undefeated record.
Seagulls football manager Chris Dixon said it was a frustrating day for his club.
“It was a very disappointing result in the end. It’s certainly one that got away,” he told Star Weekly.
The Seagulls players felt like they didn’t get the rub of the green with the umpires.
And the more lopsided the free kick count grew, the more they reacted, which led to a backlash from the men with the whistles.
Dixon admits his side needs to be more disciplined.
“The free kicks from our count were 39 to 22, so we’ve given away some free kicks, but we were really disappointed in the way our guys responded to that,” he said.
“They were a bit upset in some of the umpiring decisions and that resulted in a few 50-metre penalties, which were really crucial at the end of the day.
“That’s probably one of the main messages for us that we’ve got to be stronger with that.
“When goals are so hard to score, when you’re giving away 50s from set shots, it’s giving your opponent a free shot at goal and that’s huge.”
The Seagulls had their chances to win the match but blew it in front of goal.
They had eight more scoring shots than the visitors, only to kick more behinds than goals.
They scored just 2.5 with the breeze in the last term to keep the Borough in the game.
“We felt we had more of the ball and the better chances, but obviously we got hurt on the counter-attack at times,” Dixon said.
“We didn’t make enough of the opportunities in the last quarter, which ended up costing us the game.”
Sam Dunell was the Seagulls standout.
The big-name recruit was used in attack with the wind and in defence against it.
Even with the limited time he played up forward, Dunell still managed to slot four goals.
“On a windy day like today, you had the ball carrying long, you had the ball dropping short, his ability to read it in flight was exceptional,” Dixon said.
“He took crucial marks at both ends. He’s just a really smart player.”
Ben Jolley was hard at it as usual in the guts, while Peter Faulks was steady in defence.
Andrew Gallucci bobbed up for three goals to be the most dangerous forward outside of Dunell.
“He was sharp around goal,” Dixon said. “He was one who hit the scoreboard and made the most of his chances.”
The Seagulls will need to find their groove ahead of Sunday’s top-of-the-table clash with western rivals Werribee Tigers at Avalon Airport Oval.
“It’s one versus two and it’s going to be a really good game of footy,” Dixon said. “They’re obviously in really good form and we’re going to have to be better than we were today to compete against them.”
Lance Jenkinson
