By Abbey Boorman
Under the guidance of first year Senior Coach Paul Groves, the Seagulls have built momentum through a disciplined defensive game, rapid integration of new recruits and a playing group united by a strong club culture.
We caught up with General Manager Josh Rhodes to reflect on the season so far and discuss what’s driving the group’s success heading into the back end of the season.
The appointment of Paul Groves marked the beginning of a new chapter for the VFLW program, following three successful seasons under Liam ‘Cav’ Cavanagh.
“The playing group has embraced Paul from the start, and you can see that he’s bought into the culture,” Rhodes said.
“The shift to any new coach is always a big one on the group, particularly coming from Cav who led the program for three years. To be able to step into an established program, put your own nuances on it and be embraced is a testament to Grovesy as a coach.”
Consistency has also played a significant role in Williamstown’s strong first half of the season. With minimal changes to the side week-to-week, the coaching staff has been able to build continuity across the ground.
“Our High-Performance team has worked incredibly hard to get our players to a point where they’re fit and able to get through the rigours of repeat games,” he said.
“To have so little change to our weekly team is an unusual situation but is a welcome one. Naturally it also presents difficulties around player opportunities and testing others in alternate positions. This is something the coaches weigh up when assessing if we’ll change a winning formula.”
Experienced midfielder Emily Eaves has once again been a cornerstone of the program, continuing to set the standards both on and off the field.
“Eavesy’s impact around the club has been huge and it would be doing her a disservice to narrow it down to just one or two things,” Rhodes said.
“She’s the perfect example of leading from the front with the way she goes about her football, and it’s great to see that recognised by opposition coaches through the VFLW Coaches MVP voting. But what she also brings culturally off the field is where her impact really lies.”
The Seagulls 16 new recruits have also made an immediate impression, not only through their on-field performances but in the way they’ve embraced the Williamstown environment.
“I think the most impressive thing with our recruits is how quickly they’ve made an impact both on and off the field,” Rhodes said.
“When we voted on our leadership program at the start of the year, we saw several first-year players receive recognition from their teammates, which says a lot about the people we’ve brought into the program.”
On the field, Williamstown’s defensive system has become one of their greatest strengths. The Seagulls have held opposition teams scoreless in seven quarters this season, including a remarkable goalless performance against Port Melbourne.
“The team’s ability to defend the ground and starve opponents of scores has been instrumental in our start to the season,” Rhodes said.
“We identified the need to add more leg speed to our list this year, and that’s really shown in the way we’ve been able to defend and transition the ball.”
Rhodes also praised the cohesion developing across the defensive unit.
“Our back six has been super impressive across the first half of the season,” he said.
“Consistency through the team has really benefited that group. Having players line up together week after week can’t be understated how important that is.”
At the other end of the ground, recruit Mia Zielinski has quickly become a focal point in attack. With 11 goals in seven games, the key forward has immediately strengthened Williamstown’s forward structure.
“Mia was identified as a top-end talent we wanted to bring in and someone who could fill some gaps for us up forward,” Rhodes said.
“Her ability to compete one-on-one and take big, contested marks has been massive for us. She had a bit of an interrupted pre-season, so to see her make such an immediate impact has been an incredible effort.”
As the race for finals begins to take shape, Rhodes believes the group is well positioned to challenge some of the competition’s most established programs.
“As the ladder starts to take shape, I think we can all look forward to seeing our girls take it up to some of the bigger clubs and those with long-established women’s programs,” he said.
“We’re really excited to see what the second half of the season brings.”
With a strong defensive identity, experienced leaders, exciting new talent and a united playing group, the Seagulls have laid an impressive foundation through the opening half of 2026. As the season enters its decisive stages, Williamstown will be looking to build on that momentum and continue their push towards finals.
Go Seagulls!
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