By Oliver Williamson, Williamstown Media
As the Seagulls are seeking finals success in 2025 for both their VFL and VFLW sides, there are a handful of players behind the scenes that may not taste premiership glory.
Nevertheless, they remain a crucial part of the Williamstown Football Club.
Spearheaded by Development Manager Mark Smyth, the Williamstown VFL Academy Squad is back for season 2025.
The squad, which has been led by Smyth since the beginning of last year, is made up of a plethora of athletes with ambition and desire to be the best footballer they can be.
The current list is made up of 14 footballers, all of which are aspiring for the same goal: a chance to play footy at the highest level.
While these players are not necessarily playing weekly in the VFL squad, they put in the work to stay ready for their opportunity to play for the senior side nonetheless.
With no one on the Academy squad list over the age of 22, Williamstown hopes to provide these young men with the necessary tools to grow, both on and off the field.
“It is preparing them to play senior footy for the VFL, then a byproduct of that is getting drafted,” Smyth stated.
“Plappy [Williamstown senior coach Justin Plapp] has ten points of what makes a good footballer, a lot of them are off field stuff, which is really important”.
Through season 2024 and the opening three rounds of the 2025 VFL season, multiple Academy squad members have already had the opportunity to debut for the Seagulls.
The likes of Hugo Hall-Kahan, Joel Fitzgerald, Jack Brown, and Jovan Petric are among those who have had a crack for the senior side so far this season.
Now coming into his second season leading the development squad, Mark Smyth is relishing his role in helping the growth of these young players.
Williamstown takes pride in their ability to support the academy players building relationships while also learning valuable life lessons.
“Things happen for a reason…sometimes you get dropped or you get injured, your world doesn’t fall apart,” Smyth said.
“Just have a crack, if you do more and train smart, you are going to play smart”.
While they love all things footy, Williamstown ensures there is an appropriate balance between the players’ football and maintaining a focus on their academia.
“A lot of the players at this stage are doing apprenticeships.”
“In season we do skill work…that will become more regular. A presentation from a guest here and there then some ball work for 40 minutes on a Monday”.
It has been nothing but a smooth transition for Smyth, having worked previously with athletes in a similar age bracket.
As a group of players with many varying pathways to get to this point, it is important that they all are made to feel supported in what can be such a daunting environment.
“I get a whole mixture which is really cool…it’s good to see each of them know what the other persons background is, because there are different pathways to getting there”, he stated.
“I like to see the person develop and mature a little bit…that reflects on the ground, the better they are prepared”.
“They wear their hearts on their sleeves…they all feel comfortable to ring and have a chat”.
The coaching staff encourages each player to have an AFL role model, someone they can study, observe and model their game around for when they get that chance to play senior footy.
For Mark Smyth, the other coaches and the Williamstown Football Club as a whole, they simply want to be role models for these kids themselves.
“I’ve dealt with kids that age…you know what they’re about and you get the feel for where they’re at. I’ve got a good rapport, and you treat them almost like they’re your kids”.
2025 VFL Development List:
- Jack Brown
- Joel Fitzgerald
- Damon Hollow
- Jovan Petric
- Max Stobie
- Darcy Weeks
- Ned Pendergast
- Michael Ktona
- Hugo Hall-Kahan
- Heath Ollington
- Nicholas Conlan
- Lucas Impey
- Hamish Morrison
- Ben Kennedy
- Nathan Jensen
Keep your eyes peeled, as more and more of the Williamstown Academy Squad members will be gracing DSV Stadium as the season progresses.
The seagulls will be back in action on Friday 18th April, as they hope to knock off the travelling Coburg Lions on their home deck, 1.05PM bounce at DSV Stadium.
