By Nate Hartley, Williamstown Media
On a clear and bright Saturday, Williamstown’s VFL side kicked off a massive double header for Williamstown.
DSV stadium was buzzing with energy as the boys were getting ready to face an undefeated Southport outfit.
The crowd, a sea of blue and gold, turned out in full force, ready for a thrilling day of footy.
In came Tom Mundy — a fan favourite and familiar face, playing his first game since our last VFL Grand Final back in 2019.
Mundy, who has been dominating at local level for Deer Park, wasted no time making an impact. He slotted three goals for the match, including two crucial majors in a final-term surge.
Up forward, Brodie McLaughlin was on fire early, kicking four goals in the first half to keep the scoreboard ticking.
Down back, Seagull of the Week Jake Greiser was a ball magnet. He had 21 touches at the half and finished with 38 for the game — 31 of them kicks.
The first half saw cohesive footy with both sides trading goals back and forth, and Williamstown going into halftime with a slim lead of one-point.
Southport came out of the main break firing, as expected from a top of the table side, as they booted four goals to Williamstown’s two, giving them a lead going into the last quarter.
The lead grew to 27 points after Southport’s two early fourth-quarter goals.
With the Gulls on the back foot, they used forward pressure and accuracy to slim the margin down to within a goal.
Down by two at 30 minutes and 30 seconds into the final term, Nathan Colenso was challenged with a set shot 35 metres out, in front of the home stand.
As soon as the snap left his boot, it looked destined to score, giving the Gulls a four point lead as they held on in the final minutes of the game.
With great defensive efforts and poise around the ground, the Gulls were able to hold on to the lead in front of the home crowd going into a bye week.
In the rooms, following the win of the season so far, Senior Coach Justin Plapp spoke to players, support staff, volunteers, and members.
“We often say it’s a good win for the boys, but really, it’s a great win for our Club — because this is our football Club.”
He then went on to attribute the hard work of all realms of the club saying, “we have all contributed to today’s success, and our hardworking team, on and off the field, deserve this win.”
The win set up the stage nicely for the VFLW game, taking place under lights.
The VFLW side made sure to come out firing, as within two minutes of the first quarter, Georgia Howes slotted a set shot straight through the big sticks for her first goal for the club.
After some back and forth hard contested footy, Teagan Brett broke open the flood gates, selling some candy and turning to the right for a snap, with a defender right in her face, dribbling it home for the Gulls second and sending the crowd into a frenzy.
Molly Simpson also struck the scoreboard in the first term taking advantage and waltzing inside the forward 50, driving it through the big sticks setting up the Seagulls nicely into quarter time.
Cat O’Bryan had herself a dominant day in the ruck with an impressive 43 hit outs giving first class service to the Gulls midfield all game, along with 15 touches and four clearances.
Claire Lightfoot was competitive in her first game for the club laying three tackles and the third term saw Megan Smart charge through the contest and receive a handball receive to put her name of the goal list with her first in the blue and goal.
The fourth quarter showed much of the same as the rest of the game with dominance through the middle of the ground and strong defensive efforts lead by Laura Blue racking up 11 intercept possessions and four inside 50’s.
These efforts helped the Seagulls conjure up a cohesive win ending with an important 47-point win finishing off an ideal day for the club with two w’s in the first home double header of 2025.
Making these wins all the greater was being able to celebrate in the new club rooms with a big thanks to ABLE Melbourne for ensuring this was possible.
Following Saturday’s success, Club President Merryl Dooley featured on the VFL Rewind podcast on Monday night.
Merryl shared stories of growing up around the club, starting in the canteen at age 8. Now, she’s making history as the first female President in Williamstown’s 161-year history.
“It’s great to give back to the club and community that has done so much for me and my family,” she said.
She spoke passionately about her goals — building a strong post-COVID community and supporting both programs equally.
When asked about the season ahead, Merryl said she’s hopeful and excited for what’s still to come.
And after Saturday, it’s easy to see why.
You can listen to the full interview here: https://open.spotify.com/episode/1pXe5GsEgYs7gBNxN5SVPP?si=ioyOEteES8iHpT-RMfPM1g
