By Tom Williamson, Williamstown Media
Back on home soil, the Gulls welcomed the return of number 31, Jack Noonan. Noonan’s inclusion came as skipper Cameron Polson made way due to a hamstring injury.
The Cats fired early, securing a goal within minutes. However, some repeat inside 50s and time spent in our forward line allowed Jack Brown to dribble through our first goal from the boundary.
Not long after, an intercept mark in the backline resulted in Brodie McLaughlin finding space out the back to run into an open goal and set up our second—putting momentum firmly in favour of the Gulls.
The pressure was on in the first quarter, with both teams bringing finals-like intensity. The Cats got one back against the grain of play, while Williamstown struggled to convert, kicking eight behinds.
Nick Ebinger kicked a miraculous goal in front of the Williamstown faithful. Soon after, Colenso capped off a great quarter with eight disposals and a goal to his name by the first break.
Finn O’Dwyer showed why he’s one of the best readers of the footy, taking six marks.
Back-and-forth footy summed up the second quarter, with the Cats working their way back into the game after trailing by 26 points. With only three goals shared between both teams, the ball spent most of its time between the arcs.
Our defenders stood tall, limiting Geelong’s momentum. Jake Greiser saw plenty of the footy, leading all comers with 17 disposals at the half, followed by O’Dwyer with 14 disposals and 8 marks, and Joel Fitzgerald with 13 disposals and 7 marks.
With our backline standing strong, Williamstown held onto a 15-point lead at the main break.
After five minutes of stalemate, a ruckman’s goal from Tom Downie opened the scoring in the third term. The gridlock continued for much of the quarter, with neither side able to break through for a major.
Geelong finally goaled in the eighteenth minute, looking to gain some momentum.
With pressure mounting and the umpires letting play continue, tensions rose in a low-scoring contest that remained up for grabs.
Fitzgerald asserted himself with strong marks deep in defence. Nathan Colenso also proved strong in the marking contest, extending the Williamstown lead to 17 points with a much-needed goal late in the quarter.
Despite being minus-six in inside 50s, our backline held firm under immense pressure.
Ten minutes into the final term, the Seagulls struck first through a set shot from Colenso. The Cats responded quickly, trimming the margin to 20 points. But a Heath Ollington goal appeared to break Geelong’s morale, giving the Gulls a handy buffer that looked enough to seal the win.
Our defenders continued to stand tall, intercepting and repelling Geelong’s advances. It proved too great a task for the Cats to claw back late in the game.
What a defensive performance from the Gulls, coming away with a 26-point win. Williamstown continue their winning form and now look ahead to a big clash against the Lions in Brisbane.
Fitzgerald was best on with 32 disposals and 16 marks while Greiser also picked up 31 disposals and 11 marks. Luke Parks also stood tall with 15 marks down back.
Final Score:
WILLIAMSTOWN: 5.8 | 6.9 | 8.10 | 10.14 (74)
GEELONG: 2.0 | 4.6 | 5.10 | 6.12 (48)
Best Players: Fitzgerald, Greiser, Colenso, O’Dwyer, Parks, Minton-Connell
Goal Kickers: Colenso (3), Brown, Downie, Ebinger, McLaughlin, Noonan, Ollington, Petric
