By Ben Ford
On a mostly sunny Sunday afternoon, Williamstown headed to Coburg looking to bounce back from their Friday night heartbreak against Box Hill.
The match came after an eventful week across the VFL, highlighted by the Mid-Season Draft. It was particularly significant for Williamstown, with Joel Fitzgerald drafted to Melbourne and Hugo Hall-Kahan earning a second AFL opportunity with Adelaide.
The Williamstown Football Club is incredibly proud of both players and wishes them every success at their new clubs.
The opening five minutes did not go to plan for the Seagulls, who were jumped early as Coburg raced to a 15-3 inside-50 advantage. However, the Lions were wasteful with their opportunities, kicking 1.4 from five set shots and leaving the door open for Williamstown.
The Seagulls responded with one of the highlights of the opening quarter, moving the ball beautifully through the corridor before a strong passage of play resulted in a Diesel Moloney set-shot goal.
Both teams struggled with set-shot accuracy throughout the afternoon due to blustery winds sweeping across the ground. One of the major concerns for coach Justin Plapp was Coburg’s running power.
The difficult conditions allowed Coburg to adapt their running game more effectively, helping them control possession through the middle of the ground.
That dominance translated onto the scoreboard in the second quarter, as the Lions took control of the contest.
Coburg piled on six goals for the term. Even more concerning for the Seagulls was the fact they entered their forward 50 just three times for the quarter, while key defender Luke Parks was unable to exert his usual influence.
As Williamstown remained stuck on 1.4, the only reason they stayed within touching distance was Coburg’s inaccurate kicking.
Despite generating 17 scoring shots, the Lions managed just five goals, allowing the Seagulls to trail by only 30 points at halftime.
While both sides needed to improve their goal kicking, Williamstown’s priorities were clear, improve their entries inside 50 and lift their work rate through the middle of the ground.
After eight goalless minutes to begin the third quarter, Nathan Colenso finally broke a 35-minute scoring drought for the Seagulls. The intensity immediately lifted, with the ball spending long periods locked inside Williamstown’s forward half.
Alex Mirkov added another goal as the Seagulls began to showcase the fighting spirit that has defined much of their season.
One of the key contributors to the turnaround was Luke Parks, who started to work his way into the contest with three strong intercept marks as Williamstown gradually curbed Coburg’s dominance around the ground.
A late snap from D’Intinosante, who finally found the middle after four previous misses, reduced the margin to 19 points at the final change.
The Seagulls lifted their effort and became far more precise with ball use.
Nathan Colenso converted a crucial opportunity before Tom Fry produced a powerful play, fending off two Lions in the middle of the ground to maintain possession inside 50. Moments later, Jack McHale kicked his second goal of the quarter to reduce the margin to just six points.
Williamstown continued to surge forward as momentum swung firmly in the Seagulls’ favour.
A crucial free kick then went the way of the home side. Yet once again the Seagulls refused to go quietly.
With Alex Mirkov gaining the upper hand in the ruck, Williamstown continued to fight. Jack McHale kicked his third consecutive goal before heading to the bench for a rest.
For the second week in a row, the Seagulls found themselves in a nail-biter.
Luke Parks took a strong mark deep in defence before Williamstown worked the ball the length of the field. The move ended with Nathan Colenso kicking truly and giving the Gulls their first lead of the afternoon.
After trailing by 30 points at halftime, Williamstown had stormed back in difficult conditions, kicking five goals to one in the final quarter to claim their first lead of the afternoon. The Seagulls’ relentless pressure and resilience had transformed the contest into another thrilling finish.
Coburg midfielder, Seb Murphy, kicked a crucial goal before the Lions added the final four goals of the game. While Williamstown’s fightback ultimately fell short, the Seagulls showed plenty of character to win the second half and give themselves every chance after facing a significant halftime deficit.
One of the highlights of the afternoon was a booming goal from 50 metres by Conor Willis, which helped ignite Williamstown’s third-quarter resurgence.
The Seagulls will now be looking to bounce back when they face another in-form opponent in Port Melbourne next week. Fresh off a thrilling victory over previously top-four Tasmania, Port will provide another stern test, meaning Williamstown will once again need to produce its very best football.
Full Time Score
Williamstown: 10.13 (73)
Coburg: 12.19 (91)
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