By Lauren Wood, Williamstown Media
Blustery conditions greeted both sides at Casey Fields on Saturday afternoon, with plenty of Seagulls supporters making the trip to back their boys in.
Despite heavy rain earlier in the day, the sun was out and the ground had drained well, setting the stage for a fiery knockout final.
Casey came in fresh off a bye, while Williamstown had already done the hard yards last Sunday, grinding out a wildcard win.
Kicking with the wind early, the Gulls pressed hard but couldn’t make it count on the scoreboard.
Heath Ollington, playing his 20th VFL game, registered the opening minor, before Brodie McLaughlin missed a mark close to goal.
Casey soon showed their class, working through Williamstown’s defensive wall to slot three quick majors, going at a 50% strike rate.
The Seagulls needed a settler and it came through Damon Hollow, who burst out of a pack to slot their first.
But the Demons struck back and continued to punish mistakes, finishing the term with a set shot to send Williamstown to the huddle 23 points down.
The second quarter started with a McLaughlin tackle that took him and his opponent into a backwards roll, but again the Seagulls couldn’t capitalise off the pressure.
Casey showed their efficiency, converting quickly and then benefiting from an undisciplined downfield free kick to extend the margin to six goals.
McLaughlin finally got on the board with a monster kick against the breeze, but the Demons quickly shut down any momentum with more goals of their own.
Hollow slotted his second late in the quarter, but Casey still controlled proceedings, leading 11.5.71 to 4.3.27 at the main break.
Williamstown came out desperate in the third. Lachie Gollant gave them the start they needed with a textbook set shot, but Casey once again found holes in the defence and piled on three in six minutes.
McLaughlin produced some brilliance with two majors in quick succession – one from the boundary and another from 55 metres – but the Demons continued to hit back, pushing their lead out to 50 points by the final change.
The last quarter saw the Seagulls fighting to finish their season with pride. Noah Gadsby and Gollant both had chances but could only manage behinds, before Riley Collier-Dawkins drilled a long-range set shot for Williamstown’s final goal of 2025.
Casey slowed the game down but still added two more, sealing a commanding 132 to 56 victory.
The Demons were simply a class above, winning all four quarters and stretching the margin throughout the day. They now advance to a semi-final appointment with Frankston, while Williamstown’s season comes to a close.
Despite the disappointment, it was a mighty effort from the Seagulls to reach the second week of finals, having sat outside the top 10 heading into the final round of the home-and-away season.
Jake Greiser (26 disposals) and Joel Fitzgerald (23) were the key ball winners, while McLaughlin closed his season with three goals to take his tally to 71 – an outstanding campaign from the league’s leading goalkicker.
Final Score:
CASEY DEMONS: 6.2 | 11.5 | 15.6 | 20.12 (132)
WILLIAMSTOWN: 2.3 | 4.3 | 7.4 | 8.8 (56)
Goal Kickers: McLaughlin (3), Hollow (2), Colenso (1), Collier-Dawkins (1), Gollant (1)
