VFL Round 16: Williamstown vs Sandringham
13th July 2024
By Jaryn Makepeace, Williamstown Media
Williamstown had only won one game in the last five after starting the season with a 7-1 record. They needed a big win to avoid the brink of dropping out of the top 10. They faced Sandringham, one of the teams trying to push them out.
An ideal start as skipper Cameron Polson kicked an unbelievable goal within seconds of the first siren. Jack Toner then pulled the kick, to set up Blake Coleman for a shot which he slotted. Williamstown had good control early, with not much scoring from either team. The Towners kept the Zebras to two points until Sandringham kicked a goal at the fifteenth-minute mark. Williamstown struggled to find a mark inside 50 as the Zebras took some nice intercept marks. It was a very messy game early, with players finding it hard to get clear possession. Sandringham scored a goal on the siren to give them momentum, trailing by just one point. Scores at quarter-time were 15-14.
Sandringham snagged the lead early in the second quarter with Matthew Allison’s second goal. Williamstown answered as Blake Coleman poked a great pass to Oscar Sasalu, a late inclusion, to kick his first goal for the Seagulls and give them a two-point lead. Brodie McLaughlin took a strong mark on the opposite end then he’d prefer, but it didn’t seem to matter as he slotted it – he had kicked his first goal after starting with three behinds. After some great pressure from Williamstown, they broke through Sandringham’s defence as Nick Ebinger got a free kick and converted, giving the Towners a 15-point lead. Will Fordham was able to kick a goal to extend the Seagulls’ lead to 23 points. Brodie McLaughlin struggled with accuracy early, kicking one goal and six behinds before halftime. Williamstown had taken control in the second quarter, but Sandringham managed a late goal to make the scores 6.9.44 Williamstown to 4.2.26 Sandringham.
Brodie McLaughlin kicked his second goal to start the third quarter. Not long after, he kicked his third and the lead was out to 30 points. Sandringham answered right away through Matthew Allison. It wasn’t long before Brodie McLaughlin kicked his fourth to stop Sandringham from gathering momentum. Sandringham then kicked two goals before the end of the third quarter, making the Williamstown fans nervous as they led only 64 to 48 at three-quarter time.
Sandringham, with great ball movement, got the first goal of the fourth quarter. Brodie McLaughlin then kicked one back for the Seagulls to regain control. Shortly after, Nathan Colenso slotted a beautiful goal, and the crowd went wild. Williamstown debutant Heath Ollington kicked his first goal in the VFL, sealing the game for the Seagulls, leading by 27 points. Sandringham kicked the last goal of the game, making the final scores 12.11.83 to 9.9.63.
Williamstown got their first win against Sandringham in six years. The Towners have risen to eighth on the ladder and are now back in the hunt to lock in a top six spot. Brodie McLaughlin backed up his great form; although he could’ve kicked 11, he ended up with 5 goals and 18 disposals. Joel Fitzgerald was also influential, collecting 29 disposals.
Williamstown will remain at home to play a pivotal game against Richmond this coming Saturday – the winner having potential to move up to sixth spot on the ladder.
Final Score
Williamstown: 12.11.83
Sandringham: 9.9.63
Goals: Brodie McLaughlin 5, Oscar Sasalu 1, Cameron Polson 1, Heath Ollington 1, Will Fordham 1, Blake Coleman 1, Nathan Colenso 1 and Nick Ebinger 1
Best Players: Brodie McLaughlin, Joel Fitzgerald, Will Fordham, Jack Mchale, Luke Parks, Jack Toner