Williamstown coach Peter German says this has been one his most challenging seasons yet as a coach. 81277_15 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By MICHAEL ESPOSITO
HAS Williamstown underachieved? That’s a question coach Peter German has been asking himself lately, and no doubt a question others have been posing.
After all, the betting markets framed Williamstown as premiership favourite. But considering the unpredictable nature of the VFL competition, with most playing lists based around AFL affiliate sides, making such predictions is a futile exercise.
Williamstown’s appearance in last year’s grand final means little. When you’ve consistently got no more than four players from last year’s grand final side playing this season, how can you possibly regard last year as any sort of accurate form guide?
Williamstown sits seventh on the ladder with five wins, five losses and one draw.
“With the list we’ve got. It’s a fair reflection where we’re at,” German said. “Some might say we played in a grand final last year, and we’ve been a good side for a while, so are we underachieving? If you look at all the other teams we’re probably in a pack of about 8-10 sides really. We’re a totally different side to last year.
German says it has been one of the most challenging years for him as a coach. He lost his inspirational captain Brett Johnson and other champions of the club, he is managing Williamstown’s youngest side in some years, and he has a completely new coaching panel working under him.
Talking to German, it becomes clear that halfway into the season, the side is still sorting things out. Take the leadership issue for example. Johnson has been replaced by Ben Jolley, who has proven to be a superb captain, but whether the vice-captain role has been adequately filled is another question.
“Jolley was a great lieutenant for Johnson, well who steps up and takes Jolley’s spot as a lieutenant to him? It has that reverberating effect. It’s probably an area that we’re still working on, developing our leadership group. So we’ve asked players like Ed Carr, Kwame McHarg and Dylan Conway and players like that to step up.”
German said inconsistency was a symptom of youth, and the Seagulls had been one of the most up and down teams this season. Take the Round 12 game against Frankston. The Dolphins were 41 points up on the last quarter, and Williamstown fought back to claim a draw. Coming back from big margins and surrendering significant leads has been commonplace this year.
“To come back keeps telling us that we’re as good as anyone but if we’re not up to speed, not completely tuned in, and not working as hard as we should well we’re as vulnerable as any side of the competition. That’s youth and that’s also leadership,” German said.
“Older players tend to be able to motivate themselves, prepare themselves well, be ready to go from start of games. Having a lot of youth I guess makes us play in patches or can put us in a vulnerable position.
“It’s been tough to find some real consistent performers.”
Williamstown will take on North Ballarat at Burbank Oval this Sunday, and will play every one of its remaining seven games, except the last one, at the newly renovated home ground.
“Eighty to 90 per cent of our group have only played one game at Burbank Oval, so we haven’t had a long sustained period of time there to understand the ground and the winds the little things that you probably need to call it a home ground advantage,” German said.
“But in saying that I like to think that we’ll have the Williamstown supporters there who are pretty parochial, so I like to think that it plays some part for us.”
