Ayce Cordy was best on ground and kicked a goal in Williamstown’s win over Northern. 85452_02 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By ADEM SARICAOGLU
WILLIAMSTOWN’S late season surge up the VFL ladder kept on rolling on Saturday with an important 24-point win over the Northern Blues.
Burbank Oval again provided for atrocious conditions as both sides struggled to combat the thick mud that covered most of the centre corridor, but it was the Seagulls who navigated it better to keep their finals aspirations intact.
After the game, Williamstown coach Peter German said playing in such conditions was not ideal in the lead up to finals.
“I don’t think we want to keep playing on decks like this. In the end, it will take its toll,” German said.
However, German admitted continually playing in such conditions had helped his team improve significantly in the wet.
“From my point of view, over the last couple of years we’ve really struggled in the wet and the mud,” he said.
“This year, North Ballarat and Box Hill got us even though it was close, but we’ve actually been able to master the conditions a bit more than what we’ve done before.”
In an ugly, low-scoring affair, the Seagulls managed to kick clear in the final term despite failing to register a score in the third quarter, taking advantage of the strong wind blowing toward the city end to kick four goals that settled the result.
Just three goals were kicked at the grandstand end of the ground for the entire day as the wind advantage to the other end continued to grow stronger.
Two of those goals came from Williamstown in the first quarter as they established a two-point lead going into quarter time.
Their dominance around in the midfield continued in the second term as they kept the Blues to just two behinds while kicking three goals of their own.
Going into the second half, the Seagulls were up by 22 points and had significant momentum, but the Blues managed to show the type of form that had seen them knock off Casey and Coburg in their previous two games.
Two goals to David Ellard brought the margin down to 10 before a scramble in the goal square that resulted in a goal reduced it to within a kick at the 23-minute mark.
Nearly all of the third quarter was played in Northern’s half of the ground as Williamstown struggled to penetrate into the wind.
With Williamstown up by two points at the final change, Northern’s Andrew Collins was given a rare opportunity to score at the grandstand end early in the final term, but missed the lot.
From there, the Seagulls pounced with Brett Goodes and Ayce Cordy both providing classy finishes, putting the result beyond doubt by the halfway mark of the quarter.
Williamstown has struggled to get good starts in many games this season, but German said it was important his side managed to start well on Saturday.
“I think that especially after having the bye, I feel sometimes you can actually come off a little bit flat or you just lose that battle hardness,” he said.
“So it was pleasing that we were able to get off to a good start.”
Williamstown: 9.12 (66) def. Northern Blues: 6.6 (42)
Goals: Williamstown: Veszpremi 2, Jones, Goodes. Northern Blues: Ellard 3, Lucas 2, Wilson.
Best: Williamstown: Cordy, Wood, Jolley. Northern Blues: Ellard, Duigan, Russell.
