Coach Peter German was not impressed with Williamstown’s effort in its Foxtel Cup loss to South Adelaide. 81277 Picture: DAMIAN VISENTINI
By ADEM SARICAOGLU
WILLIAMSTOWN was knock-ed out of the Foxtel Cup on Saturday after going down to SANFL club South Adelaide at the MCG.
In a low-scoring game the Seagulls couldn’t claw their way back into the lead, leaving their run too late into the contest to lose by five points.
Williamstown coach Peter German was bitterly disappointed after the game, and was blunt in his assessment of his team’s effort.
“We were terrible, we played terribly all game to be honest,” he said. “We just didn’t seem as hungry and as committed to the one-percenters, and I think (South Adelaide’s) three smothers (late in the third quarter inside Williamstown’s 50) really summed up their desperation in that 10-second block. They showed that endeavour far more often than what we did.”
Williamstown’s Anthony Anastasio scored the only goal of the first quarter as the Seagulls took a five-point lead into quarter time.
However the Panthers quickly took hold of the game early in the second term as free kicks inside defensive 50 began hurting Williamstown on the scoreboard.
Two quick goals to Matthew Panos briefly had the Seagulls out to a nine-point lead, but again it was the free kicks given away inside defensive 50 that cost them the lead at the main break.
South Adelaide continued to pepper their goal after halftime, and they were eventually rewarded when Andrew Ainger slotted his second goal for the game to extend their lead to 11.
The Panthers began dominating Williamstown out of the middle and could probably have iced the game before the final change, but wayward kicking limited the three-quarter time margin to 15.
Kwame McHarg finally found a goal for Williamstown early in the last term, reducing the margin to nine and breathing life into the contest.
Down by 13 points with time running out, the Seagulls were able to find space and stream through the corridor to set up a Dale Hoghton goal, but minutes later golden opportunities went begging for Dylan Conway and Jack Frost, leaving the Seagulls short at the final siren.
German said his side should have made more of its opportunities throughout the game.
“I think it was a bit windy but good players can control the ball in these conditions,” he said.
With Foxtel Cup games shortened to about 20 minutes a quarter, German said it was a challenge to make strategic moves throughout the game.
“A lot of the time you’ll be trying to get messages out and before you know it the quarter’s over,” he said. “That’s where you really ask your players to think on their feet a bit. This is like playing Twenty20 cricket really, before you know it the game’s over and we move on, so we’ve got Coburg next week and we’re really looking forward to it.”
South Adelaide: 6.12 (48) d Williamstown 6.7 (43).
Goals: Williamstown: M.Panos 2, A.Anastasio, D.Hoghton, K.McHarg, B.Moles. South Adelaide: A.Ainger 2, B.Casley, K.Miller, T.Redden, J.Veide.
Best: Williamstown: E.Carr, C.Smith, J.McNamara. South Adelaide: N.Liddle, N.Murphy, K.Miller.
