Round 6 saw us make the road trip over to Williamstown. After two wins on the trot we were looking to keep our momentum rolling and build into the season.
The first half was a hotly contested battle. Both teams won their share of contested ball and had the momentum at different stages. Inaccuracy in front of goal hurt us as we kicked 5.6 to the opposition 7.3 which saw us down by 7 points at the main break.
Kicking with the breeze in the 3rd quarter, we knew we needed to make the most of that advantage. Unfortunately we were slow to begin and Williamstown kicked the opening two goals of the half and got out to a 20 point lead. From their, the remainder of the quarter was ours. We lifted our intensity around the ball, our ball use was much cleaner and sharper which enabled us to deliver the ball to dangerous spots inside forward 50. Our tall forwards gave us a presence in the front half and our smalls applied great forward pressure. This led to us slamming on 7 unanswered goals and saw us take a 26 point lead into the final change.
The final quarter was a tight contest for the first 14 minutes. We conceded one goal but squandered our chances in front of goal to extend the lead. Williamstown then gained ascendancy around the ball and took control of the game. Unlike us, they were accurate in front of goal and took every chance they had to convert. We were hanging on, up by a couple of points with 90 seconds to go, but unfortunately we conceded a late goal which in the end proved the difference, going down by 5 points.
Some great learnings to take away from the game. We will learn and get better so when we are in positions like that again, we won’t let it slip. Cannot question the effort and work ethic from our players, who dug in when things were going against us, but ultimately we fell just short on the day.
We look forward to another huge challenge next week with St Bedes at home.
