Sandringham was strengthened with the inclusion of Melbourne players Aaron Davey, Jeff White, Adem Yze and Jace Bode, while multiple Sandringham premiership players Nick Sautner and David Gallagher also came into the side.
Williamstown made three changes to the side that defeated the Casey Scorpions last round. Cameron Wight and Jarrod Harbrow were promoted to the Western Bulldogs senior side and Nathan Lyons was dropped to the reserves. Into the side came Bulldog Shaun Higgins, returning for his first game in 15 weeks, Bulldog rookie Henry White for his first game and vice captain Steven Greene who returned for his 100th VFL game.
First Quarter
Williamstown captain Brett Johnson won the toss and kicked with the prevailing wind which was worth a three to four goal advantage. Bulldogs ruckman Peter Street was at his dominant best as the Seagulls had three goals on the board within the opening minutes through Adam Cook, Patrick Rose and Matthew Little.
Sandringham’s defence was under enormous pressure and a couple of defensive errors resulted in Williamstown kicking goals. Liam Picken shadowed Zebra’s captain Peter Summers, while David Stretton and Dogs duo Sam Reid and Callan Ward were prominent.
Seagull forwards Jason Cloke, Matthew Little and Adam Cook were lively and Brennan Stack drifted forward to kick a long goal. Sandringham champion full forward Nick Sautner looked to be in good form with a number of strong marks against Scott Meyer and kicked two goals to keep his side in the contest.
Williamstown 9.3 (57) Sandringham 2.3 (15)
Second Quarter
Sandringham began the quarter with Sautner kicking two goals as he continued to create problems for the Seagulls defence. Adem Yze was also prominent as Williamstown’s defence through Ben Jolley, James Beaumont, Kane McKenzie, Paul O’Shea and Stack were under the pump.
Rose and Little were providing the Seagulls with tremendous targets up forward and Shaun Higgins, Cameron Lockwood and Henry White were providing great impetus off the bench.
Sandringham had lifted their work rate with Ricky Petterd, James Frawley and Chad Liddell leading the way. Jason Cloke was forced from the ground with the blood rule and then Steven Greene was injured to leave the Seagulls a man down. Sandringham edged to within 20 points before Patrick Rose kicked his fourth goal on the siren to establish a 26 point half time lead.
Williamstown 12.4 (76) Sandringham 7.8 (50)
Third Quarter
Williamstown again had use of the breeze but it was Sandringham who dominated the early stages of the third quarter by kicking the opening two goals through David Gallagher and Nathan Carroll.
Aaron Davey was on fire in the midfield and Sandringham coach Andy Lovell threw Jeff White down back as a loose man while John Meesen did the ruck duties around the ground after lining up on the wing. This move proved to be significant as Williamstown lost their way.
Against the flow of the game Williamstown kicked two goals but the Sandringham side were on fire and outscored the Seagulls into the wind to reduce the lead to 22 points with all the momentum at three quarter time.
Williamstown 14.8 (92) Sandringham 10.10 (70)
Fourth Quarter
Williamstown began the final quarter with a crucial centre break which resulted in a Matthew Little goal. Sandringham was not to be denied as Sautner kicked his fifth goal and Addam Maric was outstanding in creating problems for the Seagulls.
Sam Reid moved forward to mark and goal which steadied the ship. Former Zebra captain Chad Liddell kicked consecutive goals to reduce the lead to eight points. Jason Cloke was playing an outstanding last quarter as experienced players like Peter Street and Brett Johnson willed their team mates to lift.
Dean Galea, who had had a quiet day, kicked a great goal as Williamstown ran the ball the length of the ground against the wind. Sandringham again crept within eight points but an outstanding passage of play involving Galea and Johnson resulted in a David Stretton goal which extended the lead to 14 points to ensure a critical away victory which keeps the Seagulls on top of the ladder.
Williamstown 18.11 (119) Sandringham 15.15 (105)
Goals: Rose 4, Little 3, Cook 2, Galea 1, Johnson 1, Picken 1, Stack 1, Stretton 1, Reid 1, O’Keefe 1, Cloke 1, Street 1.
Best players: Picken, Street, Rose, Johnson, Stretton, Little.
Reserves Wrap
Williamstown continued their unbeaten run with their 12th victory over third placed Sandringham by 95 points. Williamstown played a very solid four quarter effort by the team and they look forward to their biggest challenge this week.
This victory now sets up the clash between the two undefeated sides at Reserves level next Sunday. Coburg Tigers are the reigning premiers and have won all their games this season.
Williamstown 4.2 11.7 14.11 19.15 (129)
Sandringham 2.2 2.2 4.7 4.10 (34)
Goals: Wood 3, Mulligan 3, Miller 2, Boumann 2, Young 2, Urch 2, Smith 2, Langlands 1, Cartelli 1, Georgiadis 1.
Best Players: Boumann, Young, Tanner, Boyd, Wood, Chiu.
This Sunday Williamstown hosts Coburg Tigers at Burbank Oval in Round 15 with the Reserves at 11.10am and Seniors at 2pm . Our match day Presidents Luncheon has AFL Commissioner Bill Kelty as guest speaker with tickets available at $40 per head.
