WILLIAMSTOWN 17.19 (121)
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NORTH BALLARAT 5.10 (40)
THERE was a brief reprieve for North Ballarat Roosters, about five minutes into the third quarter and lasting little more than five minutes.
That was when the Selkirk Roosters chalked up their first two goals. Finally some reward.
The rest was mostly about Williamstown, which powered to an 81-point win in the Victorian Football League at Eureka Stadium on Saturday.
What could get lost in the blitz-like margin is the fact that Williamstown took almost 20 minutes into the first quarter to get their first goal after a real wrestle for control. The Roosters piled on three goals to two in the third quarter.
It was just that the Seagulls had blown apart the game in the second quarter and were 57 points up at half-time.
Roosters coach Gerard FitzGerald said he could still see and feel positive energy in the playing group in the half-time break.
He was pleased with how players responded. That feeling was still about the three-quarter-time huddle, when the Roosters were 58 points down and hoping to build on small wins they had made.
"There are lessons we can learn particularly from the second quarter," FitzGerald said.
"The first 15 minutes of the game we showed we competed well with Williamstown - neither team had kicked a goal and we had a chance to kick three.
""We need to regroup and show resilience now. That will be the next challenge for the group."
There were promising signs for the Roosters.
Reigning best-and-fairest Nick Peters was pretty solid in his first VFL game for the season. A little more match fitness at this level and Peters will be a key feature in the Roosters' midfield once more.
Ruckman Orren Stephenson was relentless. Stephenson key powering away and dominated the ruck contest against Seagull Sean Tighe. He was forced to carry the load when fellow Roosters' big man Braydon Preuss spent the bulk of the second half sidelined with a shoulder injury.
Roosters forward Matt Austin was promising in his first game as co-captain. Austin topped the Roosters' possession count on 26.
But the Roosters struggled to collectively get their game together.
They tried to thicken numbers in the stoppages and tried an extra man down back. The Seagulls were just too strong.
The Seagulls were faster, more powerful and seemingly taller. Experienced midfielder Ben Jolley ran rampant, collecting 33 possessions.
This match was all but over by half-time, in terms of a Seagull win. They had 9.9 on the board - thanks to an Anthony Anastasio big bomb into goals for an added major after the siren - and the Roosters had just five behinds.
The Roosters booted their first goal almost seven minutes into the third quarter, a second a few minutes later with a third 16 minutes into play.
The Seagulls kicked play up a notch in the fourth but Rooster Liam Youl was able to sign off the match with a goal in the final 10 seconds' play.
WHAT THE STATS SAY...
POSSESSIONS
- Williamstown 347 (Ben Jolley 33, Mitch Banner 27)
- North Ballarat 307
MATT AUSTIN 26
- 20 kicks, 6 handballs
LIAM HOY 20
- 12 kicks, 8 handballs
NICK PETERS 20
- 8 kicks, 12 handballs
MYLES SEWELL 20
- 7 kicks, 13 handballs
JAMES TSITAS 18
- 12 kicks, 6 handballs
MARKS
- Williamstown 63 (Scott Clouston 10)
- North Ballarat 100 (Matt Austin 10, Orren Stephenson 10)
MARKS INSIDE-50M
- Williamstown 14
- North Ballarat 11
HIT-OUTS
- Williamstown 35 (Sean Tighe 26)
- North Ballarat 55 (Orren Stephenson 39)
CLEARANCES
- Williamstown 50 (Ben Jolley 8, Adam Marcon 8)
- North Ballarat 32 (Liam Hoy 6)
TACKLES
- Williamstown 62 (Adam Marcon 10, Willie Wheeler 9)
- North Ballarat 53 (Coleman Schache 8)
HANDBALLS
- Williamstown 134
- North Ballarat 113