Match result: Werribee 9.9.63 defeated by Williamstown 20.17.137
Venue: Avalon Airport Oval
Conditions: Perfect evening for football, no wind and balmy for a May night
Story of the game
The first home game of the season, a quality matchup and perfect weather conditions on a Saturday night.
It was all set up for a cracking encounter against Williamstown at Avalon Airport Oval and when Aaron Black goaled after just 45 seconds, things were looking up for the Tigers. But no-one in the ground could have predicted what was to come next.
30 minutes later, Werribee trudged to the quarter-time huddle trailing by 60 points. The visitors had slammed on an incredible 10.6 in the first term and killed the game as a contest with a breathtaking display of attacking football.
Despite coach John Lamont’s best urgings, Werribee was unable to get any foothold on the game after its slow start.
The deficit swelled to 85 points at half-time and then 98 with a quarter to go. Five goals to one in the fourth term – largely behind the forward form of Aaron Black (four goals for game) and Majak Daw (four goals) – helped reduce the deficit to 74 by the time the final siren sounded.
What John Lamont said
“It was a terribly disappointing loss. Embarrassing, I used that word at half-time.
“I would never have picked that in the rooms prior. The energy level was good, there was a real sense of enthusiasm amongst the group.
“It boiled down to effort issues rather than technical issues and structures.
“They (Williamstown) took the initiative after that first goal and we couldn’t wrestle it back. After that we went into our shell and made a lot of basic errors.”
By the numbers
Aaron Black – 7 disposals, 4 marks, 4 goals
Ryan Clarke – 18 disposals, 6 marks
Majak Daw – 16 disposals, 17 hit-outs, 6 marks, 4 goals
Trent Dumont – 15 disposals, 6 tackles
Sam Durdin – 3 disposals, 6 hit-outs
Will Fordham – 18 disposals, 4 marks
Lachlan Hansen – 6 disposals, 4 marks (left field early)
Mitch Hibberd – 16 disposals, 6 marks
Ben McKay – 5 disposals, 4 tackles
Declan Mountford – 16 disposals, 4 marks, 7 tackles
Braydon Preuss – 5 disposals, 3 marks, 25 hit-outs
Farren Ray – 29 disposals, 9 marks, 1 goal
Ed Vickers-Willis – 16 disposals, 2 marks
Corey Wagner – 12 disposals, 4 marks
Best of the AFL
Majak Daw
Despite splitting time between the ruck, midfield and forward, Daw was still able to kick four goals and be easily Werribee’s best player on the night.
Aaron Black
On a difficult night for Werribee's forwards, Black was still able to have an impact on the scoreboard, booting four goals.
Best of the VFL
Matt Hanson
Continuing on his good form, Hanson was one of the few Werribee midfielders who was able to find his own ball despite the Williamstown dominance.
Points of interest
1. Building off his 20 disposals and three goals last week, Will Fordham had another quality game against Williamstown, despite the result.
“He continued his improvement in the contested area of his game,” Development Manager Ben Dyer told NMFC.com.au.
“He was able to stand up in tackles, absorb the pressure and then release on his terms.
“He was a little bit more midfield this week (compared to last week) and even went back in the second half. When he was there he was able to take it on and break lines.
“It was a bit of everything for him tonight and his attack on the ball was great.”
2. After playing in the development league last Sunday, Ed Vickers-Willis was selected for his first VFL seniors game of 2016.
“It was a pretty tough place for Ed to play, with the amount and quality of ball that was coming into the back 50 all night,” Dyer said.
“He battled hard and tried to be proactive when he saw a few things weren’t working. He had a tricky matchup on Sam Dunell and he’ll be better for the run for sure.”
3. Lachlan Hansen left the field early in the game and played no further part after being on the receiving end of high contact.
“He copped a knock and went off. In the end the medicos made the decision not to risk him and bring him back on given the match situation.”
4. The state of the game – an 85-point deficit at the long break – meant the task was simplified in the last two quarters.
“You have to revert to a one-on-one contest. You can set up your shape but fundamentally you’ve got to get back to winning your own ball in all parts of the ground,” Dyer said.
“As hard as it is, you’ve got to almost start over in the second half and realise there’s nothing you can do about what’s happened in the first two quarters. You aim to get to full time even with your opponent in the second half.”
Most likely AFL call-up: Majak Daw
Next week: v Box Hill at Avalon Airport Oval, Sunday May 15, 11:40am EST – live on Channel 7
