2015 VFL Season Review - Seagulls Swoop
The season began with a replay of the previous season’s grand final between Footscray and Box Hill at the Whitten Oval. Reigning premier the Bulldogs going down to the Hawks by thirteen points before a healthy crowd of around 3,000. At the newly named Ikon Park, Carlton and Williamstown played out a thriller with the Seagulls hanging on for a one point win – 13.12.90 to 12.17.89. On the Sunday, Sandringham's Albanian Yllber Zijai kicked a long range behind after the siren to defeat Essendon by that margin at the Trevor Barker Beach Oval – 12.11.83 to 12.10.82.
Collingwood opened their account in round three with a four point win over Footscray at Victoria Park. The Pies led by as much as 37-points early in the match before the Bulldogs took the lead in the final quarter. However Collingwood steadied and regained the lead to win 16.4.100 to 14.12.96 with high draft pick Jordan De Goey staking a claim for an AFL debut with three goals.
On a round four Sunday clash at Burbank Oval, Williamstown and Port Melbourne continued their long standing rivalry playing out a two point thriller. This time the points went the Borough’s way with a 16.6.102 to 14.16.100 win, inflicting the Seagull’s first loss of the year.
Box Hill held onto a top four spot on the ladder when they accounted for arch rival Essendon by 23-points at Windy Hill in round five. Captain Dave Mirra was a standout in defence while Jed Anderson booted a game-high four goals for the Hawks. Just three points separated the sides at the final change before Box Hill booted six goals to two in the final quarter to win 18.10.118 to 14.11.95. On the Sunday at Avalon Airport Oval it was first versus second where top side Williamstown was on the wrong end of another two point thriller, this time against home side Werribee – 14.12.96 to 14.10.94 – therefore swapping places with Werribee at the top of the ladder.
Essendon moved into the top eight in round six when they defeated rival the Northern Blues by just eight points at Preston City Oval. Trailing by 25 points at half-time the Bombers rallied in the second half kicking seven goals to two with former Adelaide Crows Shaun McKernan instrumental in the win with 22 disposals including seven clearances and two goals. Elsewhere James Sicily kicked five goals in Box Hill’s 23-point win over Sandringham while the closest game of the round was at Geelong where Port Melbourne held out the inaccurate Cats by five points – 15.13.103 to 13.20.98 – to hold onto fourth spot on the ladder. Toby Pinwell led the way for the Borough with 37 disposals.
Collingwood jumped into the top eight with a 39-point win over Coburg at Piranha Park in round seven. The Pies led by as much as 51-points in the third term before a late fightback from the home side. Michael Still kicked four goals for the winners, his third four goal-haul in a row and the Magpies fourth win in a row. Tim Broomhead amassed 41 possessions and Ben Kennedy 38 to figure in their best. Sam Dunnell kicked three goals and Ben Jolley gathered 33 disposals in Williamstown’s 2-point win over Geelong. Top side the Seagulls were tested right down to the wire by the Cats who had won just the two games for the season.
Williamstown remained at the top of the Peter Jackson VFL ladder after their 39 point win over reigning premier Footscray in round eight at a windswept VU Whitten Oval. An inaccurate Seagulls handled the gale like conditions far better than their opponents, kicking away in the final quarter with four goals to two, winning 9.22.76 to 5.7.37, and celebrating Cameron Lockwood's 100th game in style. With goals hard to come by in the conditions Williamstown trio, Mitch Banner with three and Andrew Gallucci and Lockwood with two each, were the only multiple goal kickers on the ground.
Essendon flexed their muscles in round nine with a resounding 94-point win over Frankston at Windy Hill. The Bombers controlled the game early booting seven goals to nil in the first quarter and at one stage the lead was out to over 100 points in the final quarter. It was the Bombers fourth win in a row and they drew level at the top of the ladder with five other teams. The final score 24.6.150 to 8.8.56. Essendon had many winners over the ground with McKernan dominating in the air and booting five goals, he was well supported by ruckman Tom Bellchambers, who had been dumped from the AFL during the week, with four goals while fellow big man Jonathon Giles and small forwards Mitch Purcell and Lauchlan Dalgleish all kicked three.
Round ten’s match-of-the-day was on the Sunday at Burbank Oval where visitors Box Hill took over the top mantle on the ladder after defeating Williamstown by 62 points – 19.8.122 to 8.12.60. In another close one at the ME Bank Centre in Richmond, Footscray held on for a two point win over Richmond – 11.18.84 to 12.10.82. One of the upsets of the season was on the Saturday at Ikon Park when the Northern Blues defeated Werribee 16.10.106 to 15.12.102. Werribee surrendered an eight point lead at the main break to trail by 30 points at three-quarter-time after the Blues slammed on eight goals; four of them to Carlton listed Matthew Watson in a best-on-ground performance. Werribee fought back hard in the final term with six goals to two but ran out of time, a post-siren goal to Majak Daw reducing the final margin to four points. Watson starring up forward for the home side with six goals while runners David Ellard (28 disposals), Jason Tutt (21) and Mark Whiley (28) provided supply with plenty of run and carry and Blaine Brockhurst (26) were also in the Blues best.
Round eleven provided three nail biters featuring sides destined for finals action. At Victoria Park, Collingwood overcame Box Hill by two points in a low scoring affair – 9.8.62 to 9.6.60. Down at Trevor Barker Beach Oval Sandringham held off reigning premier Footscray to win by three points – 15.11.101 to 15.8.98 while at North Port Oval Essendon continued their strong form winning their fifth match in-a-row beating Port Melbourne 12.14.86 to 11.9.75.
Collingwood held out a fast finishing Sandringham by ten points in round 12 at a chilly Victoria Park. The Pies were in control leading by 29 points at the final change but the Zebras rallied to get within three points approaching time-on before going down 11.12.78 to 10.8.68. Brenden Abbott finished with a game-high three goals for the winners with Patrick Karnezies booting two while for Sandringham Paddy McCartin was their only multiple goal kicker with two. Mason Cox won the battle of the big men in the ruck for Collingwood and he was well supported by Brodie Grundy who was returning from injury. Collingwood had defeated three top eight teams in succession and sat just outside the top eight after the round. Elsewhere it was second versus third at Burbank Oval where Williamstown ended Essendon’s five-match winning run with a 44-point win.
Eleventh placed Geelong upset fourth placed Werribee by two points at Chirnside Park in round thirteen – 7.11.53 to 7.9.51 while at Box Hill City Oval the top of the ladder Hawks struggled to shake off second last placed North Ballarat hanging on by five points – 12.11.83 to 11.12.78.
Drama at Windy Hill in round fourteen when North Ballarat captain, Myles Sewell, asked umpires for a head count in the first quarter of their clash with Essendon. Umpires quickly gathered both sides in the middle of the ground and conducted the count before awarding Essendon a free kick against the Roosters for requesting the count. It was the second time in three years North Ballarat have been involved in a player count, in 2013 they requested a count against Frankston down at Frankston Oval where the Dolphins lost all their points in the match, up until the time of the count. The Bombers were in control early and with ruckman Jonathon Giles dominating around the ground and Kyle Hardingham, four goals, a focus up forward, the home side were able to keep the Roosters at arm’s length winning 15.5.95 to 11.7.73. An important clash at Avalon Airport Oval between two top eight sides saw Sandringham topple Werribee by two goals – 12.15.87 to 11.9.75.
Lowly Coburg upset reigning premier Footscray by 48-points at Piranha Park in round fifteen. The Lions set up their win with eight unanswered goals in the second quarter and then held the Bulldogs goalless in the final term to secure their first top eight scalp of the year. Mark Orr kicked a game-high four goals for Coburg and Ozgur Uysal led the way with 28 possessions. Werribee dislodged Box Hill from the top of the ladder with a thirteen point win at Avalon Airport Oval. Tiger Ben Speight with 24 disposals and two goals awarded best-on-ground honours.
Footscray replaced Essendon in the top four after accounting for the Bombers by 22 points in round 16 at the VU Whitten Oval. In a tight contest played in blustery conditions the Bulldogs responded after a slow start to wear down the Bombers winning 11.10.76 to 7.12.54. High profiled forward Tom Boyd booted three goals including two into the wind in the third quarter when the Bulldogs managed to give the Bombers the slip. Lin Jong (26 disposals) and Jordan Kelly (20) worked hard through the midfield while Jordan Russell (34) and Roarke Smith (21) in defence cleaned up many of the Essendon attacks. Coburg continued their late season improvement with a 35-point win over Port Melbourne at North Port Oval. The Lions kicked five of the last six goals to record their first back-to-back victories for the season – 12.12.84 to 7.7.49. Uysal again in the thick of it for Coburg amassing 38 possessions.
Werribee put a dent in Essendon's top four hopes while improving their own with a 28-point win over the Bombers at Windy Hill in round 17. In a crucial clash for both sides Werribee burst the match open in the second quarter booting seven goals to two and despite the loss of Scott Sherlock and Brayden Norris to injuries, went onto win 15.13.103 to 11.9.75. Majak Daw booted three for the winners, all in the second term, Dylan Reid, Eric Wallace, Josh Porter and Matthew Munro all kicked two while for the Bombers, Kyle Hardingham kicked three. In a top four battle at Burbank Oval, Footscray knocked off ladder leaders Williamstown by eleven points – 10.13.73 to 8.14.62 - thus holding onto their fourth spot whilst knocking the Seagulls off their top rung. Tom Boyd kicked three goals for the Bulldogs and Brett Prismall led the way in possession with thirty.
Five teams were still a mathematical chance of playing finals with three rounds remaining, providing eighth placed Casey Scorpions lost their remaining three games. In round eighteen North Ballarat and Coburg reduced the gap to eight points when they beat Collingwood and Richmond respectively with Casey losing to Williamstown by seventeen points. Meanwhile a Tom Boyd goal in the last minute at the Whitten Oval effectively ended Port Melbourne’s finals aspirations. Boyd’s fifth goal for the match edged the Bulldogs to a 12.12.84 to 12.9.81 win after the Borough had led by eleven point’s midway through the final quarter. Brett Goodes with 24 disposals and Mitch Honeychurch and Jordan Russell with 22 each in their best players.
Essendon and Footscray put on a finals like display in round nineteen at Bendigo’s Queen Elizabeth Oval playing out a four point thriller. The Bombers booting the last three goals of the match to win 11.13.79 to Footscray 10.15.75. In another top eight battle at Burbank Oval, an inaccurate Werribee kept their top four hopes alive with fifteen point win over Williamstown – 11.22.88 to 11.7.73. James Sicily kicked eight goals in Box Hill’s thrashing of the Northern Blues at Preston City Oval. The Hawks kicking 26.9.165 to 11.9.75 to secure the minor premiership thanks to the Seagulls loss against Werribee. Port Melbourne demolished Frankston at North Port Oval kicking the season’s highest score of 33.13.211 to the Dolphin’s 10.5.65. The Borough had fourteen goal kickers including six from Scott Clarke and five from Jordan Lisle.
The final round of the home-and-away season saw ladder leaders Box Hill go down to Williamstown by fourteen points at home. The Hawks did have some joy on the day however with Sam Grimley’s only goal for the day enough to win him a share of the Jim ‘Frosty’ Miller Medal as leading goal kicker along with Port Melbourne’s Jordan Lisle and Richmond’s Liam McBean, all three on 42 goals. Mitch Banner amassed 43 possessions for the winners. Footscray held onto fourth spot with a four point win over Werribee at Avalon Airport Oval. The Bulldogs kicked the first five goals of the match but could only manage four more for the rest of it before holding on to win 9.11.65 to 8.13.61.
The higher ranked Essendon and Collingwood both won their elimination finals against Casey and Werribee respectively in the first week of the finals. In the Qualifying Finals the minor premiers Box Hill were too good for Footscray at Box Hill City Oval winning by forty points 18.12.120 to 12.8.80 while at Trevor Barker Oval third placed Williamstown overcame second placed Sandringham 13.6.84 to 11.11.77 in a hard fought contest.
The semi-finals were both played at North Port Oval with an impressive Essendon eliminating reigning premier Footscray by eleven goals on the Saturday – 19.9.123 to 8.9.57. On the Sunday in a much closer contest, Sandringham overcame a gallant Collingwood 15.14.104 to 14.13.97. The following week at North Port Oval two high-class Preliminary Finals played out before great crowds. On the Saturday Box Hill edged out Sandringham 12.17.89 to 12.10.82 thanks to a late goal from Will Langford to make their third successive VFL grand final. James Sicily booted three goals for the victors with defender Matt Spangher named their best. On the Sunday Williamstown won their way through to their first grand final since 2011 with a thrilling twelve point win over Essendon 15.12.102 to 12.18.90. Ben Jolley with 28 disposals and defender Peter Faulks named as the Seagull’s best.
The Grand Final was played at Etihad Stadium in front of 12,900 fans with Williamstown proving too strong for Box Hill 18.12.120 to 8.18.66. After an even first half the Seagulls booted eleven goals to two after half-time to win their first flag since 2003. Jed Anderson got the Hawks within 20 points a minute into the final term but Williamstown then kicked six unanswered goals to put the game beyond doubt. Cameron Lockwood, Dylan Conway and Andrew Gallucci all kicked three goals while for the Hawks James Sicily and Jed Anderson kicked two. Better players for the Premiers included Michael Gibbons who was awarded the Norm Goss Medal for best afield with his 28 disposals, eleven clearances and goal, Jolley (24 disposals), Lockwood and Conway whilst for the Hawks, Jonathan Simpkin (29) and Langford (24) and Sicily named in their best.
North Ballarat rover Nick Rippon won the J.J. Liston Trophy with fifteen votes, one ahead of teammate Myles Sewell, Sandringham’s Clint Jones, Richmond’s Matt Thomas and Williamstown’s Sam Dunnell. The Fothergill-Round Medal for the league’s most promising young talent was awarded to Williamstown’s Adam Marcon.
Please see a selection of images from the season below. For more images go to the 'Gallery' section of the website.
