VFL Match Report: Round 19 vs Williamstown

03/08/2026

A challenging afternoon at Wilson Storage Trevor Barker Beach Oval saw us fall 51 points short against Williamstown on Sunday. Despite the result, there were several strong individual efforts and positive moments throughout the contest as we continued to fight until the final siren.

Williamstown made the early running in the opening term as we worked hard to settle into the contest and establish our ball movement. Despite trailing on the scoreboard, we continued to create opportunities and were rewarded through Charlie Harrop.

Our opening goal came from a terrific team passage, with Jet Peckett reading the play brilliantly, stepping in front of a Williamstown kick to take a strong intercept mark before setting up Charlie Harrop's opening goal. Harrop was then awarded a 50-metre penalty, converting to put our first goal on the board. Harrop added his second later in the afternoon with a clever finish from the boundary, showcasing his class under pressure.

The second quarter saw us continue to compete around the contest, with our defensive pressure creating opportunities to move the ball forward. Willis Reidy produced a clever goal assist, unselfishly handing the ball to Darcy Chirgwin, who finished truly for his first goal of the afternoon. Chirgwin added his second before half-time after Charlie Harrop kicked inside 50, finding him in space to convert another goal.

Our pressure without the ball continued to stand out, with Kynan Brown and Nathan Philactides applying strong tackles around the contest to limit Williamstown’s ball movement.

The third term was one of our better quarters of the afternoon, with improved ball movement and efficiency helping us generate more opportunities inside 50. Ben Hopkins sparked a passage of play after cutting off a Williamstown kick with a strong intercept. He found Kynan Brown, who burst through traffic before releasing to Andreas Stefanakis, with the ball eventually finding Josh Hutchings. Battling the windy conditions, Hutchings’ shot drifted through for a behind.

Darby Heelis also produced a special moment, kicking his first goal after leading strongly at the ball and converting from a mark delivered by Willis Reidy. Another highlight came from a great team passage of the afternoon. After winning the ball back, Reidy found Heelis, who showed great composure with a clever sidestep before releasing Jhett Haeata. Haeata linked up with Andreas Stefanakis, who delivered the final handball to Josh Hutchings to finish off the impressive end-to-end passage.

Despite the scoreboard in the final quarter, the group refused to back down. Ethan Williams worked tirelessly across the ground, repeatedly presenting as an option and taking several important marks. His ball use going forward proved just as valuable, delivering two long kicks inside 50 that found Darcy Chirgwin for two goals, while Charlie Harrop also set up another major with a well-weighted pass inside 50.

Ben Hopkins, Jet Peckett and Ricky Theodoropoulos continued to apply strong pressure with their tackling, making Williamstown earn every possession. Behind the ball, Mitchell Ryan and Owen Bater took several important intercept marks inside defensive 50 to halt attacking opportunities and help repel repeat entries. Kyle Cooper also added his name to the scoresheet, converting confidently from a set shot.

Although the result didn't go our way, there were plenty of positives to take from the performance. Kynan Brown led the way for the Zebs with 25 disposals and seven tackles, while Darcy Chirgwin collected 24 disposals and four goals.

We now head into the bye with an opportunity to reset and continue building our game ahead of our final game of the season.

Scores

Sandringham 1.0, 3.2, 7.3, 9.8 (62)

Williamstown 3.6, 7.6, 14.10, 17.11 (113)

Disposals: Brown (25), Chirgwin (24), Johnson (24), Hopkins (22)

Goals: Chirgwin (4), Harrop (2), Hutchings, Heelis, Cooper

Visit the VFL website for full stats