SEVERAL St Kilda-listed players have put their hands up for senior selection next week as the Zebras went down to Williamstown by 24 points on a cold Sunday Afternoon at Burbank Oval.
Adam Schneider, Josh Saunders and Rhys Stanley were among the best for the Zebras, with Schneider and Saunders seemingly having the ball on a string for the day while Stanley had purple patches up forward where he looked invincible.
With windy conditions players and spectators alike have come to expect on an away trip to Williamstown, the Zebras ultimately couldn’t take full advantage of their opportunities when it was their turn to kick with the breeze.
Williamstown had the benefit of the wind to begin with; peppering the Zebras’ defensive 50 with Josh Bruce fighting valiantly to stem what seemed like an avalanche of forward 50 entries for the Seagulls.
A solitary goal to Josh Saunders was the only major the Zebras could manage for the quarter, with Sandringham seemingly focused on limiting the damage for the term.
With the Zebras having the first of their opportunities with the wind in the second quarter, it was a faltering start as Williamstown managed to break away from Sandringham for the first half of the quarter.
A burst of offensive play lead by Rhys Stanley up forward provided Sandringham with some reward for their effort, pilling on five goals within 15 minutes to bring the margin back to 21 points at the main break after it blew out beyond 40 points earlier in the term.
Though Williamstown failed to take full advantage of their dominance in the first quarter, the problem was rectified in the third as the Seagulls began to consolidate their lead.
Sandringham was left with very few answers in the face of Williamstown’s attacking finesse, as the Seagulls put the Zebras’ defenders to the sword through the sheer amount of time spent in the Zebras’ defensive 50.
Chasing down a 33-point deficit in the final quarter, the Zebras were unable to make another comeback similar to the ones against Frankston and Essendon, though the Zebras continued to fight the game out to bring the final margin down to four goals.
Sandringham will host the Bendigo Gold on Sunday 29 June next round, with the action getting underway at Trevor Barker Beach Oval from 2pm.
Williamstown 4.5 10.6 13.8 16.10 106
Sandringham 1.3 6.9 7.11 11.16 82
Goals: Saunders 3, Stanley 3, Dunell 2, Schneider , White , Banfield
Best: Saunders, Schneider, Stanley, Holmes, Dunell, Banfield
