19/05/2026
Match Report from The Fearon for FIDA Round 3, the Beyond Blue / Terry Firth Memorial Round, Sunday May 17, 2026.
You can donate to Beyond Blue, and help us reach our fundraising total, here: https://www.mentalhealthmatch.com.au//wsfida . If everyone at The Fearon on Sunday kicked in $1, we would raise the $110 to support Beyond Blue to fund training so that every counsellor at the other end of the call, 24/7, can provide appropriate support.
One in four young Australians will experience a mental condition in any year. This means that within community sporting clubs and environments, 1 in 4 people aged 25 years or less – such as players, coaches, or umpires will experience mental illness during their lifetime.
With the weather forecast predicting a lot of rain, we were delighted that for most of the day, there was no precipitation at all.
C Grade Game – Williamstown 2.2 (14) lost to Ballarat 6.8 (44).
Williamstown’s first 3 matches have been against the top three C Grade teams on the 2026 ladder, but the next few games see us with winning opportunities.
Report from Reserves Coach Irish:
“Round 3 was a great round to stop, think about yourself, think about your team and a time to acknowledge sometimes our friends, family and we ourselves can experience challenges with mental health, for many reasons.
Pre-game the players and coaches spent some time on the oval, checking the ground, and considering our game plan around the puddly goal square. In that time, we talked about the importance of checking in on each other, some players bravely sharing their own experiences and how they reached out to a team mate during those times. Thank you to the reserves players for showing unity and care during those discussions.
Daniel led us out as captain for an important day, the first quarter was a challenge, going down a couple of early goals, we had a fight in front of us.
With Dean, Frank and Phillip holding the back line, and Josh D, Darryl and Daniel pushing back in support, we stopped the scoring. Fast pace of Pistol and Jem seen more of the ball forward but we couldn’t get the result on the scoreboard. Bulldogs defence was proving solid. Levi and Paul shared ruck and won most clearances, Ollie and Leah created a superb contest in the mud, locking the ball in and giving W***y time to set up. Second quarter had one instruction from the coach, “kick a goal” - that was it!! W***y was on a mission. There were several close efforts, Kane coming so close with a great kick, and finally Nik banged the Sherrin between the big sticks. GOAL W***Y! Jibril played strong on the wing, Leo chased the ball hard and then next we knew, Josh W had another shot on goal, which was so close. Liam had an increased number of disposals, and Dean B taking his opportunity to take a perfect kick to a team mate. Cayden spent time on the ground and continued his support from the sideline alongside Dean B who is doing very well learning the game. Levi, Pamela and Matt had no luck in full forward, the ball wasn’t getting through the pond.. Ollie gave us all the chance to cheer with an excellent kick and goal!
We have learned about finding our players and getting first to the ball, we have learned about tapping out of the ruck and moving the ball forward with pressure, this week we will focus on kick outs and being an option and leading into space. We have had our 3 games … now it’s time for the W! Go time!!! Go W***y!
Big thanks to Shaz, Andrew W, Andrew M, Bones, Reid and Biddy for making everything work!”
A Grade Game – Williamstown 5.9 (39) defeated Ballarat 3.8 (26).
Coach’s Report:
“Winless W***y against one-win Ballarat was always going to be a significant game for the season. A Bulldogs win would put them high on the ladder, while a Seagulls win would keep the home team within reach of the top four.
After Ballarat goaled from the opening bounce, things looked ominous, but Williamstown steadied and registered three goals for the quarter. In the end, that was the difference. The remainder of the game was a hard, even arm wrestle, with neither team giving anything away. The late withdrawal of Shaun Dominutti, and the loss of josh Knight with an ankle injury early, made things difficult for team balance. With a number of players playing sore, it was a brave effort to stay in the contest. The backline was resolute, with strong rebounding and tight defensive pressure. The mid-field gave sterling support behind the centre, and continued to put the ball forward into scoring situations. The forwards battled hard, but apart from the first stanza, goals were hard to come by. In the end, the Seagulls hung on for an important victory.
Now that we have a month before our next game at Ringwood, there is plenty of time for players to rest and recover. Attendance at training will allow us to drill some of our game strategies and tactics, so let’s all make the effort!”
The Beyond Blue “Most Supportive Player” trophies were won by Harry Norman (Ballarat) and Pistol Pete Williamson (Williamstown) in C Grade, and Ibby Nasser (Williamstown) and Jaylen Whatmore (Ballarat) in A Grade.
The Terry Firth Trophy was awarded to Ballarat, the club with the combined winning margin, for the very first time. Well done, Bulldogs. We will be coming to Ballarat in Round 6 to win it back! Terry Firth was a former Coach of the Ballarat club, and a great friend of Williamstown too. It was fitting that the trophy was accepted by Terry’s son Zac.
Don’t forget to catch up on the replays of our Pride Round games against Lower Plenty in Round 1.
Both matches are available now on our YouTube Channel.
C Grade Pride Round v Lower Plenty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HdcC86dWZ_M&t=5403s
A Grade Pride Round v Lower Plenty https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WYlcrXf1otA
Follow us – there will be more videos to come, including full coverage of both Round 3 Terry Firth / Beyond Blue Matches, which will be going live very soon.
