Wary Gulls Ready For Hawks
The Age
Saturday May 24, 2008
IT MAY be top versus bottom, but Williamstown coach Bradley Gotch is preparing his side for a tough match against the Box Hill Hawks today at Burbank Oval.
Gotch said his side had drawn experience from last week's close match against the Bendigo Bombers and the Seagulls will be giving the winless Hawks plenty of respect."It is always nice to be sitting on top of the ladder (at) this time of year, but it is still early days so you don't get caught up in that sort of thinking. It is more about the process and how you go about it." Gotch said yesterday."I thought last week we were a bit disappointing as a group against Bendigo, and that is not taking anything away from Bendigo, but I just felt we didn't really play to the level of performance that we would like across the board."The Seagulls ran out 37-point winners against the Bombers last weekend - a win that saw them overtake North Ballarat for outright top spot - but the scoreline was tight for much of the match.Gotch said the close game was a warning to his team."You've just got to be careful you don't get caught up with being on top of the ladder, everyone wants to knock you off and everyone also wants to pump you up and see how good you are," he said."It is still early in the season and everyone is still feeling their way and they are trying different guys. You've got to be a bit careful where you see yourself . . . because you have got to be there at the business end of the season," he said.Box Hill is the only side not to have won a match this season, but Gotch noted the Hawks have been close to victory a few times and said the club's win-loss record does not match its ability.
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