FALCONS NO MATCH FOR SEAGULLS IN FOXTEL CUP DECIDER

COLD, frosty and wet conditions met West Perth for its Foxtel Cup grand final with Williamstown at Geelong's Simonds Stadium on Tuesday night and the result was just the one-goal for the Falcons as the Seagulls record a 63-point victory.

The Seagulls dominated the contest from the outset at Simonds Stadium kicking the only five goals of the first quarter and keeping the Falcons goalless until the final term, and to the lowest score in the four-year history of the Foxtel Cup.

Williamstown went goalless itself in the second quarter, but then kicked the only two goals of the third term and three more to one in the last to run out 10.11 (71) to 1.2 (8) winners.

By winning, Williamstown becomes the first team to win the Foxtel Cup twice having also won in 2011 while also taking out the $100,000 in prize money.

West Perth still won $40,000 by being runner-up and becomes the third WAFL team to have lost the Foxtel Cup grand final with Claremont having lost in 2011 to Williamstown, and East Fremantle last year to West Adelaide. Claremont is the only WAFL team to have won the competition in 2012.

West Perth now has to quickly dust itself off, fly back to Perth on Wednesday afternoon, have one solid training session on Thursday night and then prepare to take on the league-leading East Perth at Medibank Stadium on Saturday.

Scott Clouston, Jack Johnstone and Charlie Nastasi all kicked two goals apiece for Williamstown with West Perth's only major coming early in the last quarter courtesy of Corey Chalmers.

Ben Davies was best afield for Williamstown with Brad Mangan, Leigh Masters, Clouston, Nick Sing, Sean Tighe and Kane Lambert among the other standout performers for the Seagulls.

Rohan Kerr was West Perth's best player on the night across half-back while Andrew Strijk, Chris Keunen, Steven Browne, Luke Tedesco and Mitch van Berlo were among others to work hard. Marcus Adams was also a solid contributor after being moved back into defence.

With the temperature barely about five degrees by bounce down and with low fog surrounding Simonds Stadium and the moisture in the air leaving the surface wet, it was difficult conditions from the outset and it was the Falcons who failed to adjust all night long.

The conditions certainly didn’t affect Williamstown in the opening quarter with the Seagulls' forwards making the most of the lack of defensive pressure from West Perth to take plenty of marks, and have plenty of shots on goal.

It took the Seagulls only five minutes to kick the first goal of the match through Jake Owen and then as the first quarter progressed, Clouston, Nastasi, Jack Dorgan and Lambert all added majors as well.

West Perth was held to just two behinds for the first quarter and Williamstown entered the first change leading by 32 points.

Falcons coach Bill Monaghan was clearly unimpressed with his team's lack of effort in the first quarter, particularly from the key position players, and there was a marked improvement in the second term.

West Perth worked its way on top at the stoppages, the move of Adams into the back-line had strengthened the defence and the Falcons were more competitive, but could find nothing forward of centre to provide any scoring options.

The result was a scoreless second quarter from West Perth but with Williamstown managing just five points themselves to lead by 37 points at the main break.

There had been almost a half an hour of play between goals when Williamstown ruckman Tighe snapped out of the pack at a boundary throw-in in the third quarter.

Nastasi then booted his second of the night to stretch the Seagulls' lead to 49 points and it got out to 51 by three quarter-time.

West Perth finally got its first, and only, goal of the night when Chalmers snapped truly early in the last quarter.

The Falcons couldn’t build any momentum from that, though, with Johnstone then booting two quick goals in succession for Williamstown and then Clouston adding his second to set up the eventual 63-point victory.

WEST PERTH        0.2    0.2    0.2    1.2    (8)
WILLIAMSTOWN    5.4    5.9    7.11    10.11    (71)

WEST PERTH – Goals: Chalmers.
Best: Kerr, Strijk, Tedesco, Keunen, Adams, M van Berlo.
WILLIAMSTOWN – Goals: Clouston, Johnstone, Nastasi 2; Tighe, Lambert, Dorgan, Owen.
Best: Davies, Lambert, Sing, Clouston, Mangan, Masters, Tighe.