From Whittlesea Leader
Reported by Sam Landsberger
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THE form of Ahmed Saad and a pulsating third quarter filled with a flurry of goals aside, Sunday's preliminary final rematch with Williamstown was a sour affair for the Northern Bullants.
And the ramifications run deep. Darren Harris's troops remain in the Victorian Football League top four, but with a healthier percentage and a game in hand the Bendigo Bombers are ready to pounce.
Suddenly Saturday's duel with Sandringham is season-defining.
Win and the Ants will enter their first bye for the season with confidence. Lose to a Zebras side hell-bent on toppling a fellow finals contender and the Bullants will find themselves entrenched in a dark midseason slump with alarm bells ringing.
If it was not for Saad's hot streak, the final margin against the Seagulls would have resembled the 59-point gap at half-time.
The goal-sneak was simply brilliant. Goals from 55m, snaps, marks on the lead, kicks up the ground, it was the complete package.
He finished with five goals opposed to Western Bulldog Brennan Stack, who now faces a stern challenge to add to his tally of 19 AFL games.
Harris and Williamstown coach Peter German were quick to sing the Egyptian's praises.
"I thought his defensive pressure was great and he's building his game," Harris said.
"His implied pressure was good and I think he was one bloke that was trying to make something happen all the time."
German said: "Saad's a very good player, we know first-hand what he's capable of doing, so he's certainly what I would think is an AFL prospect."
Three of his goals came in the third term when the Ants laid a staggering 31 tackles to destroy Williamstown.
They added the only six goals of the term, but it still could not quite negate Williamstown's seven-goal-to-nil second quarter.
Jordan Roughead sparked the Seagulls with three early goals, while Tom Liberatore demonstrated his silky potential with one of the most effective clearance displays seen this season in the VFL.
Liberatore finished with 25 touches, and twice set up embattled Bulldog Brian Lake, who slotted three goals from 15 possessions.
Carlton defender Mark Austin had his shoulder crunched in a Brett Goodes tackle, and with Simon White ruled out of Sunday's duel with the Bulldogs it caused brief concerns.
But he returned in the second half and is likely to win a reprieve ahead of Paul Bower and Matthew Watson.
Brock McLean yet again led the Ants midfield charge, edging ahead of chief destroyers and superstar duo Jarrod McCorkell and Adam Iacobucci.
And Harris is adamant the former Melbourne midfielder's AFL career is not over, saying there is still a place at Carlton he is good enough.
McLean is in Liston Trophy form after topping the disposal tally with 27 touches, keeping the pressure high on similar midfielder Ed Curnow.
"It's not all over for Brock McLean yet. I think if his form continues there's a certain amount of his type you can play in an AFL team, and if he's the best one he'll get an opportunity," Harris said.
In his VFL debut, Justin Sherman performed admirably in the first of four matches for Williamstown as part of his AFL suspension for racially vilifying a Gold Coast Suns player.
A nervous start resulted in two botched shots on goal, one which failed to score from 30m out and the other a behind kicked running into an open goal, but the Brisbane Lions recruit capped the toughest week of his life with 1.3 from 18 touches.
The Dogs put a media ban on the speedster, but he was in good spirits after the game and German praised his mental approach.
"He gave us that spark and the energy that he's capable of. We've got him for another three weeks so hopefully he can build on that.," he said.
The contested marking of tough Bulldogs Jayden Schofield and Dylan Addison was a highlight, as was the elite kicking skills of first-round pick Christian Howard.
The Dogs were gifted an eye to their future in the second term, when Schofield won a key duel on the wing courtesy of a Mitch Wallis pass, and handballed to Howard who delivered a 50m pass to Roughead at full-forward.
The impressive display will keep the pressure high on fringe Bulldogs such as Lindsay Gilbee, Ed Barlow, Andrew Hooper and Jarrad Grant.
Zeph Skinner withdrew with gastro, while Ayce Cordy, Brodie Moles and Mitch Hahn are all expected to return next week.
Ants ruckman Nick Meese competed well in the ruck opposed to Roughead and Minson, compiling a massive 32 hit outs.
The win hands the Seagulls effectively a three-game buffer in second place, ensuring it will receive the double chance and should avoid Port Melbourne in week one of the finals.
And with Nortb Ballarat firing, if the Bullants go down to the Zebras on Sunday it will be a long-shot to again feature in the top four this season.
But under David Teague, the Preston club did advance to a grand final last year after finishing sixth.
With Carlton likely to stay alive for the entire VFL finals series, Harris should also have access to a larger contingent of AFL star power come September.
