Hawks conquer Blues in 129-point win

By Alysia Thomas-Sam
The sun peeked out from the clouds for the Hawks’ final match of the home and away season and it didn’t feel much like winter anymore as they were on fire and burnt the Northern Blues, 26.15 (171) to 6.6 (42).

Every piece of the Hawks’ structural puzzle looked like it clicked into place on the field as Coach Marco Bello points out just how many players made an impact in the triumph.
“You could throw a blanket over everyone. I thought Mitch Hallahan and Alex Woodward early were really on top, supply by Big Boy (Ben McEvoy) was outstanding,” he said.

“Obviously Grimley finishing off with seven goals and even down back – the limited times that it did go in there – I thought our defenders, like Brand and even Wanganeen.”

It was the impeccable efficiency in the opening term that saw the Hawks kick eight straight majors without a single behind blemishing their 28-point lead by the first break.

The Blues were present early on but couldn’t conjure enough possession to force opportunities up forward.
In hindsight, the first quarter was the Blues’ best chance of getting in the game as the Hawks ran away with it in the second.

Sam Grimley declared the beginning of the thrashing at the beginning of the second term with a goal. This wasn’t a solitary goal for Grimley though as he ended the match with seven majors and equal first with Port Melbourne’s Dan Connors for the ‘Frosty’ Miller Medal.

A 53-point gap separated both teams as the halftime break rolled around and Bello knew that applying enough pressure early could dispirit the Blues.
“If we were up and about early we thought that they might fall away which is what they did,” he said.
After an entire goal hiatus for the Blues in the second term, they managed to kick a couple in the third. But their efforts were quite insignificant compared to the Hawks’ seven-goal haul by three-quarter time.

Eight goals later off the boots of Hallahan, Liam Tobin, James Sicily, Sam Grimley, Julian Soccio and Luke Lowden – Box Hill had the 129-point win all sewn up.

The Hawks made a statement with their giant win against the Blues, just the intensity they needed going into their finals campaign.
“That momentum now going into next week is really important so we’ve got a good belief in each other, we’ve got a good belief in the system and now we know that if we work together that it should hold us in the good stead,” Bello explained.

The robust team structure that can play out a match in its entirety has finally bloomed in the final stages of the year and Bello is welcoming it with open arms.
“We were able to continue a four-quarter effort, which we’ve been searching for the whole year and we’re getting it at the right time of the year,” he said.

The Hawks will take on Port Melbourne in a qualifying final next Saturday and they’ll be eager to swoop the first win of the finals series.
Box Hill 26.15 (171) defeated Northern Blues 6.6 (42)

Goal Kickers:  S. Grimley 7, X. Murphy 4, J. Soccio 2, J. Sicily 2, B. McEvoy 2, A. Woodward 2, D. Willsmore, B. Ross, R. Schoenmakers, M. Hallahan, L. Lowden, L. Tobin, J. Kelly

Best Players: A. Woodward, B. McEvoy, S. Grimley, J. Kelly, M. Hallahan, K. Brand