Round Eleven Match Preview
WHERE: Box Hill City Oval
WHEN: Sunday, 2:00PM
COVERAGE: 3WBC radio – 94.1FM
LAST FIVE MEETINGS
Round 2, 2018: Frankston 9.10 (64) defeated by Box Hill 14.19 (103) at SkyBus Stadium
Round 4, 2016: Box Hill 14.14 (98) defeated Frankston 5.9 (39) at Box Hill City Oval
Round 12, 2015: Box Hill 15.12 (102) defeated Frankston 5.7 (37) at Box Hill City Oval
Round 18, 2014: Frankston 4.9 (33) defeated by Box Hill 9.9 (63) at SkyBus Stadium
Round 5, 2014: Box Hill 22.10 (142) defeated Frankston 5.6 (36) at Box Hill City Oval
SETTING THE SCENE
The Box Hill Hawks will take on Frankston for the second time this year; hosting the Dolphins in a critical match in which both outfits will be set on revising recent form and returning to the winner’s list.
Last time the two sides met, weather conditions wreaked havoc, as a six-goal breeze and intermittent rain dictated play for much of the day. The Dolphins will take heart from the fact that they led the Hawks at the major break, however Box Hill moved to stamp their authority on the match with an eight goal to two second half, to eventually run out 39-point victors.
The weekend will mark AFL Victoria’s inaugural statewide Sockit2MND Round, an important partnership with FightMND, in which local league, TAC Cup, VFLW and VFL players will don blue and white socks to show their support for the cause. There will be plenty of brown and gold on the day too, as Box Hill City Oval plays host to another double header, with the Hawthorn VFLW side kicking things off against the Southern Saints at 11.30am.
HOW TO FOLLOW?
As above, a radio call will be provided at 3WBC, whilst our official social channels remain the destination for coverage throughout the contest. Head to Twitter for play by play action; or check in at Facebook and Instagram for quarter-by-quarter updates.
TEAM NEWS
Box Hill could field as many as 19 AFL-listed Hawks on Sunday, with Teia Miles, Tim O’Brien and Ryan Schoenmakers headlining this week’s additions.
Box Hill’s Mitch O’Donnell could also make a welcome inclusion, with the ever-reliable backman a possibility to return following a shoulder injury induced fortnight on the sidelines. Similarly suffering past shoulder issues, Dylan Moore is also in the frame to return, with the first-year recruit named on an extended interchange.
Young gun Mackenzie Doreian will get his chance to debut for the brown and gold, acquiring the highly coveted 23rd man position for the week.
Brendan Whitecross, Kaiden Brand and Conor Glass have been named as emergencies for Hawthorn; while Will Langford will return to AFL level following a string of solid VFL performances.
Box Hill stalwart Will Hams also comes from the side, along with youngster Ryan McGannon.
For the Dolphins, playing assistant coach and former Tiger, Jake Batchelor will return, after notching his 50th VFL game last week.
Ex-Sandringham stock, Corey Rich, will continue to spearhead the forward line. Currently third on the overall league table with 23 majors to his name, Rich will be eager to bounce back after a tough day at the office last week, in which goals were hard to come by.
Rich will be joined in the forward line by Danny Allsop and Alfie Jarnestrom, the latter adjudged best afield for the Dolphins last week.
The midfield brigade which took out the contested possession and clearance count in their last battle against the Hawks will look for a repeat performance; the group including former Casey Demon, Aloysio Ferreira, tough onballer, Will Fordham and skipper, Blake Mullane, who is set to notch 50 games of his own this week.
HOW HAVE WE BEEN DOING?
A dip in form has seen Box Hill sink to seventh spot on the table, suffering their third loss in four rounds, at the hands of Werribee before the bye. However, the Hawks remain just two games shy of top spot amongst a tight top eight, and hotly contested battle for a position in the top four.
The seven-point loss to Werribee was characterised by rapid changes in momentum in which both teams traded bursts before the Tigers found the superior finish to take the four points. In spite of a disappointing result, the Hawks entered the aptly timed bye with a positive frame of mind, eager to freshen up and return to the winner’s list once more.
HOW HAVE THEY BEEN DOING?
The Dolphins have struggled at times in season 2018, currently sitting 13th on the table with just two wins to their name. While Frankston hung tough with the Hawks for a half in their last outing, they’ve been on the receiving end of some damaging losses the past two weeks – falling to Port Melbourne and Sandringham by 47 and 122 points, respectively.
The Dolphins last tasted victory in Round 6 when they triumphed over the thus far win-less Coburg Lions; while their second win came in the form of a close defeat of North Melbourne, who currently sit just outside the eight.
ONES TO WATCH
Debutants bring with them an enthusiasm that can often be infectious, and in Mackenzie Doreian Chris Newman has precisely the player to provide a spark to a team looking to rebound from back-to-back losses.
Hard running, a beautiful user of the ball and good decision maker, Doreian will likely ply his trade across half-forward, but could equally spend time deep in attack, on a wing and as an option to run on-ball.
