Hawks 11 points short as Magpies swoop win
By Alysia Thomas-Sam
Box Hill kicked off to a slow start at Victoria Park and were on the back foot for the entire day as they went down by 11 points to Collingwood.
The Hawks were battling from behind for each quarter until the last and couldn’t manage to play the entire game without poor patches as it showed in the final scoreline, Box Hill 12.9 (81) to Collingwood 13.14 (92).
“You can’t play that style of footy and win games and even be that close, we were lucky to be that close,” Coach Marco Bello admitted.
There wasn’t much between the birds of the competition as the Hawks and Magpies were swarming for possession and playing tight footy.
Mitch Hallahan and Marc Lock missed crucial shots on goal in the first term that influenced the Pies’ 22-point lead going into the first break.
The Hawks didn’t seem switched on in the early stages of the match and this may have been their downfall, as they couldn’t fully compensate for the rest of the match.
Luke Lowden tried to get the boys back on track by slotting the first major for the second quarter but the Magpies responded quickly. They seemed two steps ahead and continuously able to shut down the Hawks’ effort to apply pressure.
In the closing minutes of the second term Liam Tobin managed to sneak two vital goals with Jonathon Ceglar capping it off for three in a row. This power play was pivotal as the Hawks managed to reduce the gap to 9-points going into halftime with momentum.
Not surprisingly, the third term kicked off in excruciatingly even fashion. Both teams were strong at the stoppages and landing tackles left right and centre.
Although the Hawks were able to cut the Magpies’ lead throughout the quarter, the Magpies had the power to swing it out to 18 points at periods throughout the term.
A late surge through the boots of Jonathon Ceglar and Sam Grimley on the siren saw the difference diminished to a single goal going into the final break.
“It’s been a focus, obviously, for the last probably eight weeks [that] our second halves haven’t been great. Third quarters were the issue going into probably the last month and this month it’s probably been more the fourth quarters,” Bello said.
Training on enhancing their fourth quarter endeavours must have paid off because Grimley managed to engineer the last goal of the third and first goal of the fourth to force the scores to level.
The Hawks managed to control a lead as large as 7 points inside the final quarter, yet it was their final minutes of effort that let them down. The Magpies swooped the lead and pushed successive goals their way to win.
Kyle Cheney gave a formidable day in the backline with a towering 11 marks and 22 kicks. Although it was enjoyable for the fans to see Cheney performing, it’s not a promising sign if the defense is dominating the statistics.
“We need to make sure we get our style of footy back because this style of footy won’t win you finals and at the moment we’re still fighting off for a finals spot,” Bello confessed.
The Hawks will need to revive their winning passion against Frankston away this week in preparation for finals footy.
Box Hill 12.9 (81) defeated by Collingwood 13.14 (92)
Goal Kickers: L. Tobin 3, S. Grimley 2, L. Lowden 2, A. Kennedy , X. Murphy, J. Kelly, T. O”Brien, J. Ceglar
Best Players: K. Cheney, J. Kelly, D. Mirra, M. Lock, D. Willsmore, W. Hartung
