Hawks finish on top of Seagulls and the ladder
Alysia Thomas-Sam
Round 10 marked the mid-way point for Box Hill’s season and the boys capped off the weekend in style with a final term comeback win over Williamstown to hoist themselves up into top place on the ladder.
Coach Marco Bello was most impressed by his boys ability to persevere in the fourth quarter and get the job done against their visitors, a feat they couldn’t pull off last Saturday.
“I think we adjusted pretty well after three quarter time and we stood up. To kick six goals in the last quarter which is not usually the strongest quarter for us, I thought that was really pleasing,” he said.
To avoid facing a third defeat on the trot, the Hawks had to come out strong against their visitors early. And they did.
Dallas Willsmore put the first dent on the scoreboard for the day and the Hawks pressure was imposing upon their opponents who were unable to kick a goal until the 20 minutes into the match.
Their first term efficiency was commendable and was a significant factor in influencing their 15-point lead going into quarter time.
But the Seagulls weren’t going to lie down.
They forced play into their advantage and within minutes of the first bounce in the second quarter they dribbled through the first goal. Box Hill responded with a couple of behinds – a clear sign of the pressure their visitors were applying.
As David Mirra slid across the goal line to force a rushed behind, the Hawks defenders were preventing the Seagulls domination of play from translating into a lead. Box Hill needed to capitalise on their goal scoring opportunities through improvement in their efficiency as they went into the half time with a trimmed 10-point lead.
Pat Lawlor committed to a tremendous mark only to quickly twist his body and pass it off the Marc Lock who secured a major from a set shot. Although the brilliant passage of play was a joy to watch, the latter stages of the third term were not as satisfying.
The Seagulls booted a couple of quick goals to respond to Lawlor and Lock’s efforts and carried a goal hungry momentum to overtake the Hawks on the scoreboard and force a 10-point gap.
In round 9 against North Ballarat, the Hawks carried a 23-point lead into the final quarter and coughed up the lead to their visitors who came away with the victory.
Bello knew that Box Hill had to learn from their mistakes against the Roosters and make the final quarter of footy – their best quarter of footy.
“We said – yeah we’re a couple of goals down let’s not think that this is over. Let’s really fight it out, give it our all – and I think that’s what came of that.
“The boys really stood up and gave it everything,” Bello discusses how he acted at three quarter time when the boys were down by 9 points.
There was no déjà vu on Box Hill City Oval against the Seagulls though, as the Hawks hit the lead with two goals in the opening minutes of the final term.
However, the visitors were intense in their attack on the ball and the lead would constantly change in each team’s favour.
It was the powerful efforts of Alex Woodward, Sam Iles and Jonathan Simpkin across the field that maintained Box Hill’s control of the play and command of the football to their advantage. The Hawks were manning up well and showed admirable determination to pull through with a win.
“It was probably a team effort, overall. The defenders really did their job and forwards put that goal scoring pressure on,” Bello explained.
The Hawks travel to Casey Fields this weekend in an effort to maintain their well-earned place on the ladder with a win over the Casey Scorpions.
Goal Kickers: D. Willsmore 4, S. Grimley 3, L. Lowden 2, S. Cust 2, L. Tobin, J. Sicily, M. Lock
Best Players: S. Iles, A. Woodward, D. Willsmore, J. Kelly, D. Mirra, Z. Webster
