Round 17 Match Preview

WHEN: 2.05pm, Saturday July 16
WHERE: Box Hill City Oval
COVERAGE: Watch live via the AFL Live Official App or tune in to listen with 3WBC  94.1FM. 

Big game this weekend both in terms of stakes for our season and also the events which coincide with it. 

This clash with Werribee is the annual Beyond Blue Cup and the VFL’s TAC Road Safety Round. On top of that, the Box Hill Hawks will launch their inaugural Hall of Fame during a luncheon ahead of the match, where the first 21 members will be inducted. To honour that, the team will where a special heritage guernsey of honour the club’s Hall of Fame, with a classic Box Hill Mustang jumper. 

Last Five Meetings
Round 4, 2021: Werribee 13.12 (90) defeated Box Hill 8.5 (53) at Box Hill City Oval
Qualifying Final, 2019: Werribee 12.9 (81) defeated Box Hill 5.10 (40) at ETU Stadium. 
Round 19, 2019: Werribee 11.10 (76) defeated Box Hill 7.9 (51) at Avalon Airport Oval. 
Round 19, 2018: Werribee 15.5 (95) defeated Box Hill 12.9 (81) at Avalon Airport Oval. 
Round 9, 2018: Werribee 12.8 (80) defeated Box Hill 11.7 (73) at Box Hill City Oval.

In the last five meetings with Werribee they’ve unfortunately been the team to come out on top in all encounters. The most recent clash took place at home at Box Hill City Oval early in the 2021 season, prior to that was the 2019 Qualifying Final, as well as Round 19 in both 2019 and 2018 and then before that was Round 9 in 2018 again, at Box Hill City Oval. All five times, it seems Werribee were too good on the day. 

How have we been going?
L, L, W, W, L, W, W, W, W, W, L, L, L. 

This week we’ll be looking to rectify our recent form, having lost our last three games. 

Last weekend’s clash with Southport was despite the loss, a game played with a good brand of football from the Hawks. We slotted the first goal through a beautiful set shot from Cal Porter, but the Sharks were in the lead for much of the game, taking a 30-point lead into the main break.

The Hawks came out guns blazing in the second half and won the third term two goals two to just one behind. They’d set up a big finish and had the win within their grasp but it wasn’t to be. However it was the likes of Emerson Jeka in a new role down back accompanied by Damian Mascitti, as well as Daniel Howe through the middle with 26 touches and a standout performance, supported by James Parsons, Tom Phillips and Cal Porter who made up our best players. 

How have they been going?
W, L, W, L, L, L, W, W, W, W, L, W, W. 

Werribee are sitting with a eight-five win-loss record for the season so far, coming off the back of a solid 62-point win over Coburg, making it four on the trot. 

The win moved them to sixth on the league ladder, which was set up by a big first quarter with six goals to none in the opening term. Werribee led for the entire game and were strong in all areas of the ground. 

Their key players were the likes of Tom Gribble who finished with 36 disposals, 15 contested possessions and a goal. Matt Hanson had 30 disposals, 10 marks and a goal, Kye Declase had 29 disposals and two goals. 

Team News 
There’s been little change to the Hawks line up this week, we roll into our second straight home game with a relatively unchanged team.  

Potential ins for the side are Hawthorn’s Liam Shiels, Kyle Hartigan and Jacob Koschitzke, who will bring a wealth of knowledge and experience into the line-up with them. While Ned Long will sit out with an injury.  

Aside from that we head in with the line-up isn’t too dissimilar from that which took it right up to Southport last weekend in Round 16. With our ever-reliable back line in Damian Mascitti, skipper Hugh Beasley and Mason De Wit, through the middle with James Parsons, Dan Howe and Ed Phillips, and up forward the dream team of Fergus Greene, Ben Cavarra and Jackson Callow.  

As well as last week’s debutants in Mitchell Sruk, Liam Coghlan and Hawthorn’s Max Lynch who will all again get a run with Box Hill.  

One to Watch
Hawthorn’s Dan Howe is our one to watch for the week, after an impressive outing in Box Hill’s past two losses. Howe played a bit of everywhere in the Giants clash, managing 21 disposals and a goal, spending time on the ball, in defence and he hit the score board, it was a solid hit out. 

In out last game against Southport, he was named best on ground after having complied a team-high 26 touches, five marks, a game-high four centre clearances and sent the ball inside 50 a game-high seven times for the Hawks. 

Howe has played with Box Hill on seven occasions so far this season, tomorrow will be his eighth outing. In between he’s played with Hawthorn and given notable performances. 

He brings seniority and a touch of extra class to wherever he lines up on the field for Box Hill. We hope he’ll be in the same fine form as the last two weeks when we take on Werribee tomorrow.