VFL Season Review: Rounds 1-8
Round 1
Box Hill Hawks 18. 10 – 118 def. Sandringham 12. 9 – 81
Round 1 saw the Box Hill Hawks at City Oval taking on Sandringham. With the seniors coming off a loss to the Zebras in the practice rounds the boys were keen to settle the score in the first game of the Home and Away season. The Hawks delivered, in a dominant performance leading at every turn and winning the game by 37 points. The game saw Max Warren play his first game in a Box Hill Guernsey, as well as debuts from several Hawthorn listed players.
Round 2
Box Hill Hawks 17. 10 – 112 def. Williamstown 14. 13 – 97
With the 2015 Grand Final loss still in the back of Box Hill’s mind, Round 2 gave the boys a chance to gain redemption over rival Williamstown. The game saw Liam Kidd play his first game as 23rd man for the Senior side. It was a hard fought win for the Hawks, trailing by 10 points heading into the final term the Hawks booted four goals to zero to take home the four points with a 15-point victory.
Round 3
Box Hill Hawks 13. 8 – 86 def. Coburg 11. 12 – 78
Box Hill took on Coburg in their Round 3 clash for the ANZAC Cup with the game seeing Matthew Traynor receiving the call up to play as the Seniors 23rd man. The game was a nail biter with the lead constantly changing hands but in the end Box Hill’s forward pressure proved too much as the boys claimed an 8-point win over the Lions.
Round 4
Box Hill Hawks 14. 14 – 98 def. Frankston 5. 9 – 39
With four straight wins under their belt Box Hill returned home to continue their winning streak against Frankston. Controlling the flow of the game the boys managed to claim their fourth consecutive win of the season ending the game with a 59-point lead.
Round 5 – Bye
After the completion of the first month of football, the Box Hill Hawks held a 4-0 start to the season and sat a game clear on top of the VFL ladder. The Hawks had the bye in round 5 and was given additional time to prepare for the next few rounds of football.
Round 6
Box Hill Hawks 9. 14 – 68 def by. Werribee 10. 10 – 70
After the Round 5 Bye, the Box Hill Hawks travelled to Avalon Airport Oval to take on Werribee. However, the clash against Werribee saw the Hawks suffer their first loss of the season by a narrow two points. Holding a four-point lead at half time, skill errors on the Hawks behalf allowed Werribee to take the lead heading into the final quarter. Box Hill were unable to overcome this and despite fighting back in the last term, Werribee were able to gain a 2-point victory.
Round 7
Box Hill Hawks 11. 10 – 76 def by. Casey Scorpions 12. 11 – 83
Round 7 saw the Hawks take on Casey on a cold Saturday night. Captain David Mirra played his 100th Senior VFL game for the club, as well as Billy Murphy playing his first Senior game as the 23rd man. With Box Hill holding the lead at quarter time, Casey renewed their efforts on the field booting six goals to Box Hill’s two in the second quarter. With four points on the line, Box Hill fought back to bring the margin to just one point but in the end Casey proved too strong winning by a devastating seven-points.
Round 8
VFL 13. 9 – 87 def by. SANFL 16. 10 – 107
Round 8 saw the Box Hill Hawks have another week off to accommodate the VFL State game for 2016. Box Hill were represented by two players with Captain David Mirra and Max Warren selected in the team. David Mirra was also selected as Vice-Captain of the VFL side as they travelled to the Adelaide Oval to take on the SANFL. Unfortunately, the VFL side went down by 20 points in a close encounter.
Photo: Jenny Owens Photography
