Seniors: Hawks claim victory in the final seconds against North Ballarat
Box Hill has continued its incredible Peter Jackson VFL season on Saturday, stealing victory from North Ballarat by five points at Box Hill City Oval from the final kick of the game.
Sam Grimley was the man of the moment for the Hawks, with his hangar in the goal square with mere seconds left ultimately taking the win from the Roosters’ grasp both literally and figuratively.
Speaking after the game, Grimley said that despite the ease of the shot, the situation still left him feeling nervous.
“I was pretty nervous to be honest, even though it was from a slight angle at the top of the goal square,” Grimley recalled.
“Us forwards have a routine and a job to do, you just have to look at it as any other set shot.”
While the Hawks ultimately walked away with the four points, Grimley noted that Box Hill failed to acclimatise early to the Antarctic-like conditions; providing North Ballarat with early confidence.
“It took us a while to adjust to the weather; our mind set was for a dry day and clean conditions but obviously that wasn’t the case.
“The weather can have an impact on the game if you let it. If your mind set isn’t right it can really show, which was the case for us, particularly in that second quarter.”
It was no surprise the Roosters were hot out of the blocks, with the conditions at Box Hill City Oval being more like a summer day at the beach for the men from Ballarat.
The second quarter in particular was disappointing for the Hawks, which witnessed several missed chances to begin the quarter followed by three goals to North Ballarat’s Aaron Black to turn a quarter-time 13-point deficit into a half-time lead for the Roosters.
Following the main break, the attitude change in the Hawks was evident, with Grimley observing how visible the change was on the field.
“We had more of a unity and worked hard as a team; that’s what wins games.”
Despite Box Hill’s new-found mentality, it was never going to be easy to reel North Ballarat following their incredible first half as the Hawks managed to scrape out a four-point lead to take into the final break.
With everything to play for, it was goal-for-goal in the last quarter.
The Hawks embodied a ’never say die’ mentality, as they remained calm and composed in the dying minutes as the seconds ticked down.
Having already being involved in two games this season that finished with a margin under a kick, it was no surprise to Grimley that the Hawks knew what they had to do to claim the win.
“We have a bit of experience in close games, we’ve been in that position a bit this year and have really been able to stay focused in the final stages.”
With under a minute to go, it seemed all over as the hawks had just squandered their shot on goal.
A huge pack mark by Ceglar just beyond the 50-metre arc provided the Hawks with one last roll of the dice and with no time to spare, the big man sent it deep into the forward line in hope.
His prayers were answered Grimley soared like a hawk above his opponent, marking the ball at the top of the square and sending the Hawk fans into raptures.
With seconds to go, Grimley calmly walked in and slotted the goal, with the siren sounding just as Grimley began celebrating the goal to seal the five-point win.
Box Hill will now travel to Piranha Park on Sunday 19 July to take on Coburg at 2pm.
Box Hill Hawks: 5.4 6.6 10.8 12.11 (83)
North Ballarat: 3.3 7.7 9.10 11.12 (78)
Goals: Grimley 2, Tatupu 2, Lock, Webster, Anderson, Woodward, Howe, Pittonet, Ceglar, O’Brien
Best: A. Woodward , J. Ceglar , S. Iles , A. Litherland , J. Simpkin , D. Howe
