It has been over a decade since Box Hill Hawks’ last premiership win, and they face a tough challenge in trying to stop flag favourite Geelong winning back to back flags.
We preview the 2013 Peter Jackson VFL Legendairy Grand Final.
DAMIAN Carroll is no stranger to Grand Final day.
The Box Hill Hawks coach played in three premierships with Springvale when it was a powerhouse of the competition back in the late 1990s.
It would have been four, but a broken jaw suffered weeks earlier stopped him.
One of the many things that characterized Carroll during his marvelous 233 game career was that he relished a challenge.
He is certain to encounter one heck of a fight today.
Carroll returns to a VFL Grand Final for the first time as coach with the enormity of the challenge facing his players not lost on him as they face a rampaging reigning premier in Geelong.
Many believe Geelong is a far more formidable team than the one that defeated Port Melbourne after an engrossing duel at Etihad Stadium last September.
Geelong enters today’s Peter Jackson VFL Legendairy Grand Final as an overwhelming favorite on the back not only of a winning streak of 13 games, but the manner in which they’ve gone about those wins.
The VFL Cats just haven’t fallen over the line – its average winning margin in a streak that dates back to late May is 68 points!
And, that includes lead-up finals wins of 49-points against Casey Scorpions in the Qualifying Final and 82-points against Williamstown in last week’s Preliminary Final.
That’s dominant by anyone’s assessment.
It’s against that back drop that Box Hill Hawks enters its first Grand Final since 2003.
By contrast, Geelong is shaping up for its fourth Grand Final in that time with the VFL Cats having won the flag in 2007 and, of course, last year.
While Geelong is gaining all the rave reviews, and rightly so, what should not be overlooked is that Box Hill Hawks is also on a roll.
The VFL Hawks has won their past seven games with its average winning margin sitting at an impressive 42 points.
With such a formline on most occasions it would be enough to install Box Hill Hawks as favorites, but not against Geelong.
What Carroll and the Box Hill Hawks players will also be able to draw upon is that they ran Geelong to five points – the Cats smallest winning margin for the season – back in its Round 3 match at Simonds Stadium.
Putting that match in context is that Geelong fielded 11 VFL players and it’s unlikely there will be more than six in today’s team.
Box Hill Hawks team that ended Werribee’s season in last week’s Preliminary Final included 14 AFL listed Hawthorn players. It’s expected there may be an increase of one or two to that number this week.
Certainly, both clubs will be able to call upon the full complement of its AFL affiliate with both Hawthorn and Geelong squaring off in a Preliminary Final last Friday night.
One of the biggest challenges facing Carroll is shutting down Geelong’s scoring ability. The VFL Cats have averaged 121 points per game.
It has a multi-pronged attack headlined by Shane Kersten, who has been in white hot form since returning from injury.
Kersten has kicked 28 goals in the seven games he’s played since coming back into the team. He kicked four in the first half of the Preliminary Final before he was rested.
But, it’s not only Kersten that presents a worry. Tall forwards Josh Walker and Ryan Bathie have kicked 14 and 12 goals respectively in their past four matches.
And, then there’s a fleet of goal-kicking midfielders – Messrs Corrigan, Stringer, Horlin-Smith, Schroder, Burbury, Gleeson.
It’s seemingly endless.
Box Hill Hawks defence, led by Kyle Cheney, David Mirra, Tom Gordon and Angus Litherland did a great job subduing Werribee’s key forwards of Ben McKinley, Ben Warren and goal sneak Addam Maric last week.
They will need to replicate that performance this week.
It’s no secret that Geelong’s midfield has been virtually unstoppable. Coach Matthew Knights can roll so many players through there with great effect.
Apart from the above mentioned players throw in the Taylor Hunt and, of course, captain Troy Selwood and Billie Smedts.
Box Hill Hawks midfield is also its strength. Liston Trophy winner Mitch Hallahan would be playing AFL in about a dozen other clubs so dominant has he been.
Hallahan, Shane Savage and Jonathan Simpkin (who could play in back to back Grand Finals for different sides) showed their class against Werribee, but there was also much to like about rookie Will Langford and Mitch O’Donnell.
Both youngsters were among the VFL Hawks best last week.
Hawthorn veteran Michael Osborne has been fantastic for all the young players. His experience along with club best and fairest Sam Iles will be pivotal for Box Hill Hawks.
Geelong was superbly served in the ruck last week by AFL premiership ruckman Trent West who put on a clinic winning an extraordinary 66 hit outs.
Curbing West is a massive job for young Hawthorn ruckman Luke Lowden and Jonathon Ceglar.
Unlike Geelong, Box Hill Hawks don’t have a go-to-guy in attack. They’ve relied on Sam Grimley, Bryce Retzlaff, Luke Tobin, Lowden, Ceglar and Osborne to share the goal kicking load.
All will need to be at their best as Geelong’s defence, led by Mitch Brown, Matt Sully, Cam Eardley and Jackson Sheringham, is miserly and suffocating.
Whatever way you look at it Box Hill Hawks faces a mountain of challenges and while they will rise to many of them, it’s hard to imagine them stopping Geelong.
Last Modified on 21/09/2013 23:32