One undefeated side will remain at the end of eight rounds in the Peter Jackson VFL, with Box Hill Hawks and Port Melbourne going head to head in a top of the ladder battle this Sunday.
The matchup could not have been fixtured more perfectly, with the top teams to battle it out before the State game weekend bye next weekend.
The game will pit the master against the apprentice, with Port’s experienced Gary Ayres in his seventh season at the Borough, while Marco Bello is in his first year as senior coach at Box Hill Hawks.
Today we look at the top of the table clash from the Box Hill Hawks perspective:
It has been a dream debut season for Marco Bello, with a draw against Sandringham in round two the only blemish on his senior coaching record.
He is looking forward to the challenge of taking on Port Melbourne, a side his club has had some memorable close encounters with over the years.
“We are certainly looking forward to it,” Bello said.
“It will be a big challenge, and they are always tight contests between the clubs, and we are expecting nothing different on Sunday.”
With a number of outs this week for Hawthorn, Box Hill will be waiting to find out which players from its Round 7 win against Richmond will get the call up to the AFL, with the likes of Tim O’Brien, Jon Ceglar, Brad Sewell and Alex Woodward all pressing their case for selection. A key to the success of Box Hill this year has been its depth, with 43 players having played a senior game in 2014.
“At this stage our line up will be not too dissimilar to what we had last week, but with some injuries and suspensions to the Hawthorn side from the Sydney game a week and a half ago, there may be one or two that come out of the side.
“It will give the development league guys an opportunity,” Bello said.
“Every time they come up to senior level they play their role and do their job. They continue to impress me and know that they belong at that level and they have that belief and confidence every time they come up.”
Bello knows the game will be won in the middle, with Port Melbourne boasting an experienced line up including John Baird, Shane Valenti, Toby Pinwill, Chris Cain and James Magner.
While his own midfield does not have the same experience, he is hoping their young legs and speed will give them an advantage.
“It has been the same experienced crew (at Port) - they are strong and have been playing together for a long time so they know each other inside and out.
“We will have to match it in that area and try and get them on the outside if we can.”
Visit the VFL website Friday for Gary Ayres' thoughts on the top of the ladder clash.
Last Modified on 22/05/2014 10:07