Top four teams Footscray and Box Hill Hawks will vie for a top two spot at the end of Round 14 action in the Peter Jackson VFL.
The two sides, who have both sat on top of the VFL ladder this season after Footscray ascended to that position for the first time last round have the perfect stage to play out the game on ABC TV Saturday at VU Whitten Oval.
Alysia Thomas-Sam previews the highly anticipated clash.
Box Hill has fallen down to third place due to a lethal combination of a close loss and opposing sides playing formidably. One of those sides is the Footscray Bulldogs who snatched top spot with their seventh straight win, and look like they have the form to force the Hawks further down the ladder this weekend.
In what is a notoriously difficult road trip down to Simonds Stadium, the Bulldogs made it look easy last week with a 52-point win against Geelong.
Brett Goodes was best on ground with 26 touches, five tackles and a goal while Clay Smith’s first match back from injury was capped off with a generous 20 possessions, seven inside 50s and a couple of goals.
The Bulldogs’ ability to hold the Cats completely goalless until the final minute of the second term will be ringing alarm bells down at Box Hill City Oval as the Hawks come off a painfully close loss to Essendon.
The thrilling encounter was tight for the most of the match with the margin not swaying beyond 7 points with each changeover. But the luckless Hawks have an unhealthy habit of abandoning their first half control and handing their opponents the lead when it matters most – in the final half.
Their loss to Essendon is reminiscent of their loss to North Ballarat in round 9 by 2 points, the result being decided from a lack luster final term on the Hawks behalf.
This inability to finish off a match in a winning position has come down to the leaders of the squad. Box Hill Coach Marco Bello has said they need to step up and take charge in the important parts of the match and that the whole team cannot simply play well in “patches”.
The downfall in saying that particular leaders can combat the flourishing Bulldogs is evident in prime leader captain David Mirra, who sustained a calf injury against Essendon and was unable to participate in the rest of the match take charge of the squad’s behaviour on field.
There needs to be a leadership group instilled in the Hawks, as Bulldogs have shown, individual efforts can remain redundant without team cohesion.
Unfortunately for the Hawks, the Bulldogs have found a skill in playing the entire match with vigor. Coach Chris Maple admits his team’s success comes down to their resolute defensive pressure and fearsome team effort across the ground.
The Bulldogs are steaming straight ahead looking to maintain top spot on the ladder for weeks to come and this means seizing their eighth straight win at the expense of the Hawks.
Although Footscray come into this match with the upper hand, Box Hill have a knack of claiming revenge after the weekend of a close loss and the Bulldogs should never take the reigning premiers lightly.
Last Modified on 11/07/2014 20:56