Powerhouse Box Hill Hawks travel to Windy Hill this Saturday to kick off Round 5 of the Peter Jackson VFL action against Essendon. Steve O'Brien previews the game.
The Hawks are sure to come out with all guns blazing after suffering a five-point loss to Werribee at home last week . Young Dallas Willsmore had the chance to draw the match with a shot for goal on the siren, only managing to score a behind . Jed Anderson and Brendan Whitecross having been omitted from the AFL side and come in to bolster Box Hill's already powerhouse midfield, led by reigning Liston Trophy winner Alex Woodward , Johnathon Simpkin, Sam Iles and last week’s best Jono O' Rourke . Missing from the team will be key defender Angus Litherland who has been recalled to the AFL side .
Essendon had a solid win by 26 points against Coburg last week and will be looking for consistency as they try and notch the big scalp of the Hawks. The Dons welcome back James Gwilt, Sam Tagliabue , Orazio Fantasia , Will Hams and Tayte Pears who will play his 1st match since Round 1 after shaking off a slight niggle . Missing for the Dons will be Jason Ashby recalled to the senior side as well as Elliott Kavanagh Jake Long and skipper Marcus Marigliani who are all out injured .
With the bottleneck that is forming on the ladder this is the ultimate 8 point match. The Hawks currently sit 4th while the home side are currently 6th , however it is worth noticing there is only one game and percentage between 3rd to14th, and every win is vital as clubs try and establish the pecking order .
Box Hill, like their aligned club Hawthorn, are widely regarded as the best kicking side in the comp and Essendon will need to pressure smooth moving Woodward who is coming off 28 possessions and 9 tackles and Iles who had 23 possessions which included 11 handball receives .Captain Dave Mirra is the rock who holds the Hawks defence together.
In the big man department the Hawks boast Sam Grimley , David Hale and Tim O'Brien which is their named full forward line , Essendon defenders Ariel Steinberg and Josh Freezer will be conceding a lot in the height and strength department however will fancy their speed if they can get the ball to ground .
Essendon would have been please with the form last week of James Polkinghorne , the big name signing from Brisbane amassing 36 touches . He will be needed again on Saturday and should receive great support from Nick O'Brien who despite being tagged last week came away with 29 possessions .Shaun Edwards found a lot of the ball last week and his explosive pace could be pivotal in deciding this encounter .
VERDICT: It is a tipsters nightmare and with Mckernan likely to be missing for the Dons I think the big man strength of the Hawks may see them get over the line by 10 pts .
Game will be broadcast live on 3WBC, with prematch from 11am.
Last Modified on 16/05/2015 00:18
