BOX HILL HAWKS 26.16 (172) d CASEY SCORPIONS 10.7 (67)
The Box Hill Hawks finally snapped a run of four Development League Grand Final losses with an emphatic 105-point triumph over the Casey Scorpions.
The Hawks had played in the previous eight Grand Finals but ‘only’ claimed flags in 2009, 2010 and 2011. They fell to Coburg in 2012 and then Williamstown in the last three deciders – including two settled by golden points – before achieving redemption on Sunday at North Port Oval. Despite Box Hill’s senior team missing the VFL finals for the first time since 2008 this year, the talent on the club’s list clearly still runs deep.
Coach Matt Adolph’s premiership team boasted a spread of 14 individual goalkickers, with Anthony Brolic (six majors) – in just his first season out of the TAC Cup – leading the way ahead of Matthew Traynor (five). Will Murphy was named the Fred Hill Memorial Medallist for the best player on the ground in the same week in which he finished runner-up in the A.Todd Medal count, while Nick Evans, Mitch O’Donnell and Sam Switkowski were also influential.
The signs were ominous for the Scorpions from the match’s opening minutes. Two weeks prior in their Semi Final encounter, Box Hill set up a 92-point win with a barnstorming six-goal-to-one first quarter.
This time, an early goal to Traynor triggered a run of five unanswered Hawks majors before Tom Wyatt finally put Casey on the board having been the beneficiary of back-to-back 50-metre penalties. However, Liam Kidd’s immediate answering goal was a reflection of how firmly Box Hill had control of the contest.
Liam Hulett opened the second term with a much-needed major to reduce the Scorpions’ deficit to 31 points, but the door was essentially shut on Casey when Hawks trio Lachlan Langford, Traynor and then Brolic all answered with their second goals. Later, a huge mark and resulting set-shot goal for Brolic just before the main break was a fitting end to his team’s dominant first half.
Bryce Rutherford and Kody Wilson battled hard for the Scorpions but they couldn’t stop the procession after half time either, another seven goals to one in the third quarter pushing the margin over 100 points and confirming the Development League flag’s return to Box Hill City Oval.
Last Modified on 20/09/2016 11:10
