The Box Hill Hawks have notched their fifth consecutive victory after defeating Frankston by 76 points at Box Hill City Oval on Sunday, as Damian Watson reports.
Victorious Box Hill Coach Damian Carroll was impressed by his team’s effort throughout the match.
“It was a terrific performance by the boys, I felt that we worked well through the game from the early stages,” he said.
“To get a win today in front of our home crowd is really good for us”.
Despite their inaccuracy (23 behinds), the Hawks were never seriously threatened by the Dolphins as the game progressed. The home side’s dominance was epitomised in the second half, converting eight goals while holding Frankston to just two majors.
Seasoned players in Sam Iles and Xavier Ellis were instrumental midfielders for Box Hill, as they created space and accumulated disposals around the stoppages. Mitch Hallahan was also a pivotal figure for the Hawks as he continued his superlative form with three goals.
Box Hill forward Jonathon Ceglar proved a formidable marking target, booting three goals. According to the Hawks coach, Ceglar was an important and agile presence for the side.
“Jonathon really helped the smaller guys come into the game and gave us a target ahead of the ball,” Carroll said.
While not dominant, Box Hill players such as Liam Tobin and Brandon Wood applied great tackling pressure on their Frankston opponents and both contributed two goals in the victory.
“I was really happy with both Liam and Brandon’s games today,” Carroll said.
“Their ability to provide that frontal pressure and work their way into the contest was a key for us”.
For the Dolphins, key forward Micheal Lourey kicked three majors and served as their only tall avenue to goal as Khan Haretuku returned from injury and Sam Lloyd was out of the side. Meanwhile Shane Hockey, Ziggie Alwan and Lachlan Delahunty never relinquished their endeavour for Frankston.
But the Dolphins struggled to dispose of the football effectively and appeared fatigued as the match wore on.
This result elevates the Hawks to second on the Peter Jackson VFL ladder, asserting their position in the premiership race.
However, Box Hill Assistant Coach Patrick Hill is adamant that complacency will not creep into the side.
“We just have to take a week by week approach when preparing for games throughout the rest of the season,” he said.
“We don’t want to contain the confidence of the boys because that drives them, but it is important to keep perspective and realise that there is a long way to go this year”.
The Hawks will regroup and refresh with an upcoming bye, before clashing with Sandringham at Trevor Barker Beach Oval in Round 10. Meanwhile, Frankston will aim to register their third victory of the season when they host Werribee at Frankston Oval this Saturday at the ABC TV game.
Photo: Jenny Owens
Last Modified on 05/06/2013 11:21