A week off for both sides will see Richmond and Box Hill Hawks fresh for their Round 7 encounter Saturday morning at Punt Road Oval, as Alysia Thomas-Sam reports.
The Hawks are coming off their first defeat of the season, but luckily for Box Hill fans they still sit intimidatingly high on the ladder with no losses, with their first blemish part of it short lived FOXTEL Cup campaign.
The Tigers however will be brimming with confidence as an impressive third term saw them take care of Geelong by 51 points at the venue for this clash, which sets up an entertaining match.
The Tigers’ win is being hailed as their best performance of the season. They were clean with their hands and agile while maneuvering the ball up the ground for scoring opportunities. They dominated possession in the middle of the ground and didn’t allow the Cats back into the game in the second half.
The Hawks’ encounter with West Perth was a different story; their slow start on the scoreboard was due to ineffective passing and rushed ball use. A late surge in the match was not enough against the reigning WAFL premiers.
The last meeting between the Tigers and the Hawks took place in the middle of August during round 18 at Piranha Park last year, with Richmond in their former lineup with aligned side Coburg. After the first bounce, the visitors were firing – Hawks kicking goals left right and centre – and controlled the game at every quarter break to hold an unbeatable lead resulting in the Hawks going home with a 86-point victory.
Jed Anderson, Jonathon Simpkin and Liam Shiels were amongst the best on the day and were too good for the earnest efforts of Tigers in Robin Nahas and Matthew Dea.
It’s possible the rebirth of the Richmond Tigers as a new standalone club this season may be the change that sparks their competency to tackle the giants of the competition in clubs like Geelong and Box Hill.
The Tiger’s X factor may come in the form of Ivan Maric who is set to play his first match of the season since sustaining a foot injury late in the pre-season. Maric’s return to the playing field has been greatly anticipated and after months of being out of the guernsey, he’ll be looking for a welcome back win tomorrow. He will face a tough initiation back to football facing the Hawks’ tall timber of Sam Grimley, Jon Ceglar and Luke Lowden in the middle.
Both teams boast players selected fo the VFL State Squad to take on SANFL on the 31st of May, Nathan Batsanis for the Tigers and Ayden Kennedy, Marc Lock and David Mirra for the Hawks. All four state squad selected players will be lining up tomorrow for the clash.
Despite the Tigers coming off an impressive triumph over the powerful Cats, the Hawks are looking for redemption from their disappointing 2-point loss in the Foxtel Cup and the welcoming back of Maric may not be enough for the Tigers to grab the four points at the end of the day.
Catch Richmond host Box Hill at ME Bank Centre at 10:40am on May 17, live on 3WBC and Tiger Radio.
Last Modified on 16/05/2014 18:55