A blistering third term propelled the Northern Bullants to a five point victory over a brave Box Hill Hawks at Visy Park on Sunday, as Samantha Landy reports.
The home side recovered from a lacklustre first half to post six goals to the Hawks’ one in the appropriately named premiership quarter.
The Bullants upped their intensity after being held goalless in the first quarter and falling further behind Box Hill in the second to dominate their opponents all around the ground, winning the tackle count 67 to 51, inside 50s 38 to 33, and clearances 30 to 23.
Tenth placed Box Hill thoroughly challenged their top four adversary; amassing a half time lead of four goals and never allowing the Bullants to run away with the game when they hit the front in the third term. The visitors gave their opponent a fright in the dying minutes of the match, slotting three goals in time on, two off the boot of captain Sam Gibson, to cut the 22-point margin to five just seconds before the siren sounded.
Northern coach Darren Harris said his side’s come-from-behind win showcased the “good spirit” of the club.
“If you’re that far down at half time and not really going that well, to go in and have a third quarter like we did, shows a lot of character.”
Harris nominated Lachie Henderson as best on ground for his three goal haul and imposing forward presence, suggesting an elevation to the Carlton forward line may not be far away for ‘Hendo’.
“I thought Hendo was our best player today,” Harris said. “I thought he was our best player last week. So he’s really putting pressure on to play a key role in the senior team. I think his confidence should be right up.”
The Bullants coach was also quick to praise number one draft pick Matthew Kreuzer, noting that he was “really solid” in his second game back after a year on the sidelines with a knee injury.
“His third quarter was really encouraging. His ruck work was good all day, a little bit scratchy early on with his skills, which is gonna happen. But geez, I thought the presence he had in that third quarter up forward was very important for us.”
Richmond recruit Andrew Collins was also a solid contributor for the Bullants, slotting three goals, while young guns Zach Tuohy, Ash Arrowsmith and Patrick McCarthy showed promise. Captain Adam Iacobucci continued his stellar form and injured Blues Ryan Houlihan and Paul Bower both put their hands up for returns to the AFL with strong four-quarter performances.
Gibson led the way for Box Hill, supported by Haydn Keil and Kyle Cheney, both regulars on the Hawks best player lists. Hawthorn gun Clinton Young made a strong case for AFL selection, while big man Paul Johnson starred in the ruck and up forward.
The visitors dominated the opening term, restricting the Bullants to just one point and coming away with a 21-point lead. The Hawks’ defence clogged Northern’s forward 50, thwarting all of their advances forward and making it difficult for the Bullants to get clean shots at goal. Box Hill were conversely able to convert from their forward pushes, however they could have been more accurate, booting four behinds along with their three goals.
The home team came out on the offensive in the second quarter, spurred on by Harris’ quarter time plea that they “be bold”, but their inaccuracy cost them. The Bullants could only muster two goals and five points to Box Hill’s four majors despite having plenty of forward 50 entries. The half time deficit was 24 points to the Hawks.
The Bullants finally showed why they are a top four contender in the third term, taking control of the match and affecting a 31-point turnaround to lead by seven points at the final change. Northern’s AFL stars engineered the comeback, with Collins, Houlihan, Kreuzer and Henderson slotting goals.
Johnson and Gibson almost won the game for Box Hill with courageous final quarter efforts, but the Bullants were able to hold on to win the match by less than a goal. Despite conceding a 22-point deficit at one point in the quarter, the Hawks never fell away. The visitors piled on three goals in time on to put the match in doubt when much of the crowd had deemed it over. The Bullants fans which packed the stands at Visy Park breathed a sigh of relief when the siren rang out with their team in front by five points.
The win secures third spot for the Bullants who are in a strong position to finish top four this season and challenge for a third consecutive Grand Final berth. But Harris knows it is too early in the season to be thinking about the Granny.
“At the moment we’re six and two, so that’s heading in the right direction. But we just wanna qualify first,” he said.
Northern will endeavour to string two wins together when they face Collingwood at Victoria Park on Saturday, while Box Hill will have a chance to redeem themselves against the winless Geelong at Box Hill City Oval.
Last Modified on 01/06/2011 14:06