An inaccurate Box Hill survived a third quarter surge from a spirited Bendigo Gold to win by 38 points at Box Hill City Oval.
On paper, the match looked to be a certain win for Box Hill, with Bendigo sitting at the bottom of the ladder, yet to win a game this season. But after a big week off field, with the future of their club coming into question, Bendigo dug deep and put in a performance that would have made coach Aussie Jones proud.
After a slow start, Box Hill led by 25 points at half-time, only conceding one goal in the whole first half to Bendigo.
After the break Bendigo came out firing and under ominous rain clouds kicked the first five goals of the quarter to take back the lead.
It took some quick working hands from Luke Lowden to find teammate Bryce Retzlaff inside 50, to finally put a stop to the Golds’ run and put the Hawks back in front by a whisker.
Three more goals to Box Hill before the quarter was over built a lead that Bendigo never managed to pull back in as rain started to fall heavily.
The win saw an impressive performance by tall rucking forward Lowden, who more than adequately stepped up to fill the shoes of the absent Jonathan Ceglar.
“I thought Lowden was as good as he has played for a while” coach Damian Carroll said.
“I think he probably had as much of the ball as anyone throughout the day, he has had 19 possessions and 35 hitouts.”
Will Langford and Mitch Hallahan were both superb around the contest. Langford’s defensive pressure was second to none laying 10 effective tackles for the match. While Hallahan used his strength to clear the ball from the pack on 10 separate occasions.
Jed Anderson put in another well rounded performance finishing the day with two goals. He was Box Hill’s only multiple goal scorer, but also worked hard to get the pill notching up 19 honest efforts.
The final margin could have been almost double had Box Hill not been so errant in front of goals. Finishing the day with 19 behinds, Carroll made no excuses for his team’s poor accuracy.
“11.19 is a disaster of a scoreboard, particularly with 5 shots that were inside our 30 metres pretty directly in front,” he said post match.
Eight of those behinds came in the first quarter when the wind played havoc with Box Hill’s attempts to establish a lead early. They finished the first quarter without a goal.
Carroll also praised the efforts of Bendigo saying it would be “disrespectful” to take away from the performance of the Gold.
“They certainly played a good brand of hard footy and certainly challenged us throughout the day.”
The win has seen Box Hill move up a spot on the ladder into third position. A challenge awaits them next week though, when they take on an inform Bombers outfit who have won the past four games in a row.
“We are looking forward to measuring ourselves against a good side, an inform side and hopefully we play a bit more of the style of footy we played last week.”
Final Score:
Box Hill: 0.8 4.10 7.17 11.19 (85)
Bendigo: 1.2 1.3 7.5 7.5 (47)
Best: D. Mirra, L. Lowden, W. Langford, M. Hallahan, J. Anderson, J. Simpkin
Goals: J. Anderson 2, J. Simpkin, L. Lowden, S. Iles, S. Grimley, M. Osborne, B. Retzlaff, K. Post, T. O’Brien
34. Jordan Kelly
17 possessions, 4 body spoils, 6 marks
Solid in defence, with his ability to push up the ground and rebound the ball back into Box Hill’s attacking 50 a big contribution to his side’s offensive structure.
35. Sam Grimley
17 possessions, 1 goal, 10 marks
Was strong overhead around the ground and provided a good target inside 50. Finished the day with a single major, but it should have been two, after he missed an easy set shot in the final term.
37. Jed Anderson
21 possessions, 2 goals, 8 tackles
Box Hill’s only multiple goal kicker, this young Hawk continues to improve. His run around the ground and impact on the contest was a big asset to his side.
38. Mitch Hallahan
29 possessions, 10 clearances, 11 hardball gets
Box Hill’s highest possession getter, he was not afraid to get involved in the contest. His ability to clear the ball from the bottom of the pack was impressive, while his on ball pressure saw him lay five effective tackles.
40. Tim O’Brien
12 possessions, 1 goal, 5 tackles
A quieter day from the youngster who has really shone in the past few weeks. Kicked a goal after a solid tackle inside 50 that saw his opponent pinged for holding the ball. His honest effort count was also pleasing.
46. Derick Wanganeen
15 possessions, 4 body spoils, 2 clearances
After the successful move to defence last week, Wanganeen spent much of the day at half back. While perhaps not his highest rating performance his pace at ground level allowed Box Hill to clear the ball quickly from defence.
61. Angus Litherland
15 possessions, 3 marks, 3 body spoils
Took some good marks in defence in the last quarter and used his body well to pressure the ball around the ground.
63. Kyle Cheney
11 possessions, 6 body spoils, 1 tackle
A late minuet inclusion to the side, his ability to fly at the back of packs and spoil potential Bendigo marks inside 50 was a key factor in Box Hill’s defence.
65. Will Langford
21 possession, 10 tackles, 6 clearances
Langford’s ability to cover ground quickly and chase down the ball carrier was a great asset to his side. While he couldn’t find accuracy in front of goal, his intensity and swift ball movement set up much of Box Hill’s structure.
67. Matt Spangher
17 possessions, 3 tackles, 5 marks
An unassuming performance in defence, he did his job with very little trouble and won praise from Carroll post match.
70. Luke Lowden
19 possessions, 35 hitouts, 1 goal
A sensational day from Lowden, who stepped up to fill the shoes of Jonathan Ceglar - a last minute inclusion in the Hawthorn side - he finished the day as the number one ruckman on the ground. Kept his feet despite the difficult conditions that came on late in the game and kicked an important goal in the third.
72. Jonathan Simpkin
25 possessions, 1 goal, 8 marks
An impressive performance by Simpkin in his return to VFL footy. Hawthorn’s second highest possession getter for the day, his ability to win the contest was impressive with eight hardball gets. Kicked a goal late in the second term to give Box Hill a 25 point lead going into the major break.
77. Michael Osborne
14 possessions, 1 goal, 4 tackles
Despite receiving some special attention from the Gold players for much of the afternoon, his experience meant he did not get sucked in and outsmarted his younger opponent. Used the ball well around the ground and managed a goal in the third.
