Box Hill jumped to second on the ladder after a dominant four-quarter performance away from home in windy conditions to defeat Coburg by 87 points.
The Hawks didn’t relent from the moment Jed Anderson kicked the first goal of the game until he kicked the last goal of the game – his fifth. It was a performance from Anderson that Box Hill coach Damian Carroll described as “enormous” when praising the teenager.
“I think he was our best player over the course of the game,” Carroll said.
“Not just his finishing with goals but his ability to impact in the air and at ground level and his hardness around the ball was extraordinary.”
He ended the day with 24 disposals, five goals, eight clearances and most likely three votes from the umpires.
With Hawthorn youngsters making up the top-six possession getters for Box Hill Anderson wasn’t the only Hawthorn listed player who stood out on the day.
Jonathan Simpkin was prominent all day, amassing 28 disposals to accompany a couple of goals and Liam Shiels continued his strong comeback from injury in his second game back with a performance that impressed Carroll.
“I thought he [Shiels] was solid and he makes good decisions with the ball and doesn’t waste his possessions. I’d imagine he’d be in the mix next week at senior level.”
The biggest concern heading into next week for Box Hill will be the health of Xavier Ellis who left the game midway through the second quarter after injuring his leg in the first quarter.
Next week’s game will shape the first week of the finals, a win will see Box Hill finish second and guarantee a home final, while a loss may see them fall as far as fourth.
Final score:
Coburg 2.1 3.8 3.13 5.17 (47)
Box Hill 7.7 11.7 13.13 20.14 (134)
Goals: J. Anderson 5, S. Iles 3, M. Lock 3, J. Simpkin 2, L. Lowden, J. Ceglar, B. Retzlaff, J. Kelly, M. O'Donnell, P. Lawlor, M. Osborne
Best: J. Anderson, M. Lock, K. Cheney, L. Shiels, A. Litherland, L. Lowden
Hawthorn listed players:
34. Jordan Kelly
Stats: 21 disposals, 10 marks, 1 goal
Continued his ultra consistent form and his ability to hit targets by foot certainly didn’t leave him despite the windy conditions. Really helped with the spread by running hard all day and constantly creating space.
35. Sam Grimley
Stats: 6 disposals, 3 marks, 2 inside 50s
Had the majority of his possessions early as he got off to a really good start before slowing down. Hit the post with a kick from about 75 metres out and had a couple of other opportunities he couldn’t finish.
37. Jed Anderson
Stats: 24 disposals, 8 clearances, 5 goals
Best on ground. Found the ball almost as much as anyone but nearly all of his 24 touches hurt Coburg. His ability to not only get on the end of his teammates’ good work, but also be the first link in that chain by winning a clearance was really impressive.
44. Andrew Bosely
Stats: 9 disposals, 4 marks, 3 inside 50s
Suffered a knock in the last quarter and sat out most of the final term but prior to that provided glimpses that showed once he gets a bit more comfortable that he will be a real run and carry threat. Has the potential to be one of those 70 metre type of players who can carry the ball for 20 metres and kick it 50.
46. Derick Wanganeen
Stats: 15 disposals, 4 tackles, 2 clearances
Used his pace to break away from his opponent and create some space for himself off the half back line. Looks more comfortable down there and is a two way player, defending as well as he is attacking.
47. Jonathon Ceglar
Stats: 9 disposals, 17 hitouts, 1 goal
Held his own in the ruck despite having a quiet day around the ground. He was still running hard in the last quarter and was rewarded for his efforts with a goal. Had a shot in the first he would probably like to have again but overall a solid game.
61. Angus Litherland
Stats: 11 kicks, 3 handballs, 5 marks
Looked like Coburg were trying to drag him deep for a while to negate his run. When he has the ball he just refuses to panic, so composed with ball in hand and at one point just calmly stepped around the Coburg defensive pressure and created space for himself.
63. Kyle Cheney
Stats: 21 disposals, 6 marks, 9 rebounds 50s
Had the kick-in duties for much of the match and held up under the pressure of kicking into such a strong wind. Found plenty of the ball from opposition kicks as he continues to set the benchmark for intercept marks at Box Hill.
65. Will Langford
Stats: 23 disposals, 8 clearances, 5 tackles
Displayed a bit more of an outside game to complement his hard attack at the footy. Showed a calm demeanour when moving through traffic several times and was particularly clean by foot, rarely missing a target even in congestion.
70. Luke Lowden
Stats: 11 disposals, 16 hitouts, 1 goal
Took a super mark to claim his first goal and had a couple of other opportunities he didn’t capitalise on. Did well to get himself in position to hurt Coburg on the scoreboard and as usual he had a couple of clever moments around the ground.
72. Jonathan Simpkin
Stats: 28 disposals, 9 marks, 2 goals
Had the ball on a string all game, whether he was floating across the half backline or pushing forward hard he always seemed to pop up on the end of it. Always plays well when he’s back in the VFL.
77. Michael Osborne
Stats: 13 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 goal
Tackled hard all day, no one had more than him on the day and his hard work earned him a free kick which resulted in a goal. Also provided clean delivery inside 50 with his sharp foot skills to set up a few shots on goal.
80. Xavier Ellis
Stats: 6 disposals, 2 clearances, 1 mark
Was playing well until he hurt himself midway through the first quarter. Came back on for the second but came off shortly after with the game already well in hand there was no need to risk aggravating anything.
82. Liam Shiels
Stats: 23 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles
His ability to get the ball either inside the pack or outside of it is impressive in only his second game back from injury. Impressed coach Damian Carroll enough to think he may be considered for senior selection in the upcoming weeks.
