The Box Hill Hawks VFLW side have fallen short of securing an early ticket to the grand final, going down by 25 points to Collingwood at ETU Stadium on Saturday morning.
The Magpies were in control all day, leading at every break. Despite the Hawks winning plenty of the ball early, they couldn’t capitalise on the scoreboard, while Collingwood slotted the opening goal to head into quarter time 1.2 (8) to 0.1 (1).
Box Hill could take positives from their strong ball movement, but the Magpies soon took a firm grip on the contest. They kept the Hawks scoreless in the second quarter while adding two goals of their own, stretching the margin to 20 points at the main break a tough deficit for Box Hill to chase down.
The second half had its ups and downs for Box Hill, with the third quarter following a similar pattern to the first. Collingwood continued to do the damage on the scoreboard, adding another two unanswered goals.
True to their trademark resilience, the Hawks refused to roll over and produced a strong final term, kicking 2.2 (14) to narrow the margin and build confidence heading into prelim final week.
Isla Baldwin and Rosie Dillon led the disposals for Box Hill with 19 touches apiece, while Jess Matin and Mikayla Lee were the only goal scorers on the day.
The loss means the Hawks miss their early ticket to the grand final, but the positive is they get another chance this week. They’ll face North Melbourne Werribee in a preliminary final at Kinetic Stadium, Frankston, on Saturday 23 August at 12:05pm.
A win will book their place in the grand final, so we want to see all Hawks fans there in full voice. With the AFLW side also in action that evening, it’s the perfect opportunity to support both teams.
GOALS: Jess Matin, Mikayla Lee
DISPOSALS: I.Baldwin (19), R.Dillon (19), S. Stevenson (16), M.Lee (14)
