Back-to-Back Success for Box Hill Development Team
Monday, 13 September 2010
Back-to-Back Success for Box Hill Development Team
VFL Reserves Grand Final at Box Hill City Oval – Saturday 11th
September
By Daniel Dufty
It was an
historic day for the Box Hill Hawks Football Club on Saturday, with the Box
Hill Development Team capturing its third premiership in the VFL competition.
The win was also
the first time ever in Box Hill’s sixty year proud history that back-to-back
premierships have been achieved, after the team added another flag to the one
it won in 2009, under then coach Dale Bower.
The Hawks managed to defeat the Williamstown Seagulls for a second time – their
own arch enemy by 17-points. What made the victory extra special was that it a
premiership for coach Justin Plapp in just his debut season – a fantastic
accomplishment.
The Box Hill Development Team entered the clash as the reigning premiers and
having a home ground advantage, after the VFL ruled TEAC Oval unsuitable for
play, gave the Hawks an extra feather in their cap.
Box Hill having
the better of play early on the scoreboard hit to a handy 16-point lead at
quarter time. Missing crucial opportunities in front of goal, the Hawks left
the Seagulls still in firing range and were not getting full reward for effort.
Building on
their lead, the Hawks shot past the Seagulls in the second after kicking 5.5.
But as pressure
mounted, the Seagulls showed why they were minor premiers after the initial
home and away season, firing back to draw scores level at 84-points a piece at
the final change, in a dramatic turn of events.
You couldn’t get
a better conclusion to any game, and it was going to be a gut wrenching loss
for the fallen team, after such a bruising encounter.
VFL experience
came to the rescue as Ben Smithwick goaled in the first minute of the final
term to set the Seagulls six points adrift. In a see-sawing final term it was
anyone’s game and after lead changes to both sides, the Hawks regained a
10-point lead at the 27th minute mark, and victory was assured.
Box Hill veteran
Marco Bello goalling deep into the final term at the 26th minute
trigged the end of the Seagulls season. But Lachlan George put the writing on
the wall indefinitely for Williamstown, with a sensational long goal from
outside 50 to write another chapter in the Box Hill record book.
Gaining the
breeze in the final term really helped the Hawks, after the Seagulls couldn’t
miss a trick in the third term, peppering goals from all angles in a quarter
that produced 7.4 for the away team .
Box Hill ruckman
Andrew Renton was awarded the Fred Hill Memorial Medal as the player judged
best on ground and he is only the third Hawk to have ever won the award.
Leigh Kitchin
and Lachlan George were both outstanding contributors with Renton, along with Chris Hoegel who kicked
two important goals in the last quarter to keep Box Hill’s premiership dream
alive.
Box Hill’s
premiership success is the clubs third reserves premiership in the last five
years, after having made the grand final four of the past five years.
After
Williamstown defeated the Hawks in the 2008 Grand Final, it is a sweet reply by
the boys two years later.
Williamstown: 2.2 / 6.2 / 13.6 / 16.9.105
Box Hill Development Team: 4.6 / 9.11 / 12.12 / 17.20.122
Goals: C. Hoegel 4, B. Smithwick 2, J. Cass 2, L. George 2, B. Dowler, G. Conyers,
M. Bello, L. Kitchin, D. Mirra, J. Williams, T. Duryea
Best: A. Renton, L. Kitchin, L. George, B. Smithwick, D. Van Unen, D. Walker
Box Hill Premiership Winning Team 2010:
B Luke Andrews Dylan Van Unen Will Sierakowski
HB Taylor Duryea Gary Conyers
Beau Dowler
C Liam Tobin Sam Grimley
Jayden Cass
HF Dale Walker Ben Smithwick
Leigh Kitchin
F Andrew Renton Marco Bello
Michael Johnston
R David Mirra
Andrew McGuinness Jordan
Williams
Int Chris Hoegel Lachlan
George Tom Warby
James Orr
Coach: Justin Plapp
Captain: Andrew McGuinness
Players who have also represented the team:
Michael Thompson, Kieran McShane, Brent Wallace, Ben
Kennedy, Aaron Johns, Brad Neil, Phil Edgar, Zach Ledin, Nathan Burnage, Luke
Lowden, Jayden Hoegel, John Delahunty, Tom Purcell, Ryan Jackson, Jack Furey,
Julien Moussi, Ryan Minahan, Robert Campbell, Thomas Kickett, Travis Tuck,
Shaun Cross, Andrew Ellis, Riley Milne, Jay Kinder, Jack Mahony, Cameron Stokes