Round 11 Match Review
Strong Hawks dominate at Southport
Gold Coast Football Club v Box Hill Hawks
Fankhauser Reserve, Southport
A classy, disciplined Box Hill Hawks outfit has defeated Gold Coast Football Club by 56 points at Southport this afternoon.
A rampant eight goal third quarter set up the Hawks’ win, one that saw the visitors haul in a fast starting GCFC to run away with the game in the second half.
The game was a defensive frenzy early with GCFC particularly ferocious in close.
Karmichael Hunt, Daniel Harris and Charlie Dixon were all hard at it and several strong tackles found their mark. The home side’s clearance work was also an early highlight, the reliable quality of Zac Smith’s ruck work helping GCFC steal the early momentum.
A quick forward entry saw Charlie Dixon kick GCFC’s first goal and a trademark 60 metre bomb from the impressive Trent McKenzie gave the locals a second almost straight away. With Brandon Matera nailing one from a free kick moments later and the industrious David Swallow following up with another, a confident, running GCFC had picked up where it left off last week to skip away to an early 26 point lead.
Although GCFC was sharp in attack, it was its relentless tackling all over the ground laying the foundation. In fact, so dominant was the GCFC defensive effort it wasn’t until the 16-minute mark until Box Hill managed to score a goal. It had an instantly therapeutic effect, though, the visitors slamming on two more deep into time on to bridge the early gap.
Still, GCFC wasn’t about to let an impressive first quarter effort lay to waste and when some desperate work by Swallow across half forward set up big Rory Thompson, GCFC was able to take a deserved 14 point lead to the first huddle.
The locals started well in the second term with defensive intensity continuing to cause its more fancied opponent to turn the ball over. Swallow set up several early chances and livewire Alik Magin created one of his own, but - importantly in the end - none were taken.
Soon after Box Hill snagged a goal against the run of play to reduce the margin to seven. It proved a catalyst of sorts, the disciplined Hawks now beginning to control the tempo of the game and set up several scoring opportunities of their own. It took a stroke of luck for the Hawks to eventually convert its growing onfield dominance. When GCFC skipper Marc Lock was penalised for holding the ball the Hawks took advantage to kick their second for the term and take the lead for the first time. A defensive turnover by Box Hill gifted Liam Patrick a six pointer to pinch the lead back for GCFC, but it was a short-lived advantage with the Hawks kicking three goals in the shadows of half time to push its lead out to 15 and wrest control of the game.
Things couldn’t have started worse for a disappointingly flat GCFC in the second half. Where the Hawks put numbers around the ball and took the game on, GCFC was uncharacteristically lethargic and unable to find space.
The Hawks willingness to work harder was rewarded with three goals in the first five minutes to break out to an ominous 33-point lead.
Swallow did his best to stem the flow with a contender for goal of the year – a brilliant curling check-side effort from an impossibly acute angle - but it was a lone highlight in a quarter completely dominated by a rampant Box Hill, one that saw the visitors ruthlessly pile on eight goals to two.
GCFC could have been excused for rolling over in the last term. Early goals to Patrick and Sam Iles said the home side had come out with a point to prove. But on a day when the visitors had all the answers, Box Hill almost predictably nailed three quick goals of their own to snuff out any hope of a late GCFC challenge. Both sides traded goals for the remainder of the quarter, but at the final siren it was Box Hill Hawks by an impressive 56 points.
GCFC 5.4 (34) 6.4 (40) 8.8 (54) 11.8 (74)
Box Hill Hawks 3.2 (20) 8.7 (55) 16.11 (107) 19.16 (130)
Goals: Patrick 2, Swallow 2, Matera 2, Dixon, McKenzie, Thompson, Harris, Iles.
Best: Smith, Russell, Iles, Ah Chee, Swallow, McKenzie.
