Box Hill Hawks

The Official Twitter account of the Box Hill Hawks Football Club.

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Round 10: Box Hill vs St Kilda - Live Score
Update: FULL TIME

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Round 10: Box Hill vs St Kilda - Live Score
Update: 3 QRT TIME

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Round 10: Box Hill vs St Kilda - Live Score
Update: HALF TIME

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Round 10: Box Hill vs St Kilda - Live Score
Update: QRT TIME

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Round 9: Box Hill vs Williamstown - Live Score Update: FULL TIME

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Round 9: Box Hill vs Williamstown - Live Score Update: 3 QRT TIME

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Round 9: Box Hill vs Williamstown - Live Score Update: HALF TIME

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Round 9: Box Hill vs Williamstown - Live Score Update: QRT TIME

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

@jorypple @HawkTalkPod 👋🏼👋🏼👋🏼

[John Ure @JohnUre64]

Continuing to recall some of @BoxHillHawks more memorable moments as we count down to our 100th clash with Williamstown on 22nd May; I’ll end this series with a re-post of Game Number 5 of my most exciting Box Hill Hawks games from a few weeks ago.

Interestingly Friday night won’t be the first time the White Horses/Mustangs/Hawks and the Seagulls have played under lights – in the late 1950s both the VFA and VFL had a short and ultimately ill-fated experiment playing nights games at the Lakeside Oval, South Melbourne and Box Hill and Williamstown clashed in Round Seven 1957 under the not-too-bright lights that the technology of the era was able to provide. On that occasion, the Seagulls won easily, so here’s hoping for a different result second time around.

First Preliminary Final 2018
Box Hill 13.13(91) def Williamstown 13.12(90) at Port Melbourne.

The third act of the wild ride that was the Box Hill Hawks 2018 Finals campaign was played out against old foes Williamstown with a berth in the Grand Final at stake. The Seagulls held sway for most of the first half but the Hawks surged late and a long floating kick from Will Hams deep into the second quarter levelled the scores at the main break. Williamstown opened the third quarter with three quick goals to open up a game high 17 point lead but Box Hill was not to be denied. Five of the next six goals were scored by the Hawks, including a brilliant left foot snap by Anthony Brolic from the boundary line, to see Box Hill turn for home with a slender five point lead. When Dylan Moore marked and goaled early in the last quarter, it seemed the Hawks were slowly gaining control. But Williamstown was not done with yet, scoring two of the next three goals to narrow the margin to 3 points. Frustratingly Box Hill controlled the play for the next ten minutes but could only add five consecutive behinds, stretching the Hawks lead to 8 points. As often happens under these circumstances, the Seagulls swept forwards once to goal at the 26 minute mark and narrow the margin to 2 points. There followed some desperate defensive acts by Box Hill but Williamstown managed to beat the zone defence one last time and their forward Thorpe marked 30 metres out in the right forward pocket. His set shot was narrow and missed by a whisker. As Conor Glass took the kick in for Box Hill the siren sounded, handing the Hawks a memorable one point victory and a place in its fourth Grand Final in six years.

[John Ure @JohnUre64]

Continuing to recall some of @BoxHillHawks more memorable moments as we count down to our 100th clash with Williamstown on 22nd May.

First Preliminary Final 2014
Box Hill 15.10(100) def Williamstown 14.9(93) at Port Melbourne.

Another epic finals clash between the old rivals; this one given a bit of additional spice by Williamstown’s pre-game protestations against the eligibility of Hawthorn ruckman Ben McEvoy to play in the VFL Preliminary Final. The VFL rules clearly stated that, with Hawthorn’s season still alive (and on its way to an AFL Premiership), that Box Hill had unrestricted access to Hawthorn listed players not playing in the AFL so the appeal hearing was dismissed and amounted to naught. This game was tight and tense all day with the Hawks holding a narrow five point buffer at the final change. The Seagulls challenged repeatedly in the final term but when Luke Lowden nailed a beautiful left foot set shot from the boundary line to put the Hawks two goals clear at the 23 minute mark, it looked like the game was close to being safe for Box Hill. Then Williamstown goaled twice to level the scores and was again thrusting forwards when Ayden Kennedy marked strongly at half back to repel the attack; at the same time sustaining a serious leg injury. The game was stopped for several minutes while the unfortunate Kennedy was stretchered from the field. Miraculously from the restart, Box Hill swept immediately into attack for Xavier Murphy to goal on the run at the thirty minute mark. The Hawks maintained the ball in its forward line for most of the remaining time; McEvoy marked strongly more than once to repel the Seagulls and Nik Papadopoulos kicked an “important point” to make the game safe. Lowden scored four goals and Murphy three; but ironically McEvoy was named as Box Hill’s best. Box Hill had qualified for consecutive Grand Finals for the first time since joining the VFA in 1951.

[VFL / VFLW @VFL]

Cody Anderson gets @BoxHillHawks off to a quick start in the second quarter! 🔥

🎥: Watch the Smithy’s VFL live and free on the AFL website and AFL Live Official App: https://t.co/3V9lTkSGTM

[John Ure @JohnUre64]

Continuing to recall some of @BoxHillHawks more memorable moments as we count down to our 100th clash with Williamstown on 22nd May.

Second Qualifying Final 2013
Box Hill Hawks 13.8(86) def Williamstown 7.14(56) at Box Hill City Oval.

The Hawks march towards the 2013 Premiership started with a tense Qualifying Final win over the Seagulls at City Oval before a big Finals crowd. For three quarters the two combatants were locked in an arm wrestle with the margin between them in single figures at each change. Kicking to the Whitehorse Road goals, Box Hill started the final term with a lead of just three points. During the first eighteen minutes neither team managed to score a major but Williamstown was clearly winning the territory battle – Hawks defenders such as Kyle Cheney, acting captain David Mirra and Tom Gordon desperately repelled attack after attack. Finally, Liam Tobin marked 55 metres out at half forward and, with a slight breeze at his back and ice in his veins, nailed a beautiful set shot. This opened the floodgates. Jon Simpkin kicked long to the goal square; on the wind the ball carried the Williamstown defender for Bryce Retzlaff to mark at the back and goal. Shortly after Sam Grimley marked and goaled twice in one minute and it was game over. Box Hill had outscored Williamstown in the last quarter 5.1(31) to four behinds. Tobin and Grimley both scored three goals but it was Cheney, who had held the defence together when the game was on the line, who was named best for the Hawks. Three weeks later, after a comfortable win over Werribee in the Preliminary Final and leading Geelong from start-to-finish in the Grand Final, the Box Hill Hawks had claimed a second VFL Premiership.

[John Ure @JohnUre64]

Continuing to recall some of @BoxHillHawks more memorable moments as we count down to our 100th clash with Williamstown on 22nd May.

Round Eleven 2012
Box Hill Hawks 12.15(87) def Williamstown 12.9(81) at Williamstown Recreation Reserve.

This mid-season game, which had been tight all day, is remembered due to a bizarre finish – a final quarter which inexplicably went for almost 38 minutes and resulted in the game ending in near darkness. A total of nine goals were scored in the final term – five to the Hawks and four to the Seagulls – but without any major delays due to injury or the like it was difficult to understand how the timekeepers calculated that so much time-on was needed. As the time clock passed thirty-five minutes and Box Hill clung grimly to a six point lead in the gathering gloom, ABC Television commentators were heard wondering why the lights hadn’t been turned on and if the umpires had it in their power to request that the red match ball be exchanged for a yellow one. Finally, after what seemed an eternity for Box Hill to cling to its narrow lead, the siren sounded as Box Hill repelled one final Seagulls attack. Amos Frank (4 goals), young defender Dave Mirra and Luke Andrews were amongst the best for the Hawks.

[John Ure @JohnUre64]

Continuing to recall some of @BoxHillHawks more memorable moments as we count down to our 100th clash with Williamstown on 22nd May.

Round Seven 1993
Box Hill 20.13(133) def Williamstown 16.20(116) at Williamstown Recreation Reserve.

and

Round Eighteen 1993
Box Hill 13.15(93) def Williamstown 14.6(90) at Box Hill City Oval.

The Mustangs two clashes with the Seagulls in 1993 were “the tale of two Erwins” – with brothers Mark and Michael Erwin (sons of Mick Erwin) impacting each game in significant ways.

In the Round Seven game at Williamstown, Mark Erwin produced one of the great individual performances by a Box Hill player to boot nine goals from the half-forward flank as the Mustangs held sway for most of the game to run out seventeen point victors over the Seagulls.

The final home and away game of the season was nip and tuck all day. With Box Hill trailing by three points deep in the final quarter Michael Erwin nailed a long running shot on goal at the northern goals of City Oval from about 50 metres out to give the Mustangs the lead; it was the final disposal of the game as the siren sounded immediately upon the ball being bounced in the centre.

[John Ure @JohnUre64]

Continuing to recall some of @BoxHillHawks more memorable moments as we count down to our 100th clash with Williamstown on 22nd May.

Round Eleven 1989
Box Hill 14.6(90) drew with Williamstown 13.12(90) at Williamstown Recreation Reserve.

and

Qualifying Final 1989
Box Hill 17.9(111) def Williamstown 14.15(89) at Port Melbourne.

Following Division Two Premierships in 1984 and 1986; Box Hill cemented its place in the higher Division and began a steady climb up the ladder. In 1989 Peter Francis joined the Club as Captain-Coach and brought with him fellow Fitzroy players Michael Reeves and Grant Lawrie. In short Box Hill was ready to challenge for its first major division finals berth in three decades.

In Round Eleven the Mustangs, with one loss for the season to date, travelled to Williamstown to take on the undefeated Seagulls. While many outside observers saw the task as being well beyond Box Hill; the game was drawn, and the Mustangs emerged with great credit. Paul Bolton (6 goals) and David Buttifant (5 goals) dominated the key forward positions and scored all but three of Box Hill’s goals between them. In the dying seconds Bolton marked in the goal square, only for the umpire to rule he had pushed his opponent in the back.

With a final five in operation, Box Hill (third) again found itself facing Williamstown (second) in the first week of the Finals. Again, Box Hill was considered a rank outsider, but trailed by just one goal at half time thanks to its accuracy in front of goal (10.1). With a four goals to one third quarter, the Mustangs edged clear by 15 points at three quarter time, and broke the game open by scoring the first three goals of the final term – to Simon Hogan, Jarrod O’Neill and then a 60 metres torpedo by Matt O’Brien – which opened up a big enough buffer to defend a late Williamstown rally. Paul Bolton, with four goals from centre half-forward, played one of his finest games for the Club and young full back David Banfield played a crucial role by keeping the Seagulls full forward Ian Rickman goalless in the second half. It was Box Hill’s first ever victory over Williamstown in a Final.

The Mustangs of 1989 would eventually finish third – equaling its best VFA result to that time – and was only defeated by the two Grand Finalists, Coburg and Williamstown, during the season.

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

All associated with the Box Hill Hawks Football Club extend their sympathy to Ian’s wife, Carol, and his family at this time. Box Hill Hawks players will wear black armbands in this Saturday’s match against Richmond as a mark of respect.

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Vale Ian Bates

The Box Hill Hawks Football Club are deeply saddened by the passing of champion Ian Bates; a life member of the Box Hill Hawks Football Club, member of the Club’s Team of the Century (half-forward flank) and an inaugural inductee into the Club’s Hall of Fame

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

Ian retained an active interest in the Club over the years and was a regular at our Life Members luncheons and on other home match days where he could often be found watching the game from the South Pavilion balcony.

[Box Hill Hawks @BoxHillHawks]

@PaulAmy375 How did Chubba never play VFL footy?