A HUGE THANK YOU to VicHealth

Boronia Hawks are absolutely delighted to announce that the Club successfully applied for an Active Club Grant from Vic Health to assist in the launch of our Women’s Football Team in 2018.

The Active Club Grant has assisted the Club to start our team from scratch by advertising for players and then equipping the girls with jumpers, footballs, training tops and so on.

As you all know, our team is now competing in Division 2 of the Eastern Region Womens Football League, a competition that is absolutely booming with new teams. The Hawks have a core team of 26 girls, with only a couple having played footy before. Some well known Hawka families are represented in the team, emphasising how the team is already embraced as part of the Boronia football community.

Success is not always measured by the scoreboard, as the girls are loving their footy and the Club could not be prouder of their team spirit and determination to learn, play and develop. We are very lucky to have Ray Lacey and Scott Nicholas, two Hawks greats in their own right, providing their wealth of experience as Co-Coaches for our inaugural team.

The Active Club Grant was made available to support clubs to implement initiatives that will engage more women and girls in sport. Almost half as many women take part in organised sport compared to men, and women are most likely to stop playing sport as teenagers. There is more momentum in female sport than ever before, but Vic Health recognised the need to offer more opportunities for women and girls to get involved in sport at the community level.

Congratulations to Scott Nicholas for his successful grant application. Once again, many thanks to Vic Health for their support of the Boronia Hawks Women’s Football Program.

https://www.vichealth.vic.gov.au/funding/active-club-grants

Team Selections for 28th, 29th & 30th June

Boronia Hawks Netball Squad for Round 10 v Mulgrave Yellow at 8:00pm at Knox Regional – presented by Knox Club

Carla Alexander, Mandy Bell, Natalie Craven, Allie Forest, Mel Hutton, Ellie Ingwersen, Sharmini Philp, Julia Rush.


Boronia Gold Netball Squad for Round 10 v Heathmont Blue at 6:45pm at Oxley College – presented by Knox Club

Chanelle Barnard, Inge Baselier, Janae Griffin, Sarah Grigg, Casey Hahan, Jess Hall, Ti Parker, Danielle Reynolds, Stacey Shillingford.


Boronia Brown Netball Squad for Round 10 v Lilydale Blue at 7:45pm at Gloria Pyke Court, Dandenong – presented by Knox Club

Lauren Bevan, Amanda Cellante, Chelsea Dynan, Dani Kemp, Courtney Krenn, Sherridan Martin, Alex McKaige, Mollie McMahon.


Seniors Squad for Round 12 v Scoresby at 2:10pm at Tormore Reserve – presented by http://www.allstaterefrigeration.com.au

5 S. Bell 14 J. Bolton 25 B. Bowes 45 H. Burgess 16 M. Buzinskas 51 Z. Dower 12 D. Fairchild 29 J. Godwin 2 L. Hannon 1 R. Henderson 21 N. Heuston 32 L. Johnson 11 J. Lake 19 B. McAlpine 17 L. McKernan 30 J. Paterson 6 A. Phillips 42 B. Rapisarda 52 B. Robertson 36 J. Rutherford 47 T. Steele 37 R. White.


Development Squad for Round 12 v Scoresby at 12:05pm at Tormore Reserve – presented by http://www.dysoncurrie.com.au

81 A. Biddau 60 M. Bruce 7 C. Burgess 4 B. Castersen 64 D. Dower 80 T. Dower 43 C. Flanagan 49 M. Goldsack 9 J. Granland 10 C. McDonald 73 R. Migues 41 K. Milde 33 R. Miller 35 C. Murrihy 58 J. Purdon 28 J. Rambaldo 31 D. Romano 15 D. Ruff 67 M. Smith 75 J. Stamatakos 25 N. Stamatakos 24 R. Warren 77 J. Whitmore 40 B. Wright.


U19’s Squad for Round 12 v Scoresby at 10:00am at Tormore Reserve – presented by http://www.barkking.com.au

13 B. Anderson 3 B. Aughterson 22 J. Baker 4 B. Campbell 28 C. De Boer 1 F. Duke 27 H. Emslie 5 H. Fewson 29 L. Fletcher 14 J. Gardiner-Hoffman 7 T. Griffiths 10 J. Lech 19 J. McDonald 9 J. Mellis 12 T. Mellis 16 W. Morrison 23 H. Mountain 26 J. Mueller 76 K. Notley 17 J. O’Neill 21 L. Slater 8 S. Tunstall 2 R. Williams.


Women’s Squad for Round 9 v Blackburn at 2:45pm on SUNDAY at Morton Park – presented by Knox Leisureworks YMCA

2 A Cellante 3 B Allen 4 B Forrer-Lacey 5 B Kinniff 6 P Lacey 7 A Penny 8 D Thomas 9 J Lacey 10 D Langford 11 C Wright 15 K Buzinskas 16 S Peril 18 L Kabris 20 S Mellis 21 S Singh 22 C Timms 23 A Davidson 24 C Storen 25 K Little 26 R Smith.


@boroniahawks Veterans Squad for Round 6 v Wantirna South at 2:30pm at Walker Reserve – presented by GK Travel & Cruise

1 B. Mills 4 T. Vining 6 S. Beaton 8 C. Burgess 10 D. Fitzgerald 11 J. Davis 13 B. Wiesner 17 G. Hall 18 A. Wright 21 C. Krenn 24 L. Cook 25 G. Krenn 27 R. Weisz 28 S. O’Reilly 36 S. Kavanagh 41 M. Chawulak 42 M. Ryan 43 C. Reid 45 J. Cranfield 46 D. Hansby 52 B. Dahan 57 M. Clinton 86 S. Butler 88 L. Burnett 94 S. Lehman.


 

U19’s Match Report: Round 11 Boronia v South Belgrave

The U19’s headed up the mountain for the early game to take on a competitive South Belgrave with Robbo taking the coaching reins and giving Fletch a well-deserved week off.  We also welcomed Luke Slater to the club for his first game.

Based on their results this year, South Belgrave had been competitive in every game and the boys knew that South needed to take a scalp to push their claims for a finals spot.  A fast start was stressed to the team pre game but unfortunately we conceded three goals, all from free kicks, and went into the ¼ time break down by 4 points.  Two goals to Josh Baker showed that if we moved the ball quickly on the small ground we would have plenty of opportunities to score.

The second quarter was a high scoring affair with both teams playing free flowing football which resulted in both teams kicking four goals apiece.  After a slow start, Trent Mellis & Harry Fewson started to get on top in the midfield, thanks to the tireless work of Ben Anderson & Jack Mueller in the ruck. Tuna & Luke Slater both kicked 2 for the quarter, with the latter being mobbed by his team mates after kicking his first goal for the club.  The half time score saw the Hawker ahead by a solitary point.

The coaches made some moves at half time in an effort to get the game going our way.  Jake Mellis was moved to CHB and Hoff was thrown into the midfield along with the big body of Will Morrison to try and assert some dominance around the stoppages.  South Belgrave managed to get on top in the first part of the third quarter through the dominance of their #12 on the wing so Bailey Campbell was sent to him with the simple task of following him everywhere and shutting him down.  Cambo did a great job, sacrificing his own game, and from this point on #12 only had 2 possessions and the game started to turn the Hawker’s way.  We clawed our way back from being down and led by 2 points at ¾ time.

The last quarter was a see-sawing affair with huge desperation being shown by both sides.  We managed to keep our noises in front for the entire quarter and maintained our composure in the final few minutes to control the game and at the final siren we were ahead by 4 points.  It was a huge team effort from everyone playing their role and digging deep, especially considering we were down two players going into the final quarter.  Bakes ended up with 3 goals for the game, Hoff was everywhere & Jake Mellis was a rock at CHB in the 2ndhalf.

 

After the game, Robbo happily handed the coaching gig back to Fletch with a perfect record intact and the young Hawks look forward to another tough challenge against Scoresby this week.


@boroniahawks D Squad Scoreboard – presented by Alchester IGA

Boronia 16.15 111 d South Belgrave 1.6 12

Goal Kickers: J. Stamatakos 3, K. Milde 2, J. Whitmore 2, J. Rambaldo 2, M. Goldsack 2, T. Dower 2, J. Purdon, R. Migues, B. Wright
Best Players: M. Smith, B. Castersen, B. Wright, D. Dower, K. Milde, J. Rambaldo.


 

Netball Match Reports

BORONIA  HAWKS

 
Tonight was always going to be a tough game against top seated Fairpark Yellow, who came runners up to our Hawks premier team in the 2017 GF.  As usual Hawks started a little slow but settled into their groove 10 minutes into the game.  I think we surprised Fairpark by getting to within 3 goals and showing them some tough competition.  Fairpark were a team of 9 tonight and they are a very competitive and experienced team who have been playing together for years.  In the last quarter they blew out the scores to take the win by 20!  Hawks lost 40-60
 
Unfortunately with us only having 7 players and an hour long game, Hawks had no fresh legs to push through in the last quarter.  However I don’t think the scores reflected how good we played tonight.
 
Fill in Amy Hazard was a fantastic pick up for us in defence and played a great game with countless turn overs. Julia, Ann-Maree and Mel Hutton played hard and strong in goals together and Emily Barrie had a great game, working her arse off through the mid court.  Carla Alexander, Ally Victoria and Mandy Bell all had very good games but unfortunately we just couldn’t pull it together enough to keep the scores tighter.  I hope we get another chance to play Fairpark with our full team available, as I truly believe we could get close to them!!  Not a bad effort tonight  Go smash it next week against Mulgrave ladies!
 

Premier Division: Fairpark Yellow 60 d Boronia Hawks 40
Goals: Julia Rush 30, Mel Hutton 10, Carla Alexander, Emily Barrie, Mandy Bell, Ally Forrest, Kasey Fredericks.

 

BORONIA GOLD

 
This week we welcomed back Ti.  We came out strong leading the first 1/4 by a couple of goals and kept the lead into half time.  We had 9 players so with fresh legs in the third quarter we pushed the lead out to 6 goals. Defenders working hard with many rebounds and Stacey strong down the court in centre.  Goalers once again making great position in the ring.
 
With a change from us in the last quarter Whitehorse took the opportunity and managed to take the lead by 1 goal.  We weren’t going to let the win go without a fight and everyone stepped up to get back in front. We were able to hold on and take the win by one goal.
 

Div. 3: Boronia Gold 33 d Whitehorse Pioneers 31
Goals: Jess Hall, Sarah Grigg 13, Casey Hahn 4, Danielle Reynolds, Chanelle Barnard, Inge Baselier, Ti Parker, Janae Griffin, Stacey Shillingford.

 

BORONIA BROWN

 
After a rough start with 6 players, we ended the first quarter with 8!  Unfortunately we didn’t play the best game and were defeated.  Caitlin made her debut in GA which was great for height and rebounds, whilst our defence grows stronger with Alex and Courtney.  Great effort for the girls for sticking the game out and at the end of the day we still had a fun time!
 

Div. 4: Glen Waverley Hawks Blue 32 d Boronia Brown 19
Goals: Dani Kemp 15, Caitlin Yann 2, M.McMahon 2, Amanda Cellante, Alex McKaige, Lauren Bevan, Courtney Krenn, Chelsea Dynan.

 

Seniors Match Report: Boronia v South Belgrave

Winning Ugly – by “The Voice in the Outer”

 
There was a great atmosphere around the ground as all supporters were invested in each contest and each umpiring decision.  In what was an epic last quarter, the heart rate was high and the banter between both supporter groups was at fever pitch.  A great reminder why local footy is such a great game.
 
The rain had held off and the game started in dry cold conditions, with the ground in great nick.  From the first bounce we saw that SB had come to play.  After being smashed the week before by over 100 points, they targeted a couple of Hawker players off the ball and showed they would not take a backward step. The Hawker was up to the physical challenge but was wasteful in front of goal, kicking 3.6 to 3.1 to win a highly contested first quarter by 5 points.
 
The Hawker started the second in complete control kicking the first 3 goals.  We out played SB on their short ground and 15 minutes into the quarter we held a 4 goal lead.  SB made a couple of changes to their on-field setup which clogged up our forward line.  This tactic, the wet weather closing in, and the Hawker taking the foot off the pedal, left the door ajar for SB to kick a late goal and give them the incentive to crack in hard in the second half. The Hawker leading by 18 points at the long break.
 
The rain had set in for the afternoon as we started the third.  The lights were turned on and it looked more like dusk than the middle of the afternoon.  The Hawker was slow to adjust to the conditions and were second to the ball, with too much sloppy hand ball instead of playing wet weather footy.  SB showed us why they are a dangerous side on their own deck and if it was not for a couple undisciplined acts by SB individual players, the damage on the scoreboard would have been greater.  SB hit the lead kicking 5.2 to the Hawkers miserable 4 points to take a 10 point lead into the last quarter.  As the siren sounded for 3/4 time there was plenty of verbal between the two sides with SB echoing from their huddle “we’re coming for you”.  The challenge was put to the Hawker.
 
 
At the 3/4 time huddle there was no panic from the coaches: they made their moves and were in complete control.  For the players, they had been challenged both on the score board and shown how to play good, tough wet weather footy.  It was their turn to respond, put there head over the ball & win ugly.
 
The last quarter was played in wet slippery conditions.  It was a physical affair: hard tough contested footy; not many marks were taken by either side; with a huge amount of stoppages.  The backline held strong under extreme pressure and the midfield stepped up to even the contested ball at the stoppages.  Both sides were on the wrong end of free kicks & 15 meter penalties.  The Hawker kicked poorly and dropped a couple of tough marks inside 30 metres from goal, but ground out an ugly win kicking 1.6 to 1 point to take a 1 point victory over a side that played extremely well on the day.
 

 
Five things:
  • The last 1/4 was not pretty but a fantastic contest.
  • The LAKESHOW’S last quarter goal under extreme pressure. (Should have kicked 4),
  • The Hawker took up the challenged at 3/4 time to grind out the win. (Team Effort).
  • 17 behinds for the day needs to be addressed.
  • Are the bumps & big tackles being umpired out of local footy?

@boroniahawks Senior Scoreboard – presented by Knox Club

Boronia 7.17 59 d South Belgrave 9.4 58
Goal Kickers: D. Fairchild, M. Buzinskas, B. Rapisarda, J. Paterson, L. Hannon, J. Lake, A. Phillips
Best Players: R. Henderson, J. Lake, L. McKernan, A. Phillips, J. Bolton, B. Robertson.


 

Development Squad Match Report – Boronia v South Belgrave

We finally got the weather that reminds us of how footy was played in the past, and our opposition were struggling each week to put a full team on the ground.  These are games where the under dog can be more desperate and surprise their opponents, and in the first 5 minutes that’s exactly what happened.

Today we were excited to have a long awaited look at Rhys Migues after 11 weeks on the injury list, also Tyler Dower at full forward was another selection that was well deserved.  With some of our regulars elevated to the senior squad, doors opened for a few positional changes.  Shagga in the middle for the second week with Smithy, Castersen and Wrighty in the ruck we would have what we presumed would be first touch of the ball, and they didn’t disappoint.

With Ruffy, Romano and Bruce giving us plenty of run off the half back line and the mids delivering to the forwards with much better disposals,  we looked more like the team of earlier in the season.  Our tackling was much better than in previous weeks and we forced plenty of turnovers.  We kept our forward line open with plenty of space for the two talls to work in, even on a small ground.  Perhaps the other forwards were a little to high, something to work on by the coaches.  Everyone was contributing and goals were coming from all forwards: Goldy, Migues, Stamma to name a few.

We held a commanding lead at the long break.  Any opponent will dig deep to gain respect after a spray from their coach and to South Belgrave’s credit they did just that.  The third quarter was not pretty and stoppages dominated this term. Still we kept the pressure on.  The final term was played on our terms and we scored more regulary and with better link up footy.  With an all round team effort this week and a large winning margin we now look forward to a huge match next week.


@boroniahawks D Squad Scoreboard – presented by Alchester IGA

Boronia 16.15 111 d South Belgrave 1.6 12

Goal Kickers: J. Stamatakos 3, K. Milde 2, J. Whitmore 2, J. Rambaldo 2, M. Goldsack 2, T. Dower 2, J. Purdon, R. Migues, B. Wright
Best Players: M. Smith, B. Castersen, B. Wright, D. Dower, K. Milde, J. Rambaldo


 

Team Selections for Saturday 23 June

@boroniahawks Senior Squad for Round 11 v South Belgrave at 2:10pm at Belgrave South Rec. Reserve – presented by http://www.allstaterefrigeration.com.au

5 S. Bell 14 J. Bolton 25 B. Bowes 45 H. Burgess 16 M. Buzinskas 70 N. Carrodus 51 Z. Dower 12 D. Fairchild 29 J. Godwin 2 L. Hannon 21 R. Henderson 21 N. Heuston 32 L. Johnson 11 J. Lake 19 B McAlpine 17 L. McKernan 30 J. Paterson 6 A. Phillips 42 B. Rapisarda 52 B. Robertson 47 T. Steele 37 R. White.


@boroniahawks Development Squad for Round 11 v South Belgrave at 12:05pm at Belgrave South Rec. Reserve – presented by http://www.dysoncurrie.com.au

60 M. Bruce 7 C. Burgess 4 B. Castersen 64 D. Dower 80 T. Dower 43 C. Flanagan 49 M. Goldsack 9 J. Granland 71 P. Kinniff 10 C. McDonald 73 R. Migues 41 K. Milde 33 R. Miller 35 C. Murrihy 58 J. Purdon 28 J. Rambaldo 31 D. Romano 15 D. Ruff 67 M. Smith 25 N. Stamatakos 75 J. Stamatakos 24 R. Warren 77 J. Whitmore 40 B. Wright.


@boroniahawks U19’s Squad for Round 11 v South Belgrave at Belgrave South Rec. Reserve – presented by http://www.barkking.com.au

13 B. Anderson 3 B. Aughterson 22 J. Baker 28 C. De Boer 27 H. Emslie 5 H. Fewson 29 L. Fletcher 14 J. Gardiner-Hoffman 7 T. Griffiths 10 J. Lech 19 J. McDonald 9 J. Mellis 12 T. Mellis 16 W. Morrison 23 H. Mountain 26 J. Mueller 76 K. Notley 17 J. O’Neill L. Slater 30 L. Sturdy 8 S. Tunstall 2 R. Williams.

Welcome to Luke Slater who joins the Hawks from Rowville!


@boroniahawks Womens Squad for Round 8 v East Ringwood at 10:00am SATURDAY at East Ringwood Reserve – presented by Knox Leisureworks YMCA

2 A Cellante 4 B Forrer-Lacey 5 B Kinniff 6 P Lacey 7 A Penny 8 D Thomas 9 J Lacey 11 C Wright 12 C Chu 15 K Buzinskas 16 S Peril 18 L Kabris 19 E Stanios 22 C Timms 23 A Davidson 24 C Storen 25 K Little 26 R Smith and a big welcome to Sonya Singh!

OUT: 1 J Buzinskas 3 B Allen 10 D Langford 14 T Doran 20 S Mellis.


 

Netball Match Reports

Boronia Hawks
 
Well that was a ripper of a game!  Hawks started off a little slow (as usual) losing the first quarter by 6.  Mandy Bell went down with an ankle injury in the second quarter and we had to switch things up.  We started to bring our game together in the second and took a lead in the third quarter.  Lilydale are a strong and competitive team and they had no intention of letting us win easily.  It went right to the end with us scoring the winning goal with 5 seconds to go!  Hawks won by 1 goal 36-35
 
New team member Mel Hutton settled into the team, well having a fantastic game in goals with Emily Barrie.  As usual our defence was strong against goalers who rarely missed.  Ally had a fantastic game in Centre and was a stand out performer tonight.  Absolutely fantastic game to watch, every girl deserves a mention as everyone really did have a fantastic game!  
 
 
We will be put to the test next week against Lions, especially given we will be missing our 2 tall key defenders……..great game ladies a well fought win!
 
 

Boronia Brown
 
Boronia Brown 29 defeated North Ringwood 22
 
With a very quick opposing team we started a little rushed but then took them to our controlled game.  In the 3rd quarter we got a strong lead and dominated the court.  Dani played a ripper game in goals hardly missing at all, with Sherridan and Mollie assisting in GA.  A big thank you to Bec Allen for coming to coach and fill in for a few quarters.  Your guidance for all players, especially through the mid court is invaluable. It’s great to learn during the game as well as in the breaks!
 
Great game for all players, we held the lead in the last quarter well and didn’t let the pressure shake us.  This win seals our spot as 4th on the ladder with a one game lead on 5th.  Great game everyone! #getaroundthebrown
 
 

D Squad Match Report for Round 10: Boronia v Donvale

After a night of heavy rain we arrived to find our ground in great nick for football and not what we anticipated on Thursday night at all.  With no one missing a game this week due to some player injuries and unavailabilities it was easier at team selection this week.  In a milestone game for B Castersen, 50 senior games with the Hawks, and Patto coming back to give some needed experience to our forward line; we were confident our form of early in the season would return.  We talked about courage and game goals prior and we were ready to take on the second bottom side and kick a large score.

That was all good in theory but our demons returned and we played as we had finished against our previous opponents two weeks prior.  It wasn’t from lack of effort, we just didn’t connect thee dots.  With Carro dominating at stoppages we still found space hard to come by and allowed Donvale to put pressure on our ball carriers.  The first and second quarters were a slog for both teams and honestly, you would have thought we had just encountered 30mm of rain for almost an hour of footy.  The back line was solid but we lacked drive through the middle and half forward.  Z Dower, Smithy, Carro, Sugar and Romano were keeping us in the game and at the long break we were two points in arrears.

After some home truths and some team challenges, with consequences if they weren’t followed, we took the field for the second half.  We looked like a different team.  With short accurate kicking, better decision making, and courageous tackling, we were winning the ball and looking something like we did half a dozen weeks back.  With the ball starting to enter the forward fifty with some purpose, we knew goals would follow.  The first 10 minutes was pressure footy and we didn’t take a backward step.  We wore them down and gained much needed confidence.  M Smith and Stamma tackled strongly and turnovers were now in our favour.  Patto was putting forward pressure on their backs and could have kicked six or seven if the gods had favoured him.  The final term was played pretty much on our terms and with four massive tackles by Stamma we now had the game on our terms, goals were looking likely, and we played like a team.  We now look forward to Belgrave South and continuing our second half into next week.


@boroniahawks D Squad Scoreboard – presented by Alchester IGA

Boronia 7.12 54 d Donvale 4.4 28
Goal Kickers: J. Purdon 2, J. Paterson 2, R. Miller, D. Dower, M. Smith
Best Players: M. Smith, Z. Dower, J. Paterson, D. Romano, K. Milde, J. Purdon


Senior Match Report for Round 10: Boronia v Donvale

The Round 10 clash against Donvale saw the Hawka boys get off to a flying start, with 4 straight clearances and goals within the first 7 minutes. Quick goals to Josh Hannon and Rappa were immediately backed up by Godwin and the skipper, LMac. Chompers, Rappa and Godwin found plenty of the ball early and looked to be a class above their opponents. The Hawka big men up forward played with purpose and wasted no time to assert their dominance, presenting well up the ground. They consistently dished the footy off to our runners, making the most of the forward 50 entries.  Noticeably, the team pressure acts and selfless blocks were right up, creating additional time for effective ball use.  On the few occasions the ball travelled up the other end, our reliable backs intercepted and switched the ball to allow quick entries back up the attacking end.  Donvale were forced to play a wide game and didn’t attack the corridor, resulting in several out of bounds on the full, whereas Boronia looked to attack the middle more often.  A fifth goal came at the hands of Brayden Bowes at the 15 minute, as Donvale were left scratching their heads.  Their first score eventually came as a behind just after the 19 minute mark. Insert Tyler Steele. The big man backed up Hendo’s early dominance and managed to kick a handy goal out of a forward contest just as 23 minutes had passed.  Donvale’s first clearance followed, but it was bottled up and stopped by some gutsy teamwork from Huey, Fairchild and Johnno.  Well into extra time and the rain started. Finally Donvale looked to score, but a sensational chase down tackle on the 50 by Hammer stopped their flow. At quarter time it was Boronia 6.1.37 to Donvale 0.1.1.

With all of the momentum and energy, the Hawker boys exited the huddle with a message of building on a positive first quarter effort.  The second started with a Donvale clearance, which was immediately intercepted by big Lakey.  The Hawka tackling pressure transferred into the second quarter and bottled up the ‘Vales’ movement. Our first scoring opportunity came at the 6 1/2 minute mark when Wrighty kicked the footy into the goal post under pressure.  A nasty knee to the middle of his back saw Josh Hannon’s day come to an end at the 8 minute mark. Then, as if on cue, his brother responded with an impressive goal.  The score flow drastically reduced from this point and it wasn’t until a missed banana attempt by Fairchild at the 23 minute mark did any real action kick in.  Donvale quickly responded by going end to end, kicking their first goal. The rain started to increase and at half time it was 7.7.49 to 1.3.9.
 
Returning after the main break, the rain had stopped but the surface was wet and that meant more defensive footy.  Besides an early behind to Donvale, there was no score until the 8 minute with a behind to Luke Hannon. After another missed opportunity to Tyler Steele, Donvale eventually kicked the first major of the quarter at the 11 1/2 minute mark. They immediately backed it up with another goal, just as the rain started again.  When the going gets tough, the tough get going and that’s exactly the approach our returning players took. Andy and Chinny stepped up their running game and Buzz won a heap of contested ball, but unfortunately missed two consecutive opportunities in front of goal.  Rappa also kicked a behind (from the boundary) and Donvale pounced on the opportunity to punish our mistakes just as 20 minutes ticked over on the clock.  After the early dominance in the game, the margin was now reduced to 25 points and a comeback wasn’t out of the question for Donvale.  Wrighty made a move into the ruck, which temporarily proved beneficial as he managed to crumb his own footy and feed it off to Fairchild who kicked a much needed goal at the 25 minute mark – the only Hawka goal for the quarter!
 
 
After some honesty from the coaches and inspiring words from the leaders, it was time to shift the momentum back in our favour. Hendo and Rappa combined for an early clearance to spot up Lakey who made the move forward.  He quickly followed with a long kick to the square, setting up Brayden Bowes, who got a free to kick the first within a minute.  Backing up immediately, Hendo gave first use to our kids and a handy clearance from LMac resulting in him spotting up Robbo. We’re back!  Some great pressure and movement from the likes of Harry, Hammer, Godwin and Bolts kept the ball forward.  Buzz got on the end of some great movement to kick his first major on the run.  Back that up with a goal to Lakey at the 9 minute mark and another to LMac from a forward 50 stoppage minutes later, it is safe to say that our class was yet again shining through.  Some excellent run from Huey to Chinny on the wing set big Robbo up for another opportunity, which was eventually rushed. It was at this moment that this supporter witnessed something for the first time. Bobby Henry and his analysis team almost wet themselves laughing as the Donvale player attempted to play on from a kick in but was a little overzealous with the kick and gave Boronia another behind. I guess pressure can cause all kinds of mishaps! Donvale’s continued to find it difficult to get the ball out of their back half, much to the delight of Luke Hannon who kicked another at the 17 minute mark. With a bit more hustle, Lakey’s strong last quarter performance was rewarded with another goal prior to the final siren. A handy 72 point victory in the end. 
 

Five points from the game:
 
• The versatility of our players hurts other teams;
• Effective rebound off half-back destroys opposition on Tormore;
• Strong starts and finishes to a game are vital, although the better teams won’t be so forgiving with lapses in the middle;
• “Strong inside, fast outside” is a theme that repeats itself when we play well;
• There is evidence of significant depth in the playing group.

@boroniahawks Seniors Scoreboard – presented by Knox Club

Boronia 14.17 101 d Donvale 4.5 29
Goal Kickers: B. Bowes 2, L. McKernan 2, J. Lake 2, L. Hannon 2, J. Hannon, M. Buzinskas, B. Rapisarda, D. Fairchild, J. Godwin, T. Steele
Best Players: J. Godwin, B. Bowes, J. Lake, L. McKernan, J. Bolton, H. Chinn