The Box Hill Hawks romped to a 94-point victory over old enemy Essendon at Windy Hill on Sunday afternoon. 

The visiting brown and gold set up the percentage boosting win with a dominant first-half performance, booting 17-goals in what was a record-equalling first half haul in for the Club in Division ONE/VFL football.

Clint Proctor’s men well and truly hit the ground running, slotting nine first term goals – including seven straight before registering a behind. 

Stand-in skipper Fergus Greene took to the role nicely, first winning the toss and electing to kick the the Raleigh Street end – traditionally the scoring end of Windy Hill – before leading by example to boot four of his five goals for the day in the first term, including three on the trot. His stellar performance earned him a spot in the best of the day. 

Little changed when play resumed. Despite kicking into the breeze, Box Hill’s forward pressure didn’t let up in the second, paving the way for another dominant quarter, with the Hawks slotting eight goals to nil. 

The hosts came out off the main break with a reignited hunger. Somewhat shifting the momentum their way, the Bombers won the third quarter four goals to two, off eight scoring shots to the Hawks four. 

Come the final term Box Hill were able to wrestle back control of the footy and with it crucial territory, but converting those opportunities seemed more of a challenge late in the game. Despite dominating general play, the Hawks’ first goal of a term in which they kicked 4.10 came after 13 minutes.

Of the Hawks’ ten goal scorers of the game, five of those managed multiples, with Greene and Emerson Jeka booting  five apiece.

They were ably supported by Sam Butler and Ben Cavarra, who managed three each, while Brady Grey jagged a brace. David Brinker-Ritchie, Daniel Howe, Ned Long, Cal Porter and Jack Saunders finished with singles. 

In the final reckoning it was hard to split the games of Cal Porter and Daniel Howe, with both on-ballers highly influential on the field and impressive on the stats sheet. The pair finished the day with 30 disposals (14 kicks and 16 handballs), 10 clearances, and each kicked a last quarter goal.

Though you could throw a blanket over any number of standout performers, that pair earned first and second best afield.

Liam Shiels was also named among the Hawks’ best players. He racked up 29 disposals out of the middle, with five clearances and seven tackles, the most from any player in brown and gold. 

Josh Morris put in an assured performance in the backline, with his consistently strong attack on the footy and defensive job on danger man Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti ensuring the Bombers’ opportunities were limited. ‘Tank’ was second only to Damian Mascitti in total kicks come game’s end, with 18. 

Brady Grey was another excellent performer on the day, finishing with 15 disposals and two classy goals. More, it was the former Docker’s first win in his new colours. 

The Hawks look ahead to another Sunday clash at home for Round 8, as we take on the Tigers who currently sit just inside the eight.

Best: Porter, Howe, Shiels, Morris, Greene, Grey

Goals: Greene, Jeka 5, Butler, Cavarra 3, Grey 2, Brinker-Ritchie, Howe, Long, Porter, Saunders

Disposals: Howe 30, Porter 30, Shiels 29, Mascitti 24, De Wit 22, Horner 22, Morris 22