A BEST ON GROUND performance from Hawthorn ruckman Ben McEvoy led Box Hill to a thumping 85-point win over Casey Scorpians at Casey Fields on Saturday.
In his second game back from injury, McEvoy booted five goals, had 25 hit outs, picked up 16 disposals, nine marks and laid seven tackles in the victory.
He battled for most of the day against 208cm Melbourne ruckman Max Gawn and proved not only the dominant big man on the ground but the best player in the win.
“He was probably the factor in the end in us getting such a large win,” Box Hill Coach Marco Bello told hawthornfc.com.au
“It was an all around game from him and a pleasing one not only for him but for our side to be able to get him in and be so influential.
“Last week was his first game back for a while, so he was primed and ready to go.
“From the outset he was one of the dominant players on the ground.”
The performance puts him back in the selection frame for the Hawks, who tackle Gold Coast in Tasmania on Saturday, however, he would have to potentially displace young ruck Jonathon Ceglar who has impressed in his outings for Hawthorn.
Another player knocking down the door is premiership midfielder Jonathan Simpkin, who was among Box Hill’s best again on Saturday.
A ball magnet, Simpkin gathered 30 disposals but it was his effort on the defensive side that impressed his coach.
The midfielder laid eight tackles and was a constant source of pressure around the ball.
“He performs as he does every week by getting his hands on the footy but what was impressive on Saturday was how hard he worked defensively,” Bello said.
“He worked back to help our defenders – an area I know he has been working on and it’s great to see it show up in his game this weekend.
“No doubt he’ll be putting his name up for senior selection again.”
Defender Jordan Kelly is edging closer to a senior debut after another impressive outing for the club’s VFL affiliate.
Playing across half-back, Kelly has been one of Box Hill’s most consistent performers this year and was named among the best again on Saturday.
He finished with 23 disposals and two goals from defence.
Named as an emergency for Hawthorn two weeks ago, it seems the youngster, who was picked up with selection 38 in the 2011 National Draft could be another Hawk to be given an opportunity for Hawthorn in the coming weeks.
“He just does the right things, he defends really well – he doesn’t want the opposition getting many touches, he’s a lock down defender but when he gets the opportunity to run off, he does that well and uses the footy well,” Bello said.
“He’s been our most consistent player – he provides a lot of run off the half backline and gets his hands on the footy.
“He seems to be enjoying his football and no doubt relishing the role off half-back where he’s able to run a bit freer.”
Jordan Kelly in action during a training session at the Ricoh Centre.
It was a dominant performance from Box Hill that was set up by the performance of midfielders Simpkin, Mitch Hallahan (29 disposals and a goal), Alex Woodward (26 touches) and Will Langford (24 and a goal), who all pressed their case for senior selection.
“Their clearance work around stoppages was really good, which was a focus for us on the weekend,” Bello said.
“I thought all four of them and Woodward especially, won us a lot of the footy early so he just needs to continue to work in a similar vein to Kelly and wait for his opportunity.”
The win secures the Hawks’ position at the top of the VFL ladder, two points and percentage clear of Port Melbourne with eight wins and a draw from 11 games.
FINAL SCORE
CASEY SCORPIANS 2.0 2.2 6.6 6.8 (44)
BOX HILL HAWKS 3.4 7.10 10.11 19.15 (129)
GOALS
CASEY SCORPIANS: J. Fitzpatrick 2, T. Smith , M. Evans , N. Page , J. Toumpas
BOX HILL HAWKS: B. McEvoy 5, S. Cust 4, J. Kelly 2, D. Willsmore 2, J. Simpkin, W. Langford , M. O''Donnell , S. Iles , S. Grimley , M. Hallahan
BEST
CASEY SCORPIANS: V. Michie, A. Georgiou, D. Barry, D. Nicholson
BOX HILL HAWKS: B. McEvoy, M. Lock, J. Simpkin, M. Hallahan, S. Cust, J. Kelly
