VFL grand final 2018: Box Hill Hawks come from behind to defeat Casey Demons in premiership decider

By NorthPort September 25, 2018

From the Herald-Sun
Full article - Click here

The jubilant Hawks celebrate on the siren.

BOX Hill Hawks have completed one of the VFL’s most stirring finals campaigns after a come-from-behind 10-point grand final victory over Casey Demons at Etihad Stadium.

The Hawks, sixth on the ladder after the home-and-away rounds, became the first team to win the premiership from outside the top four since the competition was revamped and a top-eight system introduced in 2000.

The Box Hill Hawks celebrate with the VFL premiership cup. Source: HeraldSun

Box Hill trailed for the entire game until midway through the final quarter after reeling in a 22-point deficit early in the third term.

Kieran Lovell put the Hawks up for the first time in the contest after a classic piece of roving off the palms of dominant ruckman Marc Pittonet, giving the Hawks a two-point advantage.

Draftee Dylan Moore then sealed the come-from-behind win after receiving a free kick in the goalsquare for high contact, giving the Hawks their second state league premiership in six years.

We can defy odds in Victorian Football League quest once more | From the Press Box with Melanie Whelan

By NorthPort September 22, 2018

From the Ballarat Courier
Reported by Melanie Whelan
Full article - Ballarat Courier

Roosters captain Shaune Moloney reflects on the 2008 VFL premiership cup. The club went on to win the next two in an historic three-peat.

 BELIEF: Roosters captain Shaune Moloney reflects on the 2008 VFL premiership cup. The club went on to win the next two in an historic three-peat.

THIS was a huge risk but on this night, almost 10 years ago, players were ready. They believed.

North Ballarat Roosters defied the odds and claimed the club’s first Victorian Football League premiership. 

This was a country football team taking on the state’s best, cohesively working in players from a partial AFL alliance with North Melbourne and proving what many had thought was unlikely.

A decade on, Ballarat needs to decide, as a football community and a city, whether it can take the risk to believe again.

The VFL grand final is on Sunday afternoon. This is the first season in 22 years Ballarat has not been prepared to put a team out on the park to watch what might be possible for our region’s most promising players.

We can pretend like it does not greatly matter – we’ve got quality leagues and a good senior Ballarat Football League flag showdown set for Saturday. 

But it is not really a challenge anymore. We are comfortable and our best players are pretty comfortable.

There is still a VFL flavour about the BFL but this influence on the grassroots game will fade.

The Roosters offered a clear pathway for players in western Victoria and for other country footballers, who preferred the regional lifestyle and what Ballarat had to offer. This was particularly in being a place to study at university and play state league football without having to be based in Melbourne.

This was the pathway that has produced AFL talent like Hawthorn triple premiership midfielder Isaac Smith who, 10 years ago, was happily on his way to winning a flag with Redan in a quality Ballarat Football League final.

Redan encouraged Smith to take a leap of faith and try VFL about midway through the next season.

Or, like Sydney Swan Dean Towers, a Colac boy who was studying teaching at University of Ballarat. Towers won the Fothergill-Round Medal as VFL’s best under-23 player in 2012, then drafted a month later.

The pathway is about more than producing draftees.

Grand final night, a Friday in 2008, the Roosters were in uncharted territory. 

They had been in VFL grand finals before – this was their third – but this was something different. This night was the first VFL grand final under lights, the first at the Docklands stadium, the first in a double-header with TAC Cup under-18s and it turned out to be the first in a premiership trilogy.

Seagulls swoop multiple medals at VFL and VLFW Best and Fairest 2018

By NorthPort September 14, 2018

From the Willy and Hobby website
Reported by David Llewellyn
Full artcle - Click here 

Seagulls scored several cabinet collectables for the Williamstown Football Club at this year’s VFL and VFLW Best and Fairest, recognising the achievements of some of its top players and reaping rewards for a team at the top of its league.

Star midfielder Michael Gibbons was awarded his second J.J. Liston Trophy in a dramatic count tying with AFL Listed Tiger Anthony Miles on 19 votes after an outstanding season averaging 28.6 disposals, 12 contested possessions and seven clearances.

Gibbons became the eighth multiple winner of the J.J. Liston Trophy in its history, and the third this decade, emulating the feats of Shane Valenti in 2010 and 2011, and Steve Clifton in 2010 and 2013.

 

He polled in eight games this season, as he did when winning the award back in 2016. He collected five best on grounds, won more than he did as runner up last year, with one set of two votes and two sets of one votes.

Gibbons also lead the VFL in kicks and inside 50s this year and, remarkably, from 18 games he was name Williamstown’s best players on 14 occasions. After being runner up in last year’s count, Gibbons said taking out the J.J. Liston Trophy again is a huge honour.

“It’s very humbling to win this award for the second time, I can’t thank my teammates and the club enough for all they’ve done for me in my five years down at Williamstown,” Gibbons said.

“I didn’t come here for individual awards but it’s very exciting to win this with a guy I’ve looked up to in Anthony Miles. Hopefully I can add to this medal in two weeks time with another premiership medal.”

It was a medal already added to VFL Team of the Year honours on the night, with those honours also enjoyed by Seagulls VFLW superstar Jess Duffin who took home the Lambert-Pearce medal for being the VFLW Best and Fairest for 2018.

1st Preliminary Final - Williamstown v Box Hill

By NorthPort September 14, 2018

WILLIAMSTOWN v. BOX HILL HAWKS

1st Preliminary Final

16/09/2018

02:10PM

Stannards Stadium

 

Williamstown

B: 18. J. Greiser, 8. P. Faulks, 21. J. Tippett

HB: 35. B. Myers, 17. J. Charleston, 15. O. Tate

C: 12. L.  George, 16. B.  Bewley, 9. A.  Marcon

HF: 10. L. Masters, 5. L. Schultz, 24. W. Wheeler

F: 2. B. Cavarra, 7. N. Rodda, 3. S. Dunell

R: 49. N. Meese, 6. M. Gibbons, 4. B. Jolley

Int: 40. L. Buckwell, 23. J. Jones, 31. B. Monk, 20. M. Norton, 22. J. Pickess, 1. J. Pongracic, 13. T. Schnerring, 26. J. Thorpe

23P: 32. C. Stephens

 

In: T. Schnerring, J. Jones, J. Pickess, L. Buckwell

 

Box Hill Hawks

B: 43. C. Jiath, 59. K. Brand, 42. T. Miles

HB: 34. G. Birchall, 61. T. O’Brien, 44. C. Glass

C: 52. J.  O’Rourke, 2. A.  Moore, 50. D.  Willsmore

HF: 60. K. Lovell, 57. J. Ceglar, 36. D. Moore

F: 37. J. Ross, 39. M. Lewis, 51. B. Whitecross

R: 56. M. Pittonet, 46. J. Cousins, 41. O. Hanrahan

Int: 7. A. Brolic, 13. N. Evans, 10. W. Hams, 12. C. Jones, 11. B. Kilpatrick, 14. N. Lane, 3. W. Murphy, 4. M. O’Donnell

23P: 17. T. Maloney

 

In: N. Evans, G. Birchall, W. Murphy, J. Ceglar

2nd Preliminary Final - Casey v Essedon

By NorthPort September 14, 2018

CASEY DEMONS v. ESSENDON

2nd Preliminary Final

15/09/2018

02:10PM

Stannards Stadium

 

Casey Demons

B: 37. D. Johnstone, 45. D. Keilty, 44. J. Smith

HB: 29. J. Hunt, 55. H. Petty, 1. J. Hutchins

C: 9. M.  Gent, 18. J.  Lockhart, 33. J.  Kennedy-Harris

HF: 24. C. MacHaya, 42. J. Wagner, 63. B. Vince

F: 23. W. Collis, 38. T. Smith, 36. J. Garlett

R: 21. C. Pedersen, 13. C. Wagner, 12. T. Bugg

Int: 32. J. Briggs, 34. M. King, 41. M. Lefau, 6. J. Munro, 35. A. Quigley, 27. A. Scott, 49. C. Stockdale, 2. M. White

23P: 67. T. Freeman

 

In: M. King, B. Vince, J. Briggs, J. Kennedy-Harris, A. Scott, A. Quigley

Out: P. McKenna

 

Essendon

B: 10. A. Francis, 36. M. Hartley, 41. B. McNiece

HB: 57. N. Hind, 14. J. Ridley, 30. B. Zerk-Thatcher

C: 34. J.  Long, 37. D.  Clarke, 20. J.  Merrett

HF: 59. A. Heppell, 24. J. Houlahan, 55. D. Younan

F: 15. J. Green, 17. J. Stewart, 79. J. McQueen

R: 38. S. Draper, 19. K. Mutch, 77. H. Hocking

Int: 61. W. Berry, 76. L. Collins, 68. N. Dixon, 54. K. Huntly, 60. B. Laguda, 72. J. Ottavi, 70. J. Sheahan, 65. E. Sibbald

23P: 62. N. Lazzaro

 

In: L. Collins, J. Ottavi, J. Houlahan, N. Dixon, K. Huntly, J. Sheahan, B. Laguda

Out: T. Mynott, A. Boyse, J. Harrison

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