By Will Jeffares
An in-form Box Hill side has proved too strong for Frankston, claiming a dominant 63-point victory in wintery conditions at Box Hill City Oval on Saturday afternoon.
The Hawks, who came into the game sitting second on the ladder, flexed their scoring power early with seven straight majors in the first term on their way to the 21.9 (135) to 10.12 (72) result, despite Noah Gown kicking seven of his own for the Dolphins as he continued his great form in front of the big sticks.
Box Hill opened the contest by slotting the first three goals of the afternoon, before Gown got on the board, instinctively poking home his first to get Frankston on the board.
The Hawks added another trio of majors to extend their early advantage, as Nick Burke found Gown on the lead inside 50, who kicked truly for his second. A late goal for the home side, however, had the margin sitting at 28 points at quarter time.
Another two goals for Box Hill gave them an early 40-point lead in the second. Both sides went goal for goal to finish the term, with Gown taking his tally to five, kicking another three majors in the quarter.
His five goals marked the second time in three weeks that Gown has had a first-half handful, with the big man achieving the same feat against Southport in Round 9.
The Hawks entered the main break with a 35-point lead, and they continued their dominance in the third quarter, kicking five of the first six goals to blow the margin out beyond 10 goals.
Corey Ellison’s first goal of the day was sandwiched between the run of Hawks’ goals, with Gown getting his sixth late. Box Hill would get another on the board before Ellison finished the term with his second as the deficit sat at 56 points at the final break.
Two goals to start the final term for the Hawks extended their lead. Gown got his seventh courtesy of a free kick inside 50. A third for Ellison cancelled out a Box Hill major, with a late goal for the home side putting the cherry on top as the margin sat at 63 points as the final siren sounded.
Jackson Voss led the way for the Dolphins on the stat sheet, collecting a team-high 29 disposals to go along with eight marks and six intercepts. Seb Quirk continued his fine form, finishing with 21 disposals, seven tackles and three clearances in what was a difficult day for Frankston.
Gown (seven goals) and Ellison (three) made up the goalkickers for the visitors, tallying 12 disposals each, as both provided bright spots up forward.
Trent Mynott (21 disposals, seven tackles, five clearances) put in a strong performance, as did Nick Burke (13 disposals), who brought plenty of heat around the ball, laying 10 tackles.
Blake O’Leary (21 disposals, six score involvements) was lively, while Taine Barlow (16 disposals, 10 marks) stood tall in a disappointing afternoon for the Frankston back six.
On his Club debut, Ned Moodie showed glimpses, finishing with 10 disposals and seven marks.
The Dolphins return home this week, taking on Footscray at Kinetic Stadium on Friday night, with the first bounce at 7:35 PM (AEST).
BOX HILL 7.0 11.3 17.8 21.9 (135)
FRANKSTON 2.2 5.4 8.6 10.12 (72)
GOALS
Gown 7, Ellison 3
BEST
Gown, Voss, Quirk, Mynott, Ellison
