By LIAM TWOMEY
WERRIBEE proved no match for the Box Hill Hawks on Saturday, going down by 43 points in round 11 of the VFL. The Tigers were in trouble from the early stages as Box Hill quickly seized control of the match.
The Hawks booted seven goals in the first quarter and managed to hold the Tigers to just two as the margin ballooned to 30 points.
Werribee managed to slow the Hawks from scoring in the second quarter but was unable to put enough scoreboard pressure on their opponent and the margin quickly grew.
Despite a competitive third term, there was no miraculous fightback from the Tigers in the last quarter with Box Hill securing the 17.13 (115) to 10.12 (72) win.
“All teams say it, but we just need to defend better,” Werribee coach Scott West said.
“I think today it was really obvious there was some really poor execution of skills through extra pressure.
“They’re (Box Hill) renowned for their pressure skills … we didn’t handle the pressure well at all. We’ve just got to make sure that under pressure we can maintain our skill execution.”
On a day where goals were hard to come by for Werribee, Robbie Tarrant worked hard on the Tigers’ forward line to finish with three majors while Addam Maric was the only other multiple goal scorer with two.
Around the ground, Jake Wilson and Will Sierakowski worked hard and were among the club’s best players.
For Box Hill, Kyle Cheney pushed his case for senior selection with a solid game while Matt Spangher was also good.
Saturday’s result sees Werribee maintain its place inside the VFL’s top eight with a 6-5 win/loss record for the season.
The Tigers will be looking to get back on the winners’ list this Saturday when they take on Essendon.
