By Matthew Fotia
First year Rowville coach Ben Wise has implored his side to ‘back their legs’ after the handball happy Hawks grabbed their second win of his tenure – and of 2021 – on Saturday, with an impressive 45 point win over North Ringwood at Seebeck Oval.
The Hawks put the hammer down in the first quarter, kicking five goals to none, before the Saints mounted a quasi comeback, bringing the margin back to 16 points at halftime before closing it further to 12 points at the final change.
The Hawks steadied themselves at the three quarter time huddle and kept their faint finals hopes alive with a six-goal-to-one final term. Lachlan Wynd booted five majors, whilst Kurtis Flackmore found the middle of the big ones on four occasions, after being swung forward by the coach.
Wise was impressed with the maturity shown by his group, but says missed chances in the second quarter – when the Hawks kicked 0.7 to 3.5 – played a role in their flat spot during the game.
“At this level sides are going to come, no matter where they are on the ladder they’re going to have a patch where they go okay, it’s whether or not we can withstand it and shut it down,”
“We kicked poorly in the first half of the second quarter and it deflated the boys a little bit,”
“If we kick three or four of those, it’s nearly a 10-goal margin and it deflates them,”
“But to our credit they came at us and we copped it, our leaders stood up and got it back on our terms.”
Rowville haven’t been having any trouble getting their hands on the football in 2021. The Hawks are ranked third for disposals per game (310.3) and are the number one handball side in the division with a 126.5 per game.
Wise says a number of factors have played their role in their handball dominance, but denies that it’s by design and says that the return of experienced players like Flakemore, Michael Best, Matt Traynor and Alex Frawley should see them revert back to a more direct style.
“It’s not something I’ve promoted – I’m happy for the boys to share it around – but if you look at the four games we’ve played against the better sides, our midfield turnovers are high and we’re over handballing,”
“We’ve spoken about it, (and say that) once we’re out of the stoppage – go and back your legs,” Wise continued.
“So, it might be a mixture of things, the boys might be giving (the handball) because they see it, but we’ve promoted the first option a lot.”
“It could also be something they’ve done at their junior levels – flicking it around a bit – because we’ve had to throw a lot of the younger boys into the middle whilst the older boys have been out.”
“In the second half of the year we’ll probably look to kick a little bit more with our better users back in the side.”
The Hawks have debuted north of 10 players in 2021, a far cry from the settled outfit they’ve had in the previous three to four Premier / Division One campaigns.
Wise believes the exposure to such a high standard, even if it is a little bit pre-mature, will benefit the young Hawks in the long run.
“It’s given guys exposure before they’re ready, but at the same time the boys haven’t looked out of place,”
“The exposure is going to hold them in good stead.”
“All the guys that have come in have played a part and impacted the game(s) somehow, but now we’re starting to get a good blend of it.”
The returning old guard will provide some support to star trio Nikolas Schoenmakers, Lachlan McDonald and Lachlan Wynd, who have been the most consistent Hawks for the 2021 season.
Schoenmakers is averaging 38.4 hitouts a game to go with 13.6 disposals and 1.6 intercept marks, whilst McDonald is fast becoming one of the most prolific ball winners in the division, averaging 25.7 touches per game as well as 10 clearances and 3 marks.
But famous name Wynd is the one on the lips of the Rowville faithful, with the young key forward equal top of the league goal kicking with 20 majors following his five goal haul on Saturday. He’s also taking 3.7 marks inside 50 per game and averaging 2 contested marks as well.
Wise was full of praise for the youthful focal point.
“He’s been an outstanding performer all year, he’s played on the best defender as a 19 year old kid and just works extremely hard, takes his opportunities – he’s a gifted set shot – and he’s got a really clean pair of hands,”
“He’s the shining light out of the young boys I guess.”
The Hawks sit in ninth on the Premier Division ladder with two wins and with the finals now just a top four, their chances of appearing in Septemeber are slim to none.
But Wise isn’t ruling anything out, given the Hawks have plenty of chances to make up some ground thanks to their difficult run home.
“We always strive to compete against the best and we’ve shown our brand – when we play it – holds up,”
“We want to try and pinch some wins on the way home that some people don’t think we deserve or that we’re capable of,”
“We play Blackburn twice on the way home, Norwood again, Vermont,”
“Plus Balwyn this week, and they’re gettable I think.”