Hawks soar, leaving Elsternwick chasing a second chance

Mitch Dyer

It’s that sweet, unmistakable scent of September in VAFA football, with finals anticipation hanging in the air. The cream of the crop in Division Three clashed head-to-head in week one, and one of the season’s most compelling narratives came up short.

As the regular season drew to a close, the battle for a second chance boiled down to percentage alone between Hawthorn and Canterbury. Hawthorn’s outstanding final month of football secured them a lifeline should they have needed it, whilst Canterbury was forced into an elimination showdown against a hungry Wattle Park.

Kicking off the weekend was the clash of the top two, with Elsternwick claiming minor premier honors in 2023. Hawthorn aimed to demonstrate that they weren’t merely grateful for a second chance, but that they wouldn’t even require it.

Early on, it became apparent that this contest would be no walk in the park, as contested football dominated the first quarter, stifling the scoring abilities of players like Raiti, Jones, and Meehan. The Hawks capitalized on their momentum, leading at the first change and half-time. This added fuel to the fire of belief growing in the eastern suburbs, while Elsternwick received a wake-up call, reminiscent of last season’s final campaign, emphasizing the need to secure a win.

Elsternwick emerged with renewed determination in the second half. Matt Harvey anchored the backline, while Ben Reese and company moved the ball fluidly, contributing to an astonishing 33-point turnaround, putting the league leaders ahead for the first time heading into the final term.

Unaccustomed to being shell-shocked, Hawthorn attempted to mount a comeback in the final term, resulting in a goal-for-goal shootout. In the end, Hawthorn secured an impressive victory over the minor premiers, winning by 17 points and booking their spot in the Grand Final against a familiar opponent, or potentially against the Cobras, who dominated in a match against finals debutant Wattle Park on a beautiful Sunday morning.

Although the Canterbury Cobras had held the top spot in the table at times during the season, they now had the task of proving that percentage and a few close calls were the only factors keeping them from the top. For Wattle Park, reaching the finals campaign was a remarkable achievement after the heartbreak of being the first team eliminated in 2022. They sought to become giant-slayers if they managed to defeat a formidable Canterbury team.

Having faced off in finals back in 2019, the Cobras were eager to level the score after a 30-point defeat to the formerly Emmaus St Leos. The first term was a hard-fought battle, with neither side able to consistently breach the opponent’s 50-meter arc, leaving only a slim margin heading into quarter-time.

In the second term, the Cobras appeared to flip a switch in terms of ball usage and self-belief, dominating a determined Wattle Park by kicking an impressive 8 goals to 1 before halftime. From that point on, the game became one-sided in favor of the Cobras, with key forwards Tom Lowden (6), Jordan Dear (5), and Jayden Cutts (5) all bagging goals in their commanding 79-point victory over the Animals, who would now turn their focus to 2024 and a rigorous pre-season as they aimed to return stronger in a competitive field.

This sets the stage for an exciting finals weekend next week, with the Cobras facing Elsternwick for the first time in a finals series, vying for a chance to take on the formidable Hawthorn in two weeks’ time.