By Marcus Uhe
Jake Melksham has put on a show for the football fans of Wonthaggi with a five-goal performance in Casey’s VFL win over Box Hill on Sunday.
The medium-sized forward was the star of the game in picturesque conditions for football at Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve, displaying a full bag of tricks as the Demons got back on the winners list after last week’s loss, 16.10 106 to 11.10 76.
The highlight of the day came late in the second quarter when he kicked the ball up to himself on the run, Gaelic football style, and kicked a snap running towards the boundary line from a tight angle that dazzled those in attendance.
He kicked them in a variety of ways; leading out from the goal-square, hitting a contest front-and-centre, and some traditional set shots, as he fights for a recall to Melbourne’s senior side.
Veterans Ben Brown and Tom McDonald combined for the opening goal of the game but the Demons trailed at the first break by five points to a young Box Hill outfit.
The deficit didn’t last long, however, and a six goal second quarter saw them go to half time with the ascendency by 17 points.
Joel Smith kicked three in the second term, including one solo effort where he smothered an opponent’s handball as he applied frontal pressure in his forward half, before collecting the ground ball and finishing on the run from just inside the 50-metre arc.
Taj Woewodin also began to exert himself on the contest, kicking a clever goal near the boundary line and winning the centre clearance in the immediate aftermath that led to Smith’s second.
The Demons started the third quarter how they finished the second, keeping the pressure on their opponents with three of the first four goals of the half.
Melksham added his second of the game before Bailey Laurie and Oliver Sestan each put their impact on the contest to establish a 28-point lead in the fading sunlight.
The plucky Hawks kept fighting and traded majors with the reigning premiers for the remainder of the contest but were held at arms-length for the duration.
A goal to McDonald, which saw them take the ball the length of the field before the strong forward out-muscled his opponent in a one-on-one deep in attack, where he converted the slick work of his teammates further afield, was something special.
It said a lot about the contest overall; the class of the competition’s benchmark flexing their muscle and standing tall when it mattered against a younger and smaller opponent.
Premiership captain Mitch White was influential in his first game back from injury, laying nine tackles and having 24 disposals.
They’ll fly north next week for some winter sunshine and a clash with the Gold Coast Suns on Saturday.
The contest was played in Wonthaggi due to a commercial partnership between the Box Hill Hawks and the Bass Coast Shire Council.
