Box Hill Hawks have reached the VFL grand final after a hard-fought victory. They defeated Essendon in the preliminary final in a close contest. It was a tense game. Both sides were managing injury doubts before the match. Essendon had surged from 15th to reach the last four. Their late-season run caught many off guard. But it stopped one step away from the big dance. Box Hill can only wait. Their opponent is not known yet. The other preliminary final will settle it. The Hawks will wait, prepare and be ready for whoever comes. They will not play until next weekend.