Box Hill Hawks have secured a place in the VFL grand final after a grinding win. They defeated Essendon in the preliminary final in a tense battle. It was a tight contest. Both sides were managing injury doubts before the match. Essendon made a big climb from 15th to reach the last four. Their late-season run caught many off guard. But it fell one step away from the big dance. Box Hill can only wait. Their opponent is not known yet. The other preliminary final will decide that. The Hawks will wait, prepare and be ready for whoever comes. They will be off until next weekend.