A strong fourth quarter effort from the Box Hill Hawks against Coburg on Sunday led it to secure its second win of the 2022 VFL season.
Box Hill overcame an inaccurate third quarter - where it kicked nine points in a row - to storm away with the win in the last term.
Lachlan Bramble made his return to football, playing his first game since injuring his foot in Hawthorn's pre-season practice match against Collingwood earlier this year.
He was one of nine AFL-listed players to feature in Box Hill's line-up on the weekend.
Hawthorn Development Coach Andy Otten has provided an insight into how the match unfolded for each of the nine Hawks.
Seamus Mitchell (17 disposals, 11 marks, 1 tackle)
“Seamus played his first game in defence for us, making the switch from up forward. He had an excellent game, we were really happy with Seamus’ transition to defence. He’s an excellent kick and was able to put that on show down back. He really fitted in nicely down with the backs. He had 17 possessions, which is probably one of his highest possession numbers.”
Lachlan Bramble (16 disposals, 6 marks, 2 tackles)
“Lachy played his first game back from a foot injury. He hasn’t played since the practice game against Collingwood, but you wouldn’t know it with the way he went about the game. He was really clean - his touch was elite - and he just looked like an AFL player out there. His speed was noticeable as well. He had a really good first game back and he got through unscathed which is also great.”
Jackson Callow (12 disposals, 1 goal, 6 marks, 11 hit-outs)
“Callow played forward and in the ruck. We were really happy with how Callow competed all game. Some of the things we’ve been working on in the last few weeks, he’s started to implement in his game. His forward craft and his leading patterns were great, and just seeing him go in the ruck and competing was really pleasing for us as a coaching group to see that as well. His competitive nature all around the ground was a big tick. He was able to hit the scoreboard as well, he had a couple shots early in the game that he missed. But in the last quarter, Callow went back and slotted one from 50 out to get the ball rolling for us after a poor third quarter, which was a great sign from him as well.”
Jack Saunders (20 disposals, 1 goal, 8 marks, 3 tackles)
“Saundo has been doing really well for us so far this VFL season. He has taken great strides, he’s really fast and super fit. We saw his running capability up and down the wing and in the high half-forward area. He had a few shots on goal, and kicked a really nice one late. He’s coming along really nicely.”
Ned Long (14 disposals, 7 marks, 10 tackles)
“Longy played in the midfield as well, his effort is just tremendous for a 19-year-old athlete. He had ten tackles again for the game. He has pretty much had double digit tackles in all of his VFL games so far. This week it was pleasing to see him get on the end of a bit more spread from the contest. He had seven marks this week, so it’s a good sign that he’s progressing nicely as well in that area of the game.”
Josh Morris (7 disposals, 3 marks, 1 tackle)
“Tank came on and did a really good job on a really dangerous small forward in Coburg’s Sam Lowson and kept him really quiet, so we were really pleased with Tank’s ability to shut down his opponent this game. He was a bit quiet offensively, but we didn’t mind that because he did a really great job defensively.”
Daniel Howe (21 disposals, 7 tackles, 6 marks)
“Howey played on ball for us and out on the wing and had a fantastic game – he’s an AFL player playing VFL footy, so he has really high standards. He led really well for us, we needed a bit of leadership on the day and Howey was able to provide that for us. We were really pleased with his game.”
Emerson Jeka (9 disposals, 3 marks)
“Jeka’s third quarter was his best quarter for the day. We were after Jeka to get a bit more involved, a bit higher up the ground. When he plays with really high intensity and effort, he can produce what he did in the third quarter. He’s a bit inconsistent at the moment, so he’s working on that and his effort over four quarters.”
Sam Butler (14 disposals, 4 marks)
“Butsy is improving really well for us, we’re really liking what we’re seeing from him. He was able to get more of the ball this week, he had double digits in possessions which is a good sign. He’s getting busy, especially up the ground as a high half-froward. He’s got this tremendous power around his game and speed. Whenever he gets his ground ball’s, he can use his power to break free. He had a few shots on goal that we’d love him to kick as well, but I think that’ll come in the next few weeks. But his tackling pressure in the forward 50 is a highlight as well. Butsy has come along really nicely for us. He’s still building, but he’s showing some great signs.”
