It wasn’t Hawthorn’s day in its VFLW Qualifying Final against Essendon, going down by 53 points at Windy Hill.

Although it was a tough loss, there were still some positive takeaways from the game.

Here’s coach Cherie O’Neill’s top picks for this week’s best on ground.

Katelyn Cox

“Katelyn started down back and was really explosive, but we just needed a little bit more connection between midfielders and forwards so she ended up on the wing. She just gave us a lot of drive and is a smart footy player.”

Sophie Bolding

“Sophie was given a bit of a tagging role today that she executed well. She locked down her player and held her accountable, which we’re quite happy about.”

Jordan Mifsud

“Jordy through the middle had some good glimpses of footy. She was patchy at times, but when she’s on she’s on. She was really good for us through the midfield.”

Abbey Holmes

“Abbey gives you explosive pace and drive. Whether she’s playing as a midfielder or a forward, she just creates something out of nothing.”

Ellie McLinden

“Ellie was solid down back. Like Sophie, she was given a player to match up on in a bit of a shutdown role and I think her player had two touches. She has an incredible work rate and ability to impact the contest. She’s exciting to watch.”

Kristy Stratton

“’Strats’ was great for us up forward. She has great footy knowledge and is always reliable. It would be nice to have four or five of her across the ground, but that’s not possible. She’s doing really well for us down forward, giving us that bit of aggression and connection.”