With the 2022 season now over, we caught up with Assistant Coach David Hale to hear his review of how each Hawks forward performed this season. 

Mitch Lewis 

“Mitch had a great year and really demonstrated to the wider football public that he can be a really strong target for the club for a very long time. He combined a great work rate with an aggressive presence to win or halve aerial contests and became a real focal point for our attack especially in the first half of the year. He really attacked his pre-season which laid the platform for his greatly improved year and off the back of this he increased his leadership capacity within not only the forward group, but also the team. A few niggles restricted his output at the year's end, but he’ll benefit from a year spent taking on the AFL’s best defenders.”

Dylan Moore

“Moorey continued to entrench himself as one of the competition's best small forwards with his huge work rate and pressure, while also being able to hit the scoreboard. He began to spend more time in the midfield as the year progressed and really added a dangerous element to our team structure with this role. This adds great versatility to his game and will ensure he remains an extremely hard opponent for opposition to match up on. He really grew his leadership capabilities this year and is emerging as a young leader within our younger players.”

Jack Gunston

“Jack was able to string together some really good football off the back of two disrupted years and showed how valuable he is to us with his football craft and game knowledge. He looked really potent at times with our faster-paced offence and his form towards the end of the year was as good as any going around. His leadership and mentoring of our young forwards this year will really help in fast tracking their development and ensure that they learn the skills he possesses quickly.”

Chad Wingard

“Due to an interrupted pre-season, Chad was never able to fully hit his straps and showcase his full football capacity. While he still showed flashes of brilliance, his impact was lessened by his body's inability to get back to full health and his year was ended prematurely. Having done a good rehab block and nearing full health now, Chad should have no restrictions over the break and will hopefully be able to have a great summer to set him up for a good year after that.”

Luke Breust

“Luke showed another quality year where he was able to combine some great contested work and pressure in the front half with an uncanny knack of finding the goals. To finish with 40+ goals as a small forward is no mean feat and Luke has been doing this year on year for as long as we can recall. He is always in the top echelon of smalls and his ability to crumb the contest and always bob up in the right spot was something to behold.”

Sam Butler

“Butsy had a successful year where he was able to play numerous games, but he also understands how much growth and development is still to come to reach the real top echelon of small forwards. He has a real desire to chase and compete and his crumbing nous is very good for someone of his experience. He will have taken a lot out of the games he played and, by playing with great mentors like Luke Breust, his game will continue to flourish in the coming years.”

Jacob Koschitzke

“Kosi started the year off slowly due to a few injuries over the pre-season and when he cracked his way into the senior side he played some really impactful games early on. As the year progressed, he never quite got to the heights of his previous year, but he still had moments that reminded you of his potential capacity. He is still learning plenty about how to utilise his strengths and be able to be more impactful for longer, Kosi will need a good pre-season to ensure he can form a great partnership with Mitch Lewis for many years to come.”

Connor Macdonald

“Connor had a great first season and played the majority of games which is a great platform for him to launch a long career from. His work rate and running capacity was a stand-out for us and his ability to be clean and make good decisions in the contest were distinguishing features of his game at a young age. He was able to get some good exposure in the midfield/wing as the year went on and I’m sure he’ll progress his game to have an impact up the ground as time goes on.”

Jackson Callow

“Jackson was able to play three AFL games this year which showcased his ability to be a forward target for us. He worked hard on his game and is ensuring that he really utilises his strengths of work rate to cover the ground and his marking to ensure he is a good aerial target. He learnt a lot from playing at the highest level and has performed well at Box Hill in numerous games this year.”

Tyler Brockman

“Unfortunately, Brocky wasn’t able to play any football this year through injury and while that’s disappointing for him, hopefully he realises how much the game means to him and how much impact a fit and healthy version of himself could have on the team. He attacked his rehab well and will hopefully set the platform for a good summer.”

Jai Serong

“Jai really progressed as the year went on and culminated in him debuting and playing some games late in the year. He is competitive and really works hard up and down the ground and his pressure for someone of his height is very good. He’ll continue to develop his game with a good pre-season and, under the mentoring of Lewis and Gunston, he will no doubt be a real offensive threat and presence for us as he continues to strengthen his body.”

Max Ramsden

“Max has shown a great capacity in a short amount of time, and we are really excited with the qualities he has shown us. He is a great runner, follows up well in the ruck and his hands at ground level are as good as any tall going around. By adding some more size over the off season, there is no reason that Max can’t have a real impact next year and we should be excited by his development trajectory.”

Jack Saunders

“Jack has improved a lot over the course of the year and really showcased his greatest strengths being his speed and pressure. Through consistent football at Box Hill, Jack earned the right to debut in Round 23 and acquitted himself really well. He has taken on and implemented plenty of constructive feedback from the coaches throughout the year and his game really progressed as a result.”