Assistant Coach Chris Newman has provided his review for each brown and gold defender's 2022 season.

Sam Frost

“Frosty started the year strongly with some solid performances against some heavily targeted key forwards. He’s very consistent, reliable, and hard to beat one-on-one as a defender. We saw him play a variety of roles during the season including in defence, as a key forward and in the ruck which highlighted his versatility. Unfortunately, he only managed 12 games this season due to injury. He’ll be looking forward to having a big summer over the pre-season.”

Jarman Impey  

“After a slightly interrupted season with injury, Jarman finished the year with an average of 15.6 disposals per game across his 16 matches. While a majority of games this year have been playing in defence, he finished the last five games of the year forward and was able to produce some impact on the scoreboard, also showcasing his versatility.”

James Sicily

“Following more than a year on the sidelines due to injury, Sis came back this year and was influential from the get-go. He was a really consistent performer across the course of the season and was one of four Hawks to play every game. He averaged a career-high 24 disposals at 80 per cent efficiency which is very impressive. He finished first in the league for marks and second for intercept possessions while playing on some of the oppositions best key forwards. Aside from his on-field output, Sis was also an exceptional leader for us this year, taking on the captaincy duties while McEvoy was out for injury.”

Changkuoth Jiath  

“CJ started the year really well before missing four games through Rounds 6 to 9 due to injury. He finished the year with an average of 18 disposals and provided strong defensive actions and some exciting run and carry plays off half-back. Unfortunately, injury meant he could only manage 14 games for the year. We’re looking forward to CJ having a big pre-season to put him in the best possible frame heading into 2023.”

Will Day 

“Will played through multiple positions throughout the year before settling down back for the last month. It has been great to be able to give him some exposure to multiple positions both inside and an outside as midfielder which is a really important part of his development as a young player. Much like last year, Will continued to show his football smarts well beyond his years. Across his 17 games this year, he averaged 16.1 disposals.”

Jack Scrimshaw 

“Jack again was a solid performer for us, averaging 19 disposals per game with an efficiency of 78.7 per cent across his 20 outings. He was exposed to multiple roles in the back end and has shown the ability to play taller and also provide some strong rebound. His ability to intercept the ball and use it by foot continues to be a great strength. He’ll look to develop his ability to impact and intercept for us in the off-season and pre-season no doubt.”

Blake Hardwick 

“Dimma had another consistent year playing often on the oppositions most dangerous small forwards. He is one of our most efficient ball users, averaging 82.2 per cent disposal efficiency per game. He played every game this season, and in the last six games averaged 22 disposals. He demonstrates such great decision making and can always be relied upon to get the job done week in, week out. His leadership again down back was really important for the more inexperienced defenders around him.”

Lachlan Bramble 

“Lachy played nine games this year after missing through injury in the first part of the season and then again after the GWS game in Round 16. He averaged 15.3 disposals per game. He played both midfield and half-back and provided some great dash from defence and polish with his kicking. He’s had to endure an injury plagued season, but I think he handled it quite well. There’s no doubt he’ll do all he can to have a big pre-season and try to get himself into the best position heading into 2023.”

Denver Grainger-Barras

“Denver had some great exposure playing on some experienced key forwards and has shown the ability to also play on small forwards. He played 16 games this season after playing five games in his first year and showed some real improvement in his aerial craft. There’s no doubt that he’ll continue to apply that to his game heading into next year. He’s a real competitor that thrives on the contest, which is something we love about the way he goes about it.”

James Blanck

“Blancky managed to play nine AFL games after being drafted in the mid-season draft and coming in from Box Hill, which is a great result for him. He had some exposure playing on the competition’s best key forwards and has shown his capability to defend and intercept. Since his debut, he slotted right in and never looked out of place. There was a lot of learnings for him in the back half of the year. We’re excited for what he can produce next year after he gets his first full AFL pre-season under his belt.”

Fionn O’Hara

“Fionn spent the season with Box Hill playing as a rebounding defender. It was a real year of learning about the game for Fionn, while also working upon his craft. He showed some speed with his run and carry and also the impressed with his growth in his defensive craft. He demonstrated some real improvement as the year progressed, which was great to see.”

Josh Morris

“After stringing consistent games together at VFL level, Josh played in the senior side in Round 17 against Adelaide until an injury unfortunately ended his year in Round 20 against St Kilda. In those four games for us this year, he played on some of the oppositions’ best small forwards and became a very reliable part of our back six.”

Connor Downie

“Unfortunately, Connor faced an injury plagued season. He played five VFL games with a mix of half-back and wing, averaging 13 disposals and four marks a game. He played his best game against Gold Coast with Box Hill, recording 16 disposals and two goals while playing on the wing.”

Kyle Hartigan

“Kyle played three games at AFL level and provided some genuine leadership in both the AFL and VFL games this year. He played the key defender role for us with his usual grunt, physicality, and competitiveness.”

Seamus Mitchell

“Seamus made the switch from forward to back early in the year and has shown a natural ability to play the rebounding defender role. He possesses genuine speed from half-back and is still learning his craft. Unfortunately, injury prevented him from playing footy in the back half of the year.”

Emerson Jeka

“Jeka played a majority of the year as a forward in VFL then towards the end of the season made the transition to play as a key defender playing three AFL games. He has a great ability to read the game and intercept and a good ball user on both sides of his body. He had some experience playing on some quality key forwards and will no doubt learn a lot from his time playing in defence.”