Box Hill recorded its first loss of the season on Sunday, falling to the in-form Casey Demons by 30 points. 

Several AFL-listed players featured in both sides on the day, including 17 Hawks from the senior list. 

After winning the first four games to start the season, Box Hill Coach Zane Littlejohn said the recent match-up was the first real challenge his group has faced so far.  

"We felt like we had some great moments in the game - felt like we controlled a fair chunk of the game at times," he said. 

"We just over possessed the ball - we over handballed the ball, therefore we lost a bit of connection with the forwards in the front half which was a little disappointing.

"It was a great test for us to see where we are at as a footy club and program, we'll take a lot of learnings out of it."

Hear what the coach had to say below about the AFL listed Hawks who suited up for the match.

Connor Macdonald (37 disposals, 5 marks, 8 clearances, 1 goal)

"Connor was really solid, he found a lot of the ball which was great, he was able to spend some good midfield minutes which was one of the focusses we had going into the game. He was able to have a nice balance between spending time forward and in the midfield, providing us with some good run and carry while hitting the scoreboard himself. We got to see him display his weapons. Maybe at times he over handballed the ball, rather than running and gunning and taking territory with his legs. But it should give him great confidence that he was able to get his hands on the footy which is a great reward for him. He would've been disappointed coming back to the VFL, but I thought his attitude on the day was really good."

Cam Mackenzie (30 disposals, 4 marks, 5 clearances)

"Similar to Connor, Cam was able to come in and attend a lot of centre bounces which is great for him. He got to work on his stoppage craft against some really big bodied AFL players in Luke Dunstan and James Harmes. He found a lot of the ball which was good. He probably didn't use it exactly as he would've liked to and probably in his usual manner, but the fact is he had the ball in hand. He was able to make some good decisions at times, looks level headed when he has the ball and nice and composed, but just missed a little bit of connection with our forwards at times."

Lloyd Meek (46 hit-outs, 26 disposals, 6 marks, 4 tackles)

"Lloyd was arguably our best player. He showed some great contest work and the ability to take some marks around the ground, which has been an area that he's really wanted to improve and get better at. I thought he dominated the ruck contest all day and was able to provide our mids with some good opportunities. It was a really pleasing game for Lloyd. His communication and leadership around our group was great even when the chips were down a bit at times through the middle part of the game, we we're able to hear him from the coaches box. He showed his ability to be a real leader and set the players up and keep the love and spirit among the group, which is a credit to the person that he is."

Jacob Koschitzke (2 goals, 14 disposals, 5 hit-outs)

"It was a tough day for forwards, but Kosi was able to continue to present, get up the ground and found a bit of the footy. He spent a bit of time in the ruck which was good for him and I thought he competed really well in there and provide some good options. When he was forward he had some really good leading patterns. As I mentioned, we just missed a little bit of connection and didn't use the ball as well as we would've liked, which made it tough for him to get the ball. He finished the game really strongly, kicking accurately which was nice. He should get a little bit of confidence off that, the fact he was able to show match committee he can play a little bit in the ruck if he needs is good."

Finn Maginness (20 disposals, 2 marks)

"Finn started really slowly, but worked his way into the game to finish with 20 disposals. We moved him back to play on one of their forwards who got on top of us in a patch of the game, and Finn kept him quiet which we know he can do really well. He blanketed him out there for a period which was really handy and helpful and just gave us the ability to rest a little bit of the momentum back and then move him forward further up the ground in the last quarter. He wasn't able to hit the scoreboard, but he worked himself into the game really nicely. Now it's just about him being consistent over four quarters, and understanding there is a role he needs to play. The tough thing with Finn is his ability to play a variety of roles so sometimes he gets shuffled around a little bit, but attitude wise, I love how he just went with anything we gave him and attacked it the best he could."

Denver Grainger-Barras (10 disposals)

"Denver had some moments where he probably could have taken an extra five marks, but unfortunately didn't execute that under a little bit of fatigue. Tom Macdonald got him up the ground which is a really good test for Denver, playing on an experienced AFL player. He had some really good moments, but also some moments that he probably has to get better at."

Ned Long (23 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 4 clearances)

"Long returned back to the VFL this week, it wasn't his usual game whereas he was able to be strong and break tackles. But he was playing against seasoned bodies in AFL players, so thats where he has got to adjust and adapt his game times. It wasn't his strongest game number-wise, but he still had an influence in the game around the footy with his stoppage craft and the ability to get outside the stoppage."

Sam Butler (1 goal, 22 disposals, 6 tackles)

"Sammy was lively early - I thought he could be on for a big day. But he sort of got quiet through the middle of the game and probably didn't just quite execute, he found the footy but just didn't use it well enough. He just left probably a few disposals out there and a few good opportunities to connect forward. He hit the scoreboard and was able to provide some good run and drive. We've just to keep reminding him to use his weapons where he can, he's got great attributes to break games open."

Lachy Bramble (18 disposals, 2 marks, 1 goal)

"Talking to Brambs, he wouldn't have loved his performance on the weekend. He wasn't able to get any flow into his game, get his assertiveness as much as he would've liked. We ended up moving him a bit higher up the ground and he was able to give us a bit of drive through that period of the game. Unfortunately there just wasn't the execution from Brambs that he would've liked."

Bailey Macdonald (15 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles)

"It was a quieter day for Bails, we got to see a few moments where he was able to display his weapons, but they weren't as frequent as previous weeks. The whole of Casey's forward line were full of AFL players - so for our first year players to experience that opportunity in this stage of their careers is invaluable. So there were some great lessons for Bailey playing on elite players, he had some moments playing on Jake Melksham which is a great experience for him to play on players like that and know where he has got to get to to compete at the top level."

Henry Hustwaite (15 disposals, 7 tackles)

"It was Hus' first game back after three weeks and he was slow to get started. He spent some time across half back and some time on ball, and for his development thats really valuable. Now it's about continuing the work for him to be able to go both ways with both feet and looking at taking territory at times rather than handballing all the time. He's got great hands and elite hands inside the contests, he's just now got to find that balance. For a young man in his first year on an AFL list, to miss 2-3 weeks with a concussion then to come back, we need to remember that. He's an exciting talent so we're excited to see where he can get to."

Josh Bennetts (7 disposals, 2 marks)

"Josh had a really quiet day, he had a bit of an interrupted week with some illness but he didn't use that as an excuse. He came out and you could see him try and get to the right spots at times, make good decisions with ball in hand but unfortunately didn't have the numbers he would've liked to have had. He didn't provide the usual spark that he has been able to in the past."

Jack O'Sullivan (14 disposals, 1 goal)

"It was a quieter day for Jack. You can never fault his effort though, it was probably one of the better pressure games I've seen him play. But now it's about his ability to make sure he can still have some involvement in the game when we're not connecting with the forward half. His intensity is there, he's just lacking some decision-making at times with his game. It was pleasing to see him hit the scoreboard, and he had some good moments, but it just probably wasn't at the consistency that we like to see."

Emerson Jeka (2 goals, 8 disposals)

"It was a full game for Jek this week and I thought he presented pretty well. His ability to just continue to refine his touch, his craft and be really clean in those moments will be a focus for Jek moving forward. To play his first full game back is really pleasing and he'll be better for the run. It was a nice return, but now it's about making the most of every opportunity he gets because he probably left a few out there."

Cooper Stephens (11 disposals, 4 tackles)

"Cooper split his role between forward and midfield. To play not just purely as a mid was great for his development and to show match committee that he can play in a variety of roles. Unfortunately we just weren't able to connect with our forwards as well, it was a tough day for a forward. He had some really strong moments, he was able to withstand the contest from inside the stoppage and the pressure of that. Coop is very reliable at VFL level, we just now need to make him consistent so he can perform at AFL level when his opportunity comes."

Josh Morris (6 disposals, 3 marks)

"Josh had an okay start, without being fantastic - he got a tight achilles late in the game so couldn't finish the game out. He did some nice things though, but there were some contests that he probably could've been a bit better in. He was still pretty solid, but it wasn't his best game."

James Blanck (6 disposals, 5 tackles)

"It was a good opportunity for Blancky to play on an experienced AFL forward in Ben Brown and he did a really good job. Brown kicked an early goal on him, but after that I thought he did a good job. He smothered him with some one-on-one defence, was able to win a bit of his own ball and be proactive at times. It was pleasing for him to get his job done first and foremost."

This week's Box Hill shoutout goes to...

Cal Brown (39 disposals, 9 tackles, 5 clearances)

"Cal had another really solid performance, he found a lot of the footy moving further up the ground. He got caught out this week defensively at times - but it was a nice reminder for him that he can compete against the top level AFL players."