Box Hill continued its winning ways on the weekend, overcoming Richmond in a three-point thriller at Punt Road Oval.
Coach Zane Littlejohn said the close victory was a great learning for his young list.
"We started a bit slow, but wrestled momentum back and our second quarter was a lot better, full credit to Richmond, they kept us honest all day," he said.
"They kept coming back, but it was a pleasing outcome to run away with a three-point win and like the week before, win a close game."
Littlejohn has assessed the performances of the 15 AFL-listed Hawks below.
Lachy Bramble (27 disposals, 3 marks)
"Brambs had another really nice performance. He played a little bit more inside this week, purely to just provide us with a bit of running power and ability to get contest-to-contest. If he was able to execute in front of goal, it would've been a very, very good game. He provided again some great leadership, great composure with ball in hand and decision-making."
Cam Mackenzie (27 disposals, 7 tackles, 8 clearances)
"Cam again spent some time on-ball, part of his development is spending as much time as he can around the stoppage and centre bounce. He finished with eight clearances this week, which is really good. We talked about a balanced performance, and he did that, as a midfielder he had a pretty well-rounded game. Cam is starting to build some great confidence and really develop his stoppage craft, one of the areas he's been trying to improve which he has done so really well."
Harry Morrison (25 disposals, 1 goal, 11 marks)
"Harry started on the wing and then we needed some more composure behind the ball, so we moved him to half back in the second half to help with a bit of leadership and structure behind the ball. His composure with ball in hand is something that he is really good at, everyone who has seen Harry play knows he doesn't get too flustered in that situation, he made really good decisions and help us with our Hawks ball and winning it back in particular with our structure behind the ball."
Cooper Stephens (23 disposals, 7 clearances, 1 goal)
"Coop was more of a genuine mid this week, which is good for him to add different strings to his bow. Previous weeks he has played more forward, but this week was more of a traditional midfield role. Like Cam, he had a pretty nice balanced game. He was able to hit the scoreboard again, which is something we've been starting to see from Coop's performances which is really good. Another good performance, and he's been really consistent over the course of the last month and a half which is great for him and gives him some good confidence moving forward."
Emerson Jeka (20 disposals, 11 marks)
"We're starting to see the best of Jek again which is great. He had some really big contest wins, was really crucial in the backend of the game where we needed to half contests, which he was able to do. He regularly makes good decisions with ball in hand which is great. We're really impressed with how Jek's last fortnight has been, his body is starting to give him a really good opportunity to perform really well. He has put in a good fortnight of footy, so now it's about keeping that consistency going and finish off the season really strongly."
Bailey Macdonald (16 disposals, 5 marks)
"As I've mentioned previously with Bailey, we love his speed and we were able to see a bit of that at times on the weekend. He was able to defend really well at times, but then got caught out at times as well. But as a first-year player that is part of his development, we'll be reviewing his game to find opportunities when he can defend better, and pointing out other times when he defended well and finding the balance there. What we love about Bailey is he is a great kid who wants to learn, much like all of our draftees. So he'll get to his tape this week and look at those opportunities. We'll continue to reinforce the stuff he does really well and there were some great signs of that again on the weekend."
Lloyd Meek (27 hit-outs, 15 disposals, 1 goal)
"Lloyd was really dominant around the clearance work, giving our mids great use in there and being physical. It was great to see him push forward and hit the scoreboard. He played a little bit more time as a genuine forward which has been part of his development. We saw some really nice signs. He had seven score involvements and hit the scoreboard himself, so that's great from him. We saw some stuff we've been working on with our forwards, out leading patterns and stuff, which Meeky was able to execute. There are still some growth areas in that for Meeky, but its really exciting to see he is starting to grasp some of the forward stuff but not loosing anything when he gets on-ball and gives us a good look when he's in the ruck."
Sam Butler (2 goals, 15 disposals, 4 marks)
"Sam had another 'nearly' game, he was thereabouts. He kicked 2.2 and arguably should've finished with more. He had some defensive moments where he didn't empty out of our forward half quick enough. But Butsy has got great speed, when he is able to use that in offence, that is when he is looks at his best. We'll keep showing Butsy those opportunities when we review the tape and where he could've used his speed and when he does use his speed and what that looks like. He finished with 2.2, nine score involvements, but only the one tackle. I'm sure he would love to see a better balance from his performance."
Jacob Koschitzke (4 goals, 13 disposals, 4 marks)
"It was great to see Kosi hit the scoreboard with 4.2. He spent a little bit more time forward-ruck which is great. When he is able to get around the ground and sink his teeth into the contest at centre bounce and stoppages, I personally that helps when he goes forward as it feels like he's been in the contest for longer. He was able to get looks when he went forward, he finished with four goals which was great. But his time spent up the ground and in the ruck was great for his development and growth too.
Josh Bennetts (13 disposals, 7 marks)
"It was a quieter day for Josh in regards to what he would expect. He had his 13 disposals, but unfortunately only used it at 38 per cent efficiency. It's not necessarily his execution, but some of his decision making with ball in hand probably let him down a little bit on the weekend. He's been very reliable with us all year, but like all our first-years, he is going to have some ups and downs and we understand that development and improvement isn't linear. We'll look at the tape and review his performance around that, and look at the opportunities where he potentially could have made a different decision that would've helped his execution."
Jai Serong (12 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles)
"I really liked Jai's game - he had some huge contests backend of the game where we need him to stand up and be tough. I was really impressed with the way he defended the ground, the way he got off and helped the other defenders. He gets his own job first, but then also shows an ability to get off and help which is really important as a defender, but as I mentioned also had some crucial contests. His trajectory is really nice as a defender, so we're liking what we're seeing."
Brandon Ryan (2 goals, 11 disposals, 5 marks)
"Brandon does some freakish things - we're very lucky to have him as part of our program and part of the club. He is projecting really nicely. He was able to spend a little bit more time in the ruck this week, just around the ground which is great to see. He'll continue to work on that side of his game and that craft on how to add other elements to his game. He is very dangerous when he is forward - he had five score involvements and kicked two goals - so it was a great return for him. There were some good lessons learnt too after spending some time in the ruck."
Josh Morris (10 disposals, 4 marks)
"Josh had a tough job having been matched up on Cumberland who kicked six, three of them were in the first quarter. But his second and third quarters were very quiet. I thought Josh after quarter time did a really good job on him, I thought it was a lot more even. We had the opportunity to move Josh off him, but we really wanted him to develop and work through that. Sometimes that's what is needed for player's development, to find different avenues when it's not going their way, rather than taking it away from them. He was forced to learn and develop and find ways to beat his opponent, which he did through his competitiveness and aggression to the contest, which helped him get back into the game and nullify Cumberland's influence as the game went on."
James Blanck (6 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles)
"Blancky returned and had two unbelievable contests - one was to save the game, the other was in the third where he just had to go, it was a guaranteed goal and for whatever reason superman Blanck was there and was able to kill the contest and half it which was fantastic. That's what we love about Blancky, his effort, his ability to compete is top-class. He was a real leader for us in that area. He'll put his hand up no doubt to ideally get back into the AFL side shortly."
Clay Tucker (8 hit-outs, 3 disposals)
"Clay had a quieter day, we had a number of players going through the ruck so he had to spend some time there and forward. Now its more about him continuing to learn and understand his positioning around the ground, where he needs to put himself to best help the team win the ball. Put himself in dangerous spots so his opposition just can't get off and influence the contest as well. We'll review his tape and he'll continue to work with our ruck coaches and continue to develop his craft beyond just the contest, but more so what he can do around the ground to help the team and be really dangerous."
This week's Box Hill shout-out goes to...
Cal Porter
"Our skipper played some of his best footy which was great to see, he finished with 28 touches, three tackles and more importantly the 10 clearances. He's probably hasn't had his best year of footy, openly he would admit that, but what I love about him is his ability to put the team first and be a real leader in that space. Beyond this performance, he has shown incredible leadership all year not only with his ability to go play other roles, but all while helping others in their roles. It was great to see him spend some time in his traditional role and play a crucial part in helping us win."