Box Hill continued its winning streak into a third game, securing a 34-point victory over Collingwood at its newly named home Fenjiu Stadium (Box Hill City Oval).

Eleven AFLW-listed players featured in the contest while some VFLW-listed players had standout performances. 

Hawks VFLW Coach Michael Ericson was pleased with his side’s efforts on Saturday afternoon.

“The team gave four quarters of effort which is pleasing to see,” he said.

“Collingwood brought the pressure and I think our players answered it well.

“Across the four quarters, we continued to attempt what we've been working on through training sessions and in the second half especially, it really started to show.”

Ericson also reviewed each AFLW-listed player and gave some shoutouts to some VFLW-listed solid performers.

Charlotte Baskaran (Two goals, 24 disposals, nine tackles, three clearances, three marks) 

“It was exciting to see her for the first time this year, she was wonderful. She played in the midfield all day and got plenty of disposals. She kicked a couple of goals too which was reward for effort. She continuously tried and was one of the better players on the ground for the day. It was pleasing to see all the hard work she’s been doing over the pre-season come to light in her first game of the year, so I’m looking forward to seeing more from her in the coming weeks.” 

Tamara Smith (24 disposals, five marks, three tackles) 

“Smithy has had a tremendous three weeks in that backline. She seems to be going from strength to strength. Our backline got hammered on the weekend, and she just stood up and rebounded the ball for us. She was happy to go on both sides of her body and showed great leadership down there.”

Jenna Richardson (21 disposals, nine marks, three tackles) 

“Richo was pretty close (to Charlotte) as best-on-ground too. She was unbelievable, she just kept rebounding the ball outside 50 and then kicking it inside 50. She had plenty of disposals and Collingwood found it hard to get through. She even had a shot at goal and unfortunately missed but she’s been fantastic over the last three weeks.”

Ainslie Kemp (17 disposals, seven marks) 

“Kempy just slotted right in and seemed like she’d been playing for weeks. She’s another one that took quite a few marks and intercept marks as well. She made it really hard for the opposition to get through and she transitioned out of defence really well. Similar to Smithy and Richo, she had a lot of inside 50s and rebound 50s so it was really exciting to see Kempy in her first game of the year.”

Mackenzie Eardley (16 disposals, six marks) 

“Macca was really good again in the backline. She took a lot of marks and provided lots of run and carry and defensive pressure. She’s got such a long and penetrating kick which is such a weapon for her in addition to her running capacity, so she’s really exciting across half-back.”

Emily Everist (14 disposals, four marks, three tackles) 

“Sherpa looked better for the run, similar to the others mentioned above. She got lots of disposals off half-back and rebounded the ball well outside of 50 on multiple occasions. She seemed to get more confidence in her run and carry and creativity out of the backline which is what we’ve been working on with her, so it was another good game for her.”

Mikayla Williamson (13 disposals, seven tackles, three marks)

“Mikayla had a few pre-game nerves which is understandable so it probably took her most of the first half to warm up into the game. But in the second half, some of her running patterns on the wing and her tackling pressure showed why she was drafted at a high pick. I think having one game under her belt and getting some more game time will really help her football.”

Tahlia Fellows (One goal, 10 disposals, six tackles, four marks) 

“Tahlia had a few opportunities and provided some good front-half pressure. She had six tackles for the game but her work rate was really good. She finished with one goal but was that real livewire forward and set the tone for forward pressure.”

Hayley McLaughlin (One goal, nine disposals, four marks) 

“It was great for Hayley to get a goal late in the game. She might not have had a lot of tackles but she applied a lot of pressure. It just felt like she was everywhere and she was really providing opportunities for the forward group to get the ball inside 50 and ideally put scoreboard pressure on. Hayley was really good in the way she was setting up around the ground and providing that option.” 

Laura Stone (Eight disposals, two marks, two tackles) 

“Laura played halfback and it was nice to get a look at her behind the football with her set-up and transition out of defence. We know what a powerful midfielder she can be but she seemed to slot in really nicely with the rest of the backline. She gave a little bit of a different look for our backline in terms of her run and ball use.” 

Bridie Hipwell (Four disposals, two marks, two tackles) 

“If you were to look at Bridie’s game statistically, you would think it was pretty disappointing but when you go back and actually watch some of the vision, her work rate and ability to get up the ground and provide an option at the contest and in the air was second to none. What she’s doing away from the ball and her running patterns was a real strength. The stats will come to her but from a coaching perspective, I was pleased with what she offered the forward group. She did a lot of selfless leading and allowed the other forwards to get a good look so it was quite pleasing.”

…and some VFLW-listed shoutouts 

Danika Spamer (18 disposals, 12 tackles, three clearances)

“Danika had a great day in the midfield with 18 disposals and 12 tackles. She was so often at the bottom of the pack, getting the ball out and giving us first use, so she was fantastic.” 

Gabby Collingwood (21 disposals, five marks, three tackles) 

“Gabby played a little bit more of a wing role for us. She just continued to run and get into the right spot. Her ball use is generally pretty good as well.”

Tamara Luke (One goal, 23 hit-outs, six disposals, four marks, four tackles) 

“Tam competed well again in the ruck and inside 50. She provided that strong contested marking option and her leadership around the ground was wonderful.”

The Hawks will be aiming to make it four straight wins this Saturday morning when they take on Williamstown at Fenjiu Stadium (Box Hill City Oval). 

Ericson was looking forward to another good contest against the Seagulls.

“Williamstown have one win, one loss and one draw so they’ve looked good in patches,” he said.

“We played them in the pre-season but I think it will be two very different-looking sides this weekend. 

“Again, our focus will be worrying about what we’re doing and how we can control what we can control.

“There were elements of the game that we were pleased with from the weekend and there’s a couple of things that we’re looking to improve this week.”

Entry to Fenjiu Stadium on Saturday is free with the game also available to stream on the VFL website or App.