Box Hill bounced back from its first loss of the season on Saturday afternoon when it defeated North Melbourne by 60 points at Fenjiu Stadium (Box Hill City Oval).
Hawks Senior Coach Zane Littlejohn was pleased with his team’s response.
“I’m really proud of every player that pulled on the brown and gold on the weekend, just in the way that they connected and played the best footy they can for Box Hill,” he said.
Littlejohn also reviewed all nine AFL-listed players who suited up for Box Hill, while recognising the efforts of some outstanding VFL-listed players.
Josh Ward (Two goals, 27 disposals, seven tackles, six clearances, five inside 50s, four marks)
“He was ultimately disappointed to be back playing at VFL level but as soon as he heard the news, he was really eager to make sure he put his best foot forward and prepare to play the best role he could. The side of the game that we wanted to see Wardy really work on was his inside game and his contested stuff. It was a really nice all-round performance from Wardy and great reward for him to bounce back from a disappointing performance last week up on the Gold Coast at AFL level. There are still some areas of growth for him and he’s the first to recognise that. His stoppage craft needs to continue to improve and he’s going to get great exposure while he’s at VFL level in that area.”
Ethan Phillips (19 disposals, 17 marks)
“Ethan returned from a couple of weeks off and was really fresh and really eager to get in and lead the backline group. He did a great job in that space. He would be a little bit disappointed with his third quarter as he lost a few marking contests and was not getting his positioning right but that’s an area of growth for him to continue to be really consistent in that area. Ultimately, it was a really nice return from him and he really settled us down in the backend. It’s about finding that balance of when to defend compared to when he can go for those marks.”
Sam Butler (Three goals, 18 disposals, four marks)
“From a VFL perspective, Sam picked up where he left off. He kicked some really smart, small-forward goals, he was reading cues and got out the back a bit which is good. He was also able to get involved and get higher up the ground as a small forward as well. An area for Buttsy to continue to work on is his pressure and growing his game off the back of that.”
Bodie Ryan (16 disposals, six marks)
“Bodie really set himself to defend his opponent and defend the ground really well this week and he definitely did that. It was probably his best defensive game and he had to play on some quality players in Jaidyn Stephenson and Sam Lowson. Bodie was able to compete really hard in that area and then ultimately be involved in offence as well. It was a really nice, solid game from Bodie. He defended the ground really well and it was a great step forward for him in that area.”
Calsher Dear (Four goals, 15 disposals, six hit-outs, six inside 50s, five marks)
“Calsh took another step forward in the right direction. We need to be patient with Calsher. We know improvement’s not linear, it’s going to go up and down and we’re going to have to ride the waves of momentum. His contested marking and his ability to get up the ground and spend some time in the ruck were really pleasing. As a key forward, that’s a great return. He’s continually working on his contest stuff, he’s got to be stronger in those contests and not just get shoved off the line of the ball and get outmarked, so he’s working on those areas of his game. What we’re seeing with Calsher is really pleasing.”
Jack O’Sullivan (One goal, 15 disposals, three marks, three inside 50s)
“Jack is back playing full minutes. He probably wouldn’t have loved his first half but I was really impressed with how he was able to respond in the second half and continue to stay involved and stay present in the moment. His work rate was really high but what we’re continuing to work with Jack on is finding the balance between being a small forward and when he needs to get up the ground and find that balance. I thought he started to take leaps forward in that area of the game.”
Cooper Stephens (One goal, 14 disposals, four clearances)
“Coop battled through really solidly. He did some good stuff around the ball and around clearance in particular. We’re wrapt to get him through another game of footy and him finding the footy and hitting the scoreboard is a great return.”
Bailey Macdonald (One goal, 13 disposals, four marks, three inside 50s)
“People who were at the game would’ve seen a traditional Bailey Mac back which is great. He provided some dash, some run and carry and he got forward and kicked a goal which is all the stuff that we know Bailey Mac can do. He’s taken a step forward after being a bit crook last week and not putting in the performance he would’ve liked. It’s a step forward and it’s now about building off the back of that and being more consistent. Not a lot of people have the weapons he has so we need to continue to harness and grow that.”
Clay Tucker (One goal, 21 hit-outs, eight disposals, five clearances)
“Tuck unfortunately tweaked his ankle in the third term so he went off and didn’t play the last quarter but I don’t want our fans to look at him only having eight disposals because his game was very solid. He took the number one ruck mantle and prepared himself really well. He studied the opposition and gave himself every opportunity to play a really solid game. It was a really pleasing performance from Clay but it was unfortunate that he couldn’t finish the game.”
And a couple of shout-outs for some VFL-listed stars…
Max Hall (Two goals, 32 disposals, 12 marks, nine tackles, four inside 50s)
“This was arguably the best game of VFL footy that Max has played. His first half was exceptional and it was a really well-rounded game. I was really proud of what he was able to do. He had a really great pre-season and I think the challenge now for Max is to continue to make sure that gap of consistency is small and he can continue to grow that.”
Tyler Brown (19 disposals, four clearances, three tackles)
“He probably hasn’t started the season how he would love to and he was really disappointed with his own performance last week. But I just thought he took a step forward in the right direction and bounced back this week. We started to see his footwork around stoppage and clearance but more importantly, his ability to get contest to contest started to shine through so it was really pleasing. He’s just got to continue to grow off the back of that and hopefully, we can see some real consistency in his performance now.”
Box Hill’s next challenge comes against the Sydney Swans at Fenjiu Stadium (Box Hill City Oval) this Sunday afternoon.
The match forms part of a double-header with the Hawks VFLW team who take the field at 3.35pm against the Swans.
