Box Hill kicked off its premiership defence campaign with a grand final re-match against Casey on Sunday.
The Hawks burst out of the blocks to head the Demons all day in a dominant display at Box Hill City Oval.
Coach Max Bailey was pleased with his side’s first outing of the year and he gives us his review of each AFL-listed player.
Tim O’Brien (16 disposals, 3 marks, 6 rebound 50s)
“Tim didn’t lose a one-on-one contest, both in the air and on the ground. We were really pleased with his physicality.” MB
Teia Miles (19 disposals, 6 marks, 5 rebound 50s)
“Offensively he had a really significant impact. Teia created instability of the halfback line by playing on quickly, and is very hard to tackle. He is constantly working on the defensive aspects of his game and is showing good signs.” MB
Changkuoth Jiath (15 disposals, 7 marks, 4 inside 50s)
“CJ has great physical attributes, he is so acrobatic. He is still learning the game as a backman, as he only played there for a half of last year. He was part of a really strong back seven on the weekend that disallowed Casey to score easily.” MB
Read: Blue Ribbon Cup milestone
Kaiden Brand (16 disposals, 4 marks, 6 rebound 50s)
“Kaiden’s contest work was really good. He didn’t get out marked and spoiled really well. He controlled the backline and used the ball effectively.” MB
Damon Greaves (14 disposals, 3 marks, 3 rebound 50s)
“Damon played half back and wing. It’s his first year in our system, but he has showed great improvement in his attacking play to just go out and get the footy.” MB
Jacob Koschitzke (8 disposals, 2 marks, 2 inside 50s)
“It’s early days in Jacob’s career at Hawthorn. He is a big, strong guy who loves to play physical which makes him hard to play against. We were rapt with his debut.” MB
Will Golds (17 disposals, 3 inside 50’s, 2 rebound 50s)
“Will played on the wing and had his best game to date this year. He’s a really strong runner, able to get up and down the ground well, and is very creative by foot.” MB
Daniel Howe (16 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles)
“Dan played inside mid, and was really strong and physical. It wasn’t a high possession game by both teams, but he played a big part in our midfield matching Casey’s contested game.” MB
Harry Jones (17 disposals, 6 marks, 9 tackles)
“Harry’s tackling was a real highlight. He had nine really strong, physical tackles. We were rapt with his impact. He had two shots at goal so it was good he could go forward and influence the game.” MB
Marc Pittonet (11 disposals, 43 hit-outs, 4 marks)
“Pitto didn’t have a recognised ruckman to play against, but he still played his usual physical standard of football with good follow-ups. He is continuing to work on his contested marking, and is getting good opportunities at that. Hopefully that can translate into more goals for him.” MB
Mitch Lewis (8 disposals, 4 goals, 5 marks)
“Mitch kicked four goals and competed really well in the air, even against two or three opponents. Another huge step forward for him.” MB
Ryan Schoenmakers (7 disposals, 2 goals)
“Ryan has had a disrupted pre-season but bounced back really strongly this week. He played as a key forward and combined really well with Mitch Lewis. He was another one that was really good in the air by winning one-on-one contests and kicked two goals.” MB
Oliver Hanrahan (12 disposals, 1 goal, 2 marks)
“Ollie playing as a half forward, had four shots on goal and multiple score assists. His great ability is his leg speed and making something happen out of nothing.” MB
Jackson Ross (15 disposals, 5 goals, 4 marks)
“Jackson played his best game at the club with five goals. His work rate allowed him to get into good positions off the ball and get on the end of it.” MB
