Box Hill was outplayed by the tune of 34 points in a Grand Final re-match against Casey at Casey Fields on Saturday.
Battling artic winds, sheeting rain and a dominant Casey outfit, the Hawks were out-hunted by 21 contested possessions and 16 groundball gets.
The Demons burst out of the blocks with the aid of a strong gale, leading by 26 points at quarter time. Box Hill was never able to recover, only managing six goals for the remainder of the game.
Development Coach Marco Bello gives us his review of each AFL-listed player.
David Mirra (15 disposals, 4 marks, 4 rebound 50s)
“Mirra spent the majority of his time down back, and pinched hit up forward. He was relentless for most of the day. Unfortunately, our stronger bodied leaders didn’t impact as much as we’d like. He seemed to handle the conditions really well, but we weren’t able to get a lot of forward momentum from our defenders this week.” MB
Grant Birchall (13 disposals, 2 tackles, 3 inside 50s)
“It was great that Birch was able to run out another game. That’s two now that we’ve been able to get from him. He showed some real dash from half-back when we were able to get the ball in his hands. His contested ball and use of his body was a real strength and feature for him on the day. His positioning showed the experience of a 12-season veteran, and that he hasn’t lost his touch. We are looking for him to really continue on this patch of fine work that he’s done over the last two weeks.” MB
Kaiden Brand (13 disposals, 6 marks, 1 tackle)
“Our defenders were up against it, they had 52 inside 50s putting us under the pump. Especially in the first and third quarters when Casey had the wind. We were unable to impact aerially or on the ground with the amount of supply they had. Brand did look strong and decisive at times in the air, which was pleasing.” MB
Jacob Koschitzke (4 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle)
“We are getting some continuity from Kozzy now. He’s missed a bit of football and has been sporadic in his continuity of games. He hates to lose a one-on-one contest and battled hard throughout the day. He showed some real aggression which was pleasing to see from a first-year player.” MB
Teia Miles (20 disposals, 6 marks, 2 tackles)
“We usually expect a lot of drive off half-back from Miles each week, and unfortunately we weren’t able to get that for long periods of the game due to the conditions. He spent a little bit of time up forward, but he wasn’t able to impact as much as he’d like.” MB
Damon Greaves (8 disposals, 3 marks, 3 tackles)
“Greaves spent his time on the wing and half-back. He only had eight disposals but was really clean going at 100% efficiency. He will be looking for a more consistent impact over the four-quarters this week.” MB
Ned Reeves (3 disposals, 2 tackles, 10 hitouts)
“Reeves battled hard all day. He came up against Pruess and Wale-Buxton from the opposition who are probably a bit stronger than him. As a first-year player, he was up against it. But it was a good lesson for him and one that he’d look back on and take a lot of learning from.” MB
Harry Morrison (23 disposals, 5 marks, 8 tackles)
“Harry played mostly on the wing and spent a little time down back due to the conditions. I thought he executed well by foot and hand. He was tough and hard and showed real aggression at times throughout the day. He had opportunities in front of goal, kicking 0.3 for the day.” MB
Harry Jones (29 disposals, 8 tackles, 5 inside 50s)
“It was a repeat performance from Harry from the previous week. He had a great balance of contested and uncontested football. He was really clean and strong over the footy and finished with ten clearances and nine tackles for the day. He really acclimatised to the conditions and has done so two weeks in a row, producing an all-round performance.” MB
Will Golds (10 disposals, 3 tackles)
“Golds was a little quieter on the day. It was dirty football all day, kicking off the ground and taking ground when we needed too, which was part of our game style in the conditions. He played that to a tee but unfortunately was not able to get a lot of the football.” MB
James Cousins (13 disposals, 3 tackles, 1 inside 50)
“It wasn’t an ideal preparation for James, as he was the hold-over who came in at half-time. However, he did make an impact when he was there. He finished with 13 touches and really got into it late. He was relatively clean again by hand and foot and hopefully we can get a four-quarter game from him this week.” MB
Mitch Lewis (16 disposals, 7 marks, 5 tackles)
“Mitch was a pillar for us. He brought his physicality and was desperate. Mitch attacked the ball really hard in the air and especially when it hit the ground, which it was for the majority of the day. He played ruck as well as up forward and took some strong contested marks, provided pressure when the ball hit the deck and adjusted to the conditions really well. Importantly he brought some spirit, which was really pleasing.” MB
Darren Minchington (15 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles)
“Minch was involved with his pressure and his contest work. When the ball is in his area, we know he is going to impact. We are looking for him to do that more regularly. He had the physicality with his big body and was clean with his touch for most of the day. It’s great that we’ve been able to get some games into him, and we are looking for him to really impact the back end of the season with his experience.” MB
Mathew Walker (8 disposals, 2 goals, 3 tackles)
“Walker was involved in a number of aerial contests – showing that he put himself in the right positions. Unfortunately, he wasn’t able to execute on the day and had limited opportunities. He did find a way to kick two goals which was pleasing. We are looking for him to get some continuity and consistency throughout games.” MB
Jackson Ross (4 disposals, 1 mark, 4 tackles)
“This was Rossy’s first game that he wasn’t able to hit the scoreboard. He’s been fairly consistent for us this year, but he had a tighter opponent on him this week. He was still able to impact aggressively and more consistently when the opposition had the ball. It is terrific that he is getting a balance between when he has the football and when he needs to put pressure on the opposition.” MB
