PLAYING alongside the likes of David Hale, Ben McEvoy and Jon Ceglar has been a massive boost for first-year Hawk Marc Pittonet.
The 19-year-old ruckman was recruited by the Hawks with pick 50 in last year’s draft, and has been a constant at VFL level, playing 10 of a possible 11 matches for Box Hill Hawks.
He’s been just one of 10 players to play 10 or more games for Box Hill this season.
Pittonet has had the chance to play alongside the three Hawks ruckmen at different stages this season and says it’s been beneficial for his development as a footballer.
“I’ve found that playing in shorter spurts with a Hale, McEvoy or Ceglar, because they’re all completely different ruckmen… they’ve been able to coach me on the field,” he said.
“A couple of weeks ago I was having trouble with centre bounces and Big Boy (McEvoy) just gave me a couple of tips.
“It was really muddy in the centre… and he gave me some tips about how to get in a strong position before my opponent.
“It’s just small things here and there - they’re always checking up to see how I’m going at quarter-time, half-time… I’ve found them awesome to play with.”
Pittonet said it took time to adjust to the standard of the VFL, but he was growing in confidence both as a ruckman and a target up forward.
“I started off a bit slowly, just getting used to the VFL took me a game or two – the bigger bodies, the faster competition and the standard – but since then I think I’ve really improved,” he said.
“I’m playing more forward than normal, given we’ve had Big Boy and Ceglar playing VFL the last few weeks, so I’ve had the opportunity to develop more there.
“The club’s really been good at giving me different avenues to develop.
“I feel much more at home at VFL level and I’m starting to string together some good performances.”
Adapting to life as a full-time footballer has been an enjoyable challenge for the 202-centimetre, 101-kilogram Oakleigh Chargers product.
He said the thing he noticed most was a real focus on quality over quantity.
“You’re not at the club every hour of every day, but at the same time, everything you do at the club is quality,” Pittonet said.
“You’ve got to be sharp – all the training and recovery has to be done at the highest standard, and I’ve really enjoyed every minute of it.”
Finals loom large for the Hawks’ VFL affiliate – who have won nine of 11 matches this season – but for now Pittonet is focused on developing as a footballer and improving his game week-by-week across the second half of the year.
“The biggest thing for me is building on my aggressive nature and my second efforts as a ruckman, as well as improving my ruck tap-work,” he said.
“For me it’s about winning more hit-outs and seeing if I can take some scalps of ruckmen in the VFL, as well as having that presence, the second efforts and just building on my forward craft.”
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