Box Hill has returned to the winners' list in commanding fashion, after overpowering Coburg by 51-points on Saturday.
A blistering second term from Coburg forwards Sam Lowson and Lochie Dixon catapulted the Lions into a surprising lead at half-time.
But the Hawks stepped on the gas, courtesy of a ‘rocket’ from coach Max Bailey, to kick 11 second-half goals to Coburg’s two and once again retain the ANZAC cup.
Box Hill Assistant Coach Torin Baker was pleased with the side’s performance, including the debuts of two new Hawks, and gives us his review of each AFL-listed player.
David Mirra (23 disposals, 7 marks, 6 rebound 50s)
“We had to switch Dave on to one of Coburg’s dangerous forwards in Sam Lowson after he had kicked three first-half goals and was doing a lot of damage against us. He curbed the influence of his opponent, and was great in setting up the defence and winning the ball back from the opposition.” TB
Changkuoth Jiath (12 disposals, 6 marks, 3 rebound 50s)
“CJ started the year in excellent fashion but probably hasn’t hit those marks in the last two weeks. He was ok, but didn’t have the same impact defensively on his contests that we had seen in the opening rounds of the season. But overall his start to the year has been really exciting.” TB
Teia Miles (17 disposals, 7 marks, 4 inside 50s)
“Teia played both forward and back again on the weekend. It’s been great to see that he has taken to a new role with a really good attitude and is bringing great energy to the group. He had a real impact up forward with a couple of shots on goal as well as giving us run off the backline. It was a versatile performance from him.” TB
Damon Greaves (16 disposals, 5 marks, 3 inside 50s)
“We see Damon getting better and better every week. He looked really reliable with the ball in hand as well as halving a lot of his contests. He’s feeling confident with his footy and another one of those young boys who is stringing games together and starting to reap the rewards.” TB
Harry Morrison (32 disposals, 3 goals, 6 tackles)
“Harry returned to the VFL this week and was outstanding. It was great to see him come back with an attitude to get back into the AFL team as soon as possible. With 32 possessions and three goals, he had a standout performance for us.” TB
Harry Jones (22 disposals, 8 tackles, 6 inside 50s)
“Harry’s consistently been a really strong tackler for us – he had another eight tackles this week. He was able to win more of the ball himself against Coburg compared to the previous week. We got both an offensive and defensive output from Harry this week that is really encouraging. He is really driven to improve himself.
Will Golds (20 disposals, 2 goals, 11 marks)
“Will is one who really backs his leg. He was able to set us up a couple of times, by taking that inside 45 kick that came off for him. We are continuing to see really good moments from him. He’s playing the role that we are asking of him better and better, and continues to show the right signs.” TB
Conor Glass (26 disposals, 5 tackles, 6 inside 50s)
“Conor again played in the midfield. He keeps growing and growing into the role each week. After we were challenged in the second quarter, he was one player who really stepped up and helped turn the tide for us in that third quarter. His run and 26 possessions made him a very solid contributor on the day.” TB
Marc Pittonet (30 disposals, 42 hitouts, 1 goal)
“Pitto had his best performance for the year in winning the ANZAC medal. He not only had a huge impact as a tall around the ground with his marking, but he was really good at ground level as well. His hitouts to advantage was one of the main reasons we were able to get on top in the clearances and the game.” TB
Ryan Schoenmakers (8 disposals, 3 mark, 2 inside 50s)
“Shoey resumed back this week in a year that has been a bit stop and start with injury. He probably wasn’t involved in the game as much as he’d like. He did some really good offensive and defensive running but didn’t quite get the rewards on the day. We can always rely on Shoey to play a team first role and we’ll look for him to build his form over the next few weeks as he gets continuity in his game.” TB
Dylan Moore (17 disposals, 3 goals, 6 marks)
“Dylan was our most dangerous forward for us on the day. One of the features of his game was his marking, where we sent him deep in attack and was able to out mark his opponent. For a player to be able to do that as a small and get up the ground and win the ball is great. He was another player who had a good defensive output as well, so another really solid all-round game from him.” TB
Oliver Hanrahan (17 disposals, 1 goal, 3 tackles)
“Ollie’s quick feet and damaging foot skills were certainly on display again. He had a couple of kicks that didn’t quite hit the mark, but we are really impressed with the fact he is in the top four of the competition for score involvements. He continues to find ways to make us a better team. We are continuing to work on his defensive game but he is in strong form.” TB
Darren Minchington (12 disposals, 1 goal, 2 inside 50s)
“Darren played his first game for the club which was a real lifter for everyone within the group. He looked really good with his movement and was extremely sharp with his ball use. He only played three quarters, but it was exciting to see him out there and have a really solid game.” TB
Mathew Walker (10 disposals, 2 goals, 5 marks)
“It was Mats first game for the club as well – he’s an 18-year-old who we are really excited about. He had some exciting moments and took three big contested marks, which shows the talent that he has. He didn’t quite execute on the day, kicking two goals and three behinds, but to have five shots on goal from three-quarters of footy is exciting in itself. He did some 18-year-old things out there that are to be expected, but we will work with him like all the other first-year players on how to play the Hawks way. Overall it was exciting to have him out there.
