The Box Hill Hawks travelled out to Coburg in search of their third win from three games.

The Lions gave the Hawks an early scare with a seven-goal opening quarter to create a 15-point deficit at the first break.

But Chris Newman’s side were able to steady the ship, kicking 20 goals to five for the remainder of the game, to coast to a 72-point win. 

Read below for Newman’s thoughts on each of his AFL-listed players’ performances.

Match report: Box Hill v Coburg - Round 3

Mitch Lewis

15 disposals, 4 marks, 6 tackles, 11 hit-outs, 3 goals

“Mitch had another solid game. He hit the scoreboard and kicked three goals again, meaning he’s kicked three every game this year. He gave Pitto a bit of a chop out in the ruck and competed really well. Another good part about Mitch’s game is his tackling; to be a key position/ruck and have that ability at ground level is a really good asset for him. He’s been in solid form.” CN

Jonathan O’Rourke

36 disposals, 4 marks, 2 tackles

“Jono O’Rourke was really strong in the clearances. He used his hands a bit more than his feet with 25 handballs. It looked like he had a real burst of speed out of congestion and looks to be running on top of the ground at the moment.” CN

Brendan Whitecross

32 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles, 2 goals

“Whitey played the majority inside and was really strong in the contest with 32 disposals. He used his legs out of congestion and looked really strong physically. He had a better second half than his first, as most players did, but he really ignited the team and his tackling efforts were elite.” CN

Ryan Schoenmakers

16 disposals, 5 marks, 5 tackles, 3 goals

“Schoey returned from injury and played three quarters. He was one of our more influential players when he was on the ground. He kicked 3.1 and missed another opportunity that he’d get nine times out of 10. He took a few contested marks, he had plenty of hard ball gets and was really impressive on the ground. He got through the game well.” CN

Kieran Lovell

25 disposals, 4 marks, 4 tackles, 2 goals

“It was probably Kieran’s best game for us for the year. He certainly had a better second half than first, but that second was terrific. He took the game on and his agility is elite. He had nine clearances, was really clean and kicked two goals.” CN

Teia Miles

23 disposals, 7 marks, 2 tackles

“Teia won the medal on the day. He had 23 disposals which is quite good for a rebounding defender, but it was more to do with his effectiveness from those disposals, his willingness to go at the game, his run and bounce, and his ability to create opportunities going forward. He was quite damaging when he had the ball. He had 20 pressure acts as well which is a really good result for him. For him to train a bulk of the pre-season forward, and then to go back the way he has in the last few games is a real credit to him.” CN

Dallas Willsmore

20 disposals, 8 marks, 1 tackle, 1 goal

“Dal played in the backhalf. He probably handballed a bit more than he would usually. It’s good because he’s creating opportunity for others, but the real damage comes from his leg. He had 20 disposals, five inside 50s and three rebounds, and he actually kicked a goal from about 50 metres which was a really good goal.” CN

Kaiden Brand

19 disposals, 7 marks, 4 tackles

“Brand had another solid game playing back. He accumulated a bit of the footy, and used his speed when he got the ball. He has the ability to take the game on, and he mixes that with his aggressive spoiling and his ability to take marks from opposition boot. He saved a couple of goals for us which was great.” CN

Will Langford

18 disposals, 2 marks, 3 tackles, 1 goal

“Langford’s numbers weren’t quite as high as Whitecross and O’Rourke, but he probably spent a lot more time forward. He still had 18 disposals and he looked really, really strong fighting through tackles. They needed two or three people to bring him down at some stages. He finished with 1.3, so he’s getting a lot of shots on goal and his workrate is terrific.” CN

Harrison Jones

17 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles

“Harry came back in after a week out. He played pretty well. For a young kid to come in and have 20 disposals is a good effort. He’s still working on his craft and the ability to play inside. His intensity around the footy is quite strong, for someone that’s still got a fair bit of room to grow physically, he attacks the contest really hard.” CN

Conor Nash

16 disposals, 4 marks, 3 goals

“Conor played forward for most of the game. His ability to crash packs and follow up at ground level is really important for us up forward. He runs really hard and finds himself in space. He kicked two goals from the goal square because he stretches the opposition with his legs. Another good game from Nashy, and he continues to improve on a craft that has really been foreign to him.” CN

Marc Pittonet

10 disposals, 2 marks, 4 tackles, 53 hit-outs, 1 goal

“Pitto had some real dominance in the ruck with Tom Goodwin [Coburg’s No.1 ruckman] out. He provided a real opportunity for us to get first hands on the ball, and 53 hit outs is a great result. He didn’t accumulate huge numbers around the ground, but nor do we expect that. He did have five clearances himself and he kicked a goal.” CN

Changkuoth Jiath

6 disposals, 1 mark, 3 tackles, 1 goal

“CJ played his first game for us after returning from injury. He had a really good impact when he was on the ground. He kicked 1 goal 1, but the one that he missed was a gettable one straight in front. He took a really good contested mark and ended up with 14 pressure acts, so it was a good start from him.” CN