The sign of a strong club is when their senior side and reserves grade are both thriving.

Throughout the years of Hawthorn’s premiership three-peat from 2013 to 2015, their VFL affiliate the Box Hill Hawks also played in three grand finals, winning in 2013 before finishing runner-up the following two years.

In fact, in each of the last five years, the AFL premier’s reserves have played in that respective season’s VFL Grand Final.

Box Hill have burst out of the blocks in season 2018.

They have shot to outright top of the ladder, being the only side to be undefeated through the opening three rounds.

The Hawks have been dominant, with no side having been able to get within six goals of Chris Newman’s side so far.

The away side in all their outings so far, the Hawks dismantled last year’s preliminary finalists Williamstown by 37 points in Round 1, topped Frankston by 39 points the following week before beating Coburg by 72 on Saturday.

The highest scoring side in the VFL averaging 121 points per game throughout the opening three rounds, Box Hill are an exciting side to watch.

Second-year Hawk Mitch Lewis sits one goal behind the pace in the league’s leading goalkicking stakes, with nine majors to his name so far this season. 

While the engine room has been powered by outstanding starts to the season from James Cousins (averaging 29.5 touches from two games), Brendan Whitecross (31.5, two games) and Jonathan O’Rourke (25.3, three).

The Hawks have a bye this weekend before facing St Kilda’s affiliate, Sandringham, who have won two of their three games in Round 5.