The Box Hill Hawks will celebrate a successful season that saw them play in a VFL preliminary final when they host their best and fairest night on October 6.
The best and fairest award is named after Col Austen, Hawthorn’s first ever Brownlow Medallist.
Austen played 85 VFL games for Hawthorn between 1940 and 1949, before returning to play 20 games for Box Hill in the VFA from 1956 to 1959.
The award is expected to see a tightly-contested count with multiple Hawks stepping up this year to improve upon the side’s 10th-placed finishing in 2016.
We thought we would have a look at those considered amongst the top-five contenders.
Andrew Moore
Named as the ruck rover of the 2017 VFL Team of the Year, Moore will enter the night as the hot favourite to take out the Col Austen Trophy. The former Port Adelaide and Richmond player was recognised for his superb season, in which he averaged 24.3 disposals across his 17 games. In his first season at Box Hill, Moore was named in the Hawks’ best players on 9 occasions, and was the club’s top vote-getter in the JJ Liston Trophy (VFL league best and fairest award) with 11 Votes.
Anthony Brolic
Brolic was Box Hill’s second representative in the league’s Team of the Year, when he was named on the Interchange last week. The dangerous forward enjoyed a strong season, kicking 18 goals from his 19 games. The Eastern Ranges product was named amongst the Hawks’ best players six times in his second year at the club. Brolic picked up the second-most disposals of any Box Hill player, averaging 19 disposals in 2017.
Ty Vickery
Box Hill’s leading goal kicker this season, Ty Vickery was a reliable scoring source for the Hawks this season, kicking 27 goals from his 15 outings. His 27 majors were enough to see him finish 15th in the league’s goal kicking stakes. Awarded eight votes in the JJ Liston voting, Vickery earned the third most votes of any Hawk on the night.
Harry Morrison
First-year player Harry Morrison is another Hawthorn-listed player expected to feature prominently in the race for the Box Hill best and fairest award. The 18-year old averaged 19 disposals, six marks and four tackles throughout 18 games for Box Hill this year to be amongst the side’s most consistent performers. The Murray Bushrangers product also earned four votes at the JJ Liston count.
Brendan Whitecross
Despite only playing 11 games for Box Hill this year, Whitecross has to be considered a contender for this year’s award. The 27-year old was named in the Hawks’ best in eight of those games, the second most times of any player behind only Moore. Whitecross’ VFL season, which saw him average 23 disposals, five marks and four tackles, earned him five league best and fairest votes.
The Col Austen Trophy will be held on Friday October 6 at the Hawthorn Arts Centre.
