BOX HILL Hawks coach Marco Bello evaluates every Hawthorn-listed player's performance at VFL level in Round 7.

The Hawks' VFL affiliate went down in a nail-biter to Casey Scorpions, by just seven points, on Saturday night.

KURT HEATHERLEY 

“Our defenders had to battle against some talls, in the likes of Chris Dawes, Sam Weideman, Aaron Vandenberg and Sam Frost, these are guys who are all 190-centimetres plus. Kurt had to take the big fellas and he did a reasonable job. He finished with 12 disposals and fought really valiantly on the night and had 24 pressure acts, which goes to show that he impacted oppo ball and worked tirelessly to thwart the opposition.”

KIERAN LOVELL

“Lovey had 17 disposals and spent a bit of time up forward, unfortunately he didn’t hit the scoreboard this week. He got to compete against the likes of Jack Grimes, Christian Salem and Jack Trengove, so no doubt it was a great experience for him to go up against three high-calibre players. He competed really well and used the ball effectively when he did get his hands on it."

BLAKE HARDWICK

“Blake was a little bit quieter on the night, he finished with the eight disposals playing predominantly as a forward. He had to work really hard once the ball was in there. He didn’t hit the scoreboard but gave away one or two assists, so he’s getting that selfless attitude that we require from our forwards.” 

KADE STEWART

“Kade played mainly on a wing and finished with 15 disposals. He had his customary five tackles – it’s a terrific attitude that he has and brings to our footy club, his attack on the opposition. He had 21 pressure acts, and it’s great that he continues to drive that standard.” 

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DANIEL HOWE

“Dan was strong and aggressive inside the contest, finishing with 13 tackles and five clearances. He worked really hard inside and then we threw him down back for the second half of the third quarter, and he remained there for the rest of the game. A great defensive effort from him – he had four marks off oppo boot and four rebound 50s, showing his versatility.”

TEIA MILES

“Teia was best on ground for us. He had 17 disposals and finished with 4.1. He started through the half back line and we moved him forward in the second half. His ball-winning ability and use of the ball effectively off half back and going forward was a telling factor in him being able to play a great game.”

BRENDAN WHITECROSS

“Brendan played predominantly forward, but pinch-hit in the middle. He worked across all three lines across the game and had 21 disposals in the end, six tackles and five clearances, so he worked tirelessly throughout the game.” 

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JONATHAN O’ROURKE

“Jono finished with 23 disposals, six inside 50s and five clearances, so he was winning the footy, bringing it forward and he finished with 1.1 himself. It was great to have him back in the side. He started off the game on fire with 10 disposals and the 1.1 in that first quarter, so he started really well and probably tired a bit with it being his first game back in a month.”

JERMAINE MILLER-LEWIS

“Jermaine was a bit quieter in terms of hands on footy, but was able to be a real influence in our defensive half. He fights really hard to not let his opponent near the footy or to win the footy, and we’re happy with his progress throughout this year.”

ANGUS LITHERLAND

“Gus provided us with rebound off the half back line, he had 12 disposals and made the Casey forwards really work for any easy touches inside 50. His second and third efforts are a stand out, and he uses his speed to be able to close down and really impact on the opposition going inside 50. It was a good game from him." 

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DALLAS WILLSMORE

“Dallas was a little bit quieter compared to his last month of footy. He’s had a terrific first five rounds for Box Hill. Having said that, he still reached 16 disposals and hit the scoreboard, but we’ve got such a high standard for Dallas now after his start to the season. He’ll go back to the drawing board and get back to the style of football that we know he can play."

MARC PITTONET

“Pitto had a game of halves. The first half was a little bit quieter, he was getting his hands on the footy but probably didn’t influence much away from the stoppages. His second half dictated how we went about it, and our second half was all about winning contested footy, second and third efforts – and he epitomised that from the outset. It was great to see him be able to change his game from the first half to the second half.”

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RYAN SCHOENMAKERS

“It was Schoey’s first game in about a month, and he started off a little slowly but got into the game as it went on. He finished with 12 disposals, kicked 1.1 and gave off one or two others. He started to get into the game in the second half and there’s a lot of upside with Schoey in this next month as he starts to get more consistent game-time.”

MATT SPANGHER

“Spang was effective defensively, he didn’t get a whole heap of the footy on offense this week, but his ability to impact multiple contests and his never-say-die attitude was evident on a number of occasions. He continues to lead as one of the elder statesmen down at the footy club too, so it’s not only what he does on the footy field, but also the stuff he does behind the scenes – his communication to the young fellas and his ability to bring the group together.”