BEN McEVOY pressed his case for a senior recall after another impressive outing for Box Hill in their three-point loss to Essendon at Highgate Recreation Reserve on Saturday.
McEvoy was one of the Hawks’ best, dominating the ruck with 39 hit outs and 15 possessions.
“He’s certainly putting his hand up again after the weekend’s performance,” Football Academy Development Coordinator Damian Caroll told hawthornfc.com.au
“We were really happy with the around the ground stoppage stuff he did and his follow-up work has also been pretty good over the last few weeks.”
The former Saint is currently being kept out of the side by young ruckman Jonathan Ceglar, with the Hawks opting not to tinker with the current well-performing ruck duo of Ceglar and David Hale.
But McEvoy has continued to press his case, named in the best in his last two outings for Box Hill.
“We’ve been rapt with how he’s gone about his footy over the last few weeks at VFL level, he’s been really professional,” Caroll said.
Fellow ruckman Luke Lowden was also among those to push his case for senior selection, booting a team-high four goals.
With McEvoy assuming the number one ruck duties, Lowden spent more time up forward and flourished, impressing the coaching staff with his athleticism and ability at ground level.
“Since he played his AFL game, Luke has come back and played some really good footy. He’s had a really good attitude and his attack on the ball has been first class,” Caroll said.
“His ruckwork was pretty solid but his forward stuff really impressed us.
“He showed a lot of energy on a day where there probably wasn’t a lot in that regard.”
Another Hawk to press his case was midfielder Jonathan Simpkin who picked up a team-high 29 disposals.
With veteran midfielder Brad Sewell injuring his hamstring on Friday night against North Melbourne, Simpkin’s performance was a timely one.
Tough in the clinches, it was a typical performance from Simpkin who racked up the disposals and was a vital link-up player through the midfield.
“He played a really good game. He won a lot of the footy and at time was part of our best ball movement,” Caroll said.
“He’s been in good form since coming back to VFL level and continues to push his name up there each week with performances like that.”
Defender Kyle Cheney was another Hawk to impress down back, while Will Langford booted two goals from the midfield.
The Hawks were left to rue missed opportunities in the final term as the Bombers scraped home for their sixth win of the season.
The loss puts the Hawks in third position on the ladder with eight wins, three losses and a draw after 12 games.
FINAL SCORE
ESSENDON 1.2 7.3 9.5 14.7 (91)
BOX HILL HAWKS 2.3 7.5 9.7 13.10 (88)
GOALS
ESSENDON: A. Kefford 4, C. Dell''Olio 3, E. Kavanagh, S. Edwards, J. Freezer, D. Coghlan, J. Rayner, T. Bellchambers, J. Thompson
BOX HILL HAWKS: L. Lowden 4, S. Grimley 2, W. Langford 2, D. Willsmore 2, S. Cust , S. Iles , D. Vizzarri
BEST
ESSENDON: S. Tagliabue, A. Steinberg, J. Ashby, J. Rayner, A. Kefford, J. Freezer, N. O’Brien
BOX HILL HAWKS: L. Lowden, K. Cheney, D. Wanganeen, B. McEvoy, W. Langford, M. Hallahan, J. Simpkin
