Box Hill Coach Sam Mitchell says his players were unable to match the intensity that an experienced Werribee side brought to the table in the sides' clash on the weekend.
The Tigers ultimately defeated the Hawks by 37 points at Box Hill City Oval, handing Box Hill its second loss of the season.
"We came up against a strong Werribee team filled with seasoned VFL players who we struggled to compete with over a four-quarter basis," Mitchell said.
"We played against men and while for some periods of the game we were able to compete, we simply weren't able to match their intensity for long enough."
Why the stats from our game against the Eagles will surprisingly make you feel a whole lot better
Here's Sam's review of each of the nine AFL-listed Hawks:
Finn Maginness (21 disposals, 6 marks, 5 tackles)
"He started in a midfield defensive role with a little bit more freedom. He lowered his colours early though so he was moved into defence. Once he found his bearings, he had some strong moments behind the ball as a defender."
Damon Greaves (18 disposals, 2 marks, 2 tackles)
"Greavesy was our strongest listed performer. He came to the game with a steely mindset, ready to compete, and had a fantastic balance between offence and defence, making a solid contribution on both sides of the ball."
Conor Nash (12 disposals, 4 marks, 2 tackles)
"He battled hard but struggled to have an impact. He played on the wing at times, but he didn't have the contribution he would have liked."
Connor Downie (11 disposals, 1 mark, 3 tackles)
"Connor came off a corked thigh the week before and showed resilience to get up and play, but he wasn't able to make a contribution and he laboured through the game unfortunately."
Tyler Brockman (10 disposals, 6 tackles, 1 goal)
"He had some very strong moments on the back of some excellent defensive pressure. He was able to have both the mark and goal of the game. His structure and decision-making continues to be a work in progress but he is showing some promising signs."
Harry Pepper (10 disposals, 2 marks, 3 tackles)
"He played as a small defender early in the game but he struggled to maintain his positioning and was caught out on numerous occasions. He was then moved forward and he showed some spark in the front half. When he was forced back into the backline in the second half, he played with a more competitive mindset."
Keegan Brooksby (7 disposals, 4 tackles, 31 hit-outs, 1 goal)
"After Ned went down, he wasn't able to impose himself on the game as he has in previous weeks. We really needed a strong performance from him as the only ruck for us but unfortunately, while leading well and having a strong influence on others, he wasn't able to contribute as he would have liked."
Jack Saunders (6 disposals, 2 marks)
"While showing some promising signs, he got caught out playing against men. He needs to develop a left side as he got caught out twice trying to get back onto his right foot. He's still learning the fundamentals from the game and is a work in progress. His best is exciting but we aren't seeing enough of it currently."
Ned Reeves (4 disposals, 1 mark, 11 hit-outs)
"He played against Matthew Lobbe who is a strong AFL-level ruckman. He got hurt early in the second quarter after doing a few nice things. We missed him from there on."
And some of the best Box Hill-listed guys?
"Jai Newcombe was our strongest performer in the game with fantastic physicality and ball-use. His consistent contested play leads the way for our other midfielders."
"Mason de Wit, while being a strong defender through the early stages of our season, went forward and had some really promising play which led to scores. His ball-use anywhere on the ground is a threat along with his work-rate. When he is not playing with his hair, he is a very good player!"
"Brayden Kilpatrick came in for his second game of the season and was able to make a strong contribution. He was in and around the ball, and his ball-use continues to be a strong suit for us as well as his versatility to play multiple positions."
