Box Hill Coach Sam Mitchell says his players shook off some understandable early rust to go on to post a 51-point win over Essendon. 

The Hawks led from start to finish in their first outing in over a month due to the state's lockdown restrictions.

Mitchell said he was pleased with the side's ability to work through the game and build a strong ascendancy on its way to a fifth win of the season. 

"The game started off as we hadn't played football for three weeks, but, as we found our groove in the second quarter, we started to play some very strong football," Mitchell said.

"At half-time, we tried to reset ourselves but Essendon came back at us hard and were able to get themselves back into the game.

"Halfway through the last quarter, we found our feet again though and we were able to put them away with the last couple of goals in beautiful conditions at Windy Hill."

Hawks back at the 'G and in front of crowd 

Here's Sam's review of each of the 13 AFL-listed Hawks:

Ollie Hanrahan (27 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles, 1 goal)

"Ollie looked sharp in the forward line in the first three quarters, kicking a goal and showing an improved level of defensive pressure. He went into the midfield in the last quarter and was the dominant player on the field. It was a strong performance."

Connor Downie (18 disposals, 5 marks, 1 tackle)

"Connor started really well with some strong, decisive play and damaging kicking. His strength over the footy and tackling are improving at a good rate. Unfortunately, like the team, his second half was not as strong and his ball-use let him down on occasion. But he is making some good progress in his game."

Michael Hartley (15 disposals, 4 rebound 50s, 1 inside 50)

"He was really solid down back. His mix of defence and offence was very strong. He took the simple options with ball in hand and created numerous scoring shots. His cleanliness at ground level was a stand-out."

Finn Maginness (14 disposals, 2 marks, 6 tackles, 2 goals)

"Finn played a defensive role on their skipper Joe Atley and he was able to find more of the ball in this role than in his offensive role last week. He was able to hit the scoreboard with two goals to go with his six clearances."

Damon Greaves (13 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles)

"Damon continues to be Mr Reliable in our backend. Again, he mixed the offensive and defensive sides of his game strongly. He continues to knock on the door of the senior side."

Emerson Jeka (12 disposals, 6 marks, 2 tackles, 2 goals)

"He had a significant impact on the contest forward of centre. His ability to find the ball and use it is still a strength. While he wasn't as prolific with ball in hand this week, his defensive efforts were improved. He is coming along nicely as a player."

Ned Reeves (11 disposals, 5 marks, 25 hit-outs)

"He had a really good contest with Phillips. And, while he won the ruck battle, Phillips had a significant influence around the ground so Ned lowered his colours in this area. He took three contested marks including a genuine speccy!"

Denver Grainger-Barras (10 disposals, 6 marks, 1 tackle)

"Denver was very strong in his first official VFL game. His ability to read the ball-flight is a stand-out and he made really strong decisions with ball in hand." 

Jack Saunders (10 disposals, 5 marks, 2 tackles)

"Mighty Mouse played on the wing this week in a progression for his career and was OK. He played the right way and, while he didn't get on the end of it a lot, what he did had glimmers of gold."

Jackson Callow (9 disposals, 7 marks, 2 tackles, 2 goals)

"In his first official game since being drafted, he did not look out of place with some strong contested marks and two goals. He is still learning the patterns and traits of his teammates. He will get better in time."

Josh Morris (5 disposals, 1 mark, 4 tackles, 1 goal)

"After coming back from the senior side, he would be disappointed in his performance. He wasn't able to get involved as much as he would have liked. He still managed four shots on goal though."

Keegan Brooksby (4 disposals, 1 mark, 1 tackle, 4 hit-outs)

"Kegs lowered his colours. With the extra tall in the front half, he tried to do the right thing by allowing the youngsters to get into Position A. I would suggest he is almost too selfless." 

Harry Pepper (4 disposals, 2 tackles, 1 goal)

"He played forward and struggled to get involved. His voice in setting others up is a strength though. He went back to defence and looked more comfortable back there."

And some of the best Box Hill-listed guys?

"Brayden Kilpatrick continues to find a way to get the footy regularly. He used it well, with four score assists leading all-comers.

"After a slow start, Vincent Adduci didn't have the offensive impact he would have liked but had an outstanding defensive game, laying six tackles. His menacing defensive pressure created numerous scoring opportunities for us."

"Ed Phillips had his best game for the season with his run and work-rate being a stand-out. His ability to play on the inside and outside whilst covering enormous ground is of huge benefit to the side."

"Hugh Beasley played as a key defender and has an uncanny ability to bring the ball to ground against bigger opponents. He held our back end together with aplomb."