Box Hill overturned a 26-point deficit to claim its fourth win of the season on Sunday against Sydney at Fenjiu Stadium (Box Hill City Oval).

VFL Senior Coach Zane Littlejohn was proud of his team’s fightback in trying circumstances.

“It was a really solid performance from our whole group,” he said.

“Our connection between our Hawthorn and Box Hill players was exceptional.”

Littlejohn also reviewed each AFL-listed player that featured on the day and gave some shout-outs to two VFL-listed players. 

Henry Hustwaite (One goal, 22 disposals, seven tackles, six inside 50s, five marks, five clearances) 

“Henry returned to the group and was really strong and prominent around the footy. His cleanliness and ball handling around the contest got better as the day went on and in particular, his ball security and his decision-making around when to use his hands and when to use his feet as the game went on really improved. It made him quite dominant on the field which was really great for Henry.”

Josh Ward (21 disposals, eight inside 50s, four marks, three clearances)

“Josh was a bit lower on his total possession but used it at 81 per cent and what we were really pleased with Josh was his inside 50s - he had eight and nine score involvements. We know he’s a great ball user and his work rate is really high. Although he didn’t have huge numbers, how he used the ball was really pleasing.” 

Calsher Dear (Two goals, 16 disposals, six marks, four tackles, three inside 50s)

“After a really quiet first half where he was sort of playing the second ruck role, we decided to leave Calsher primarily as a forward to keep settling him and give us some representation. In the second half, he was really dominant. He finished the game really strongly so I was pleased with his mentality and how he responded at half-time. He was challenged about his positioning and his work rate so for him to respond at half-time was really pleasing.”

Ethan Phillips (16 disposals, 10 marks)

“It was another really solid outing for Ethan. He played on some key players and key forwards. They (Sydney) rotated a few through the front end so he had a variety of match-ups for the day. What we really liked with Ethan’s game this week was his balance of when to mark and when to spoil. I thought he got that decision right for the majority of the time this week which was good.”

Jack O’Sullivan (Two goals, 16 disposals, three marks, three tackles, three inside 50s)

“Jack was in the fight early which was great. He was getting around and being busy. It was a really nice and balanced game. He brought the pressure but also got up the ground to help our defensive 50 chains which is something we’ve been working on. He’ll continue to grow and continue to find the balance of when to apply pressure in the forward 50 and when to get up the ground and provide an outlet as well.”

Bailey Macdonald (14 disposals, five marks, five tackles)

“It was a tough game from Bailey. What I’m liking about Bailey is that we’re starting to see a bit more consistency in his performances, in particular, his ability to really start our offence and generate speed on the ball when we need it but also make composed decisions when we need him to as well. It's about him staying consistent now and putting those numbers forward again.”

Ned Reeves (28 hit-outs, 13 disposals, five clearances, two marks)

“I thought Ned set himself up really well this week and had a presence around the ground and in particular, at stoppage. He was big and he got more of the ball across the ground. We set Ned the task of having a real presence and going up against a ruck like (Peter) Ladhams. Now it’s about becoming really consistent in this area and having a real presence on the ground.”

Sam Butler (13 disposals, three inside 50s)

“Before he unfortunately got injured, he was actually going quite well. He had some really good pressure moments and some hard chases. He was able to put pressure on the Swans when they were exiting their defensive 50 and also provided some good chains from our defensive 50. We wish him all the best in his recovery.”

Chad Wingard (Two goals, eight disposals, three marks, two inside 50s)

“He only had eight touches but from his eight touches, six resulted in a score and he kicked two goals himself. He was really busy and provided great energy and leadership to the group which really helped the other players around him. It was a great return from Chad. We’ll continue to progress him safely and steadily and get the right minutes into him. Sooner or later, he’ll be putting his hand up for AFL selection.”

Bodie Ryan (Eight disposals, two marks, two tackles)

“It was a quieter day for Bodie. We actually moved him to the front end in the second half. It was great for his development and he had to play taller at times in the backend but when he moved forward, he gave great contests. His mentality to adjust and adapt to that was first-rate. There were no ifs, buts or maybes, he just got in and got his work done so I’m really proud of Bodie and what he was able to provide.” 

…and some shout-outs for some VFL-listed players 

Josh Tovey (One goal, six disposals, three hit-outs, three marks, two tackles)

“For people who don’t know, Josh actually played on Saturday for his local club. When Max Ramsden was a late out, we called Josh, who’s always an emergency, because we thought he would be the best replacement. He came in after playing a full game for his local club the day before and backed it up on Sunday to play for us. He went into the ruck for a period of time and played forward for a period of time. He also kicked his first goal in VFL. We need to appreciate the importance of our Box Hill players and what they’re doing.”

Cal Porter (30 disposals, 10 tackles, 10 clearances, nine inside 50s, five marks)

“He won the Gibbs-Lyon Medal (for best-on-ground) and he was really tough. He led the group really strongly all day but did so particularly well in an unknown situation when Butsy (Sam Butler) went down. Cal galvanised the group and kept them focused on the task at hand and made sure everyone was in the right head space to continue to perform their role. We were 26 points down at one stage through the game and to turn it around and win by 27 was a great outcome. I was really proud of what he was able to do and how he led the group in that moment.” 

The 27-point victory now sets up a mouth-watering clash with the undefeated Footscray Bulldogs on Sunday at Mission Whitten Oval. 

Hawks fans are encouraged to get to the ground from 11.05am to support Box Hill’s VFL and VFLW teams, while a membership remains the best way to support the team. Sign up here.