The Box Hill Hawks secured a nine-point victory over Collingwood under lights at the Kennedy Community Centre on Friday night.
In the 500th match of the Box Hill and Hawthorn alignment, the Hawks trailed by nine points at three-quarter time, before booting five-goals-to-two in the final term to come home with the win.
Senior Coach David Mirra said the win was a fitting finish for a historic match.
“It was a terrific occasion on Friday night celebrating the 500th game milestone as the Box Hill Hawks,” he said.
“Fantastic to see our supporters get down and support the club and watch some of our young stars in the making.
“Under perfect conditions, the boys showed some grit and resilience. After a heavy challenge in the third quarter, they dug deep and played some of our best football to make sure we marked the occasion with a win.
“It was the perfect way to honour a partnership that has shaped our club's history.”
Mirra provided a summary of each player's Round 6 performance below.
Henry Hustwaite (30 disposals, seven clearances, four marks)
“Pivotal in the midfield and at stoppages around the ground. A stack of the football, clearances, contested possessions and tackles. Crucial to the victory and dominant as an inside midfielder.”
Sam Butler (28 disposals, eight marks, five clearances)
“Played as an inside mid for the duration of the game. He won a lot of the ball and used his elite aerobic engine to damage the opposition on the outside generating 8 marks to go with his inside work of 10 contested possessions. Showed his experience late in the game with some important efforts.”
Bailey Macdonald (27 disposals, nine marks, five intercept possessions)
“Yet again accumulated a lot of the ball and provided strong run and carry and was able to spread well taking nine uncontested marks, Bailey was clean with his disposal.”
Harry Morrison (24 disposals, eight intercept possessions, four marks)
“Played at half back and set up many of our attacks with his smart ball use. Generated six rebound 50’s which helped ignite our scoring chains. Showed a high level of comfort and composure with ball in hand despite Collingwood’s strong frontal pressure.”
Flynn Perez (21 disposals, four marks, three intercept possessions)
“Played a combination of wing/half back. He was able to impact the contest aerially and found himself in areas to be able to hit the scoreboard where he could’ve kicked two goals, but missed. He provides the group with plenty of energy and leadership.”
Cam Narin (One goal, 20 disposals, eight marks)
“Put together a solid performance and probably his best game to date. Made sound decisions with the ball and worked hard defensively and offensively up and down the ground to help our defence and to provide an option for the kicker. His GPS data was really high which is showing elite standards.
Bodie Ryan (19 disposals, five contested possessions, four marks)
“Was matched up on Bobby Hill at times throughout the game and acquitted himself well beating him at contest and nullifying his impact. He showed good composure using the ball well exiting back 50 at 90% disposal efficiency.”
Jack Dalton (One goal, 16 disposals, eight marks)
“He played as a forward in his usual role and worked hard to be around the contest. He laid four tackles and again displayed strong running power getting out in the open to take eight uncontested marks. Dalts kicked the sealer in a clutch moment from 45m on the angle.”
Max Ramsden (Two goals, 15 hitouts, 14 disposals)
“Enormous work rate. He challenged his opposition ruckman through his mobility and endurance to get forward on him and be involved in scoring chains and assists and even scored two goals from crumbing.”
Noah Mraz (14 disposals, eight marks, four intercept possessions)
“We were pleased with Noah’s contest work this week focusing on beating his man first and then winning the ball. Took some pleasing contested marks and eight marks for the game. Used the ball well going at 93% disposal efficiency with five rebound 50’s which helped kick start our ball movement from the back half.”
Will McCabe (One goal, 14 disposals, seven marks)
“Used his athleticism and leap to be strong in aerial contests, took three strong contested marks. He was moved to a wing in the last quarter and provided run and carry and hit the scoreboard at a crucial time.”
Ollie Greeves (One goal, 14 disposals, six marks)
“Played as a midfielder and is developing his craft at stoppages. Has kicked a goal from the centre bounce two weeks in a row which shows how damaging he can be. He is finding ways to stay involved more consistently and he is looking to grow his involvements in the game.”
Matt Hill (Three goals, 12 disposals, four tackles)
“Hilly has now put together two really strong performances back-to-back. He was again incredibly damaging and impactful with his possessions, tackled ferociously and kicked three goals. He had his biggest impact on the game right when we needed it after going behind by 21 points during the third quarter. He now looks like an AFL player and is ready for his opportunity.”
Cody Anderson (One goal, 12 disposals, four marks)
“He stepped up when it mattered most, snapping a crucial crumbing goal in the final term to give us some breathing room. Beyond the scoreboard, he is continuing to refine his off the ball craft and defensive positioning. We know that when he brings that high level forward pressure, it consistently creates front half turnovers and scoring opportunities for the team.”
Aidan Schubert (One goal, 10 disposals, five marks)
“Not as many shots at goal as what he has had previously but still kicked 1.1 He worked hard up the ground to provide an option for our kickers and then used his running power to get free inside 50. Took five marks and contributed to our team defence well.”
Jaime Uhr-Henry (13 hitouts, three clearances, three disposals)
“Jamie showed a lot of growth this week with his aerial contests, fighting hard to even contests and bring the ball to ground for our smalls. He also helped at ground level laying some important tackles.”
Box Hill have a bye in Round 7, before returning to Box Hill City Oval in Round 8 to host Richmond on Saturday May 16 in a double header leading into the VFLW Hawks’ Round 1 clash with Collingwood.
