Box Hill Senior Coach Chris Newman reviews every Hawthorn-listed player’s performance for Box Hill in its sixth consecutive win in season 2017.
After trailing at every change against Collingwood, the Box Hill Hawks were able to put on a mighty fourth-quarter performance which saw seven Box Hill goals to only one Collingwood major to end up comfortable 26-point victors.
The win maintains Box Hill’s unbeaten record so far this year, as coach Newman reflects on some of the individual performances that led to the impressive victory on the weekend.
James Cousins (29 disposals, 6 marks, 15 tackles)
“Cousins had a pretty impressive game. 16 of his 29 disposals were contested and he also added seven inside 50s and ten clearances. He’s been really consistent throughout the season and he’s been really clean in the contest. It’s exciting because he’s got a lot of improvement too. His clearance work has been pretty good and particularly when under pressure he was quite clean and was able to provide some decent ball for us. He had 23 kicks out of his 29 disposals, with a lot of them from clearance, but it was just good to see him using his feet.” CN
Read: Newman full of praise for Cousins as Box Hill go 6-0
Dallas Willsmore (23 disposals, 7 marks, 6 tackles, 1 goal)
“He had seven contested possessions on the day, which was terrific for him. He’s been working on the tackling side of his game so it’s good to see him get good tackle numbers as well as a little bit of reward. He used the ball really well and kicked a really important goal for us in the second term. He played wing and inside a little bit and then at times forward, so his flexibility is a real strength of his and he will continue to get better.” CN
Harry Morrison (16 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles)
“Probably a little bit reflective of the team in that he had a slow start but a really good second half. He finished with 16 disposals, but I think he only had two in the first half. He was really important for us, especially late in the game. He wins a lot of one-on-one contests and he is also another one of those guys with room for improvement, but he has been one of our most consistent players, especially for such a young guy.” CN
Ryan Schoenmakers (14 disposals, 5 marks, 3 tackles)
“Schoenmakers played back for us, playing on Chris Mayne, who we all know can be a real threat, but he did a really solid job on him. He had quite a few spoils on the day and he’s just a real competitor. He took a couple of marks from opposition boot as well, which was good. He used the ball pretty well as well. But it was good to see ‘Schoey’ play in a different position and play well. He obviously has that flexibility to go back or forward. He had a good game.” CN
Mitchell Lewis (11 disposals, 5 marks, 4 tackles, 8 hit-outs, 3 goals)
“Mitch was really impressive. He kicked two really important goals in the fourth quarter to finish with three on the day. He has a real intensity about the way he plays. He thrives on contests and, for a young kid, he had nine contested possessions and four contested marks, which is a great sign. He works really hard on his craft. He also went into the ruck to complement (Marc Pittonet) and he competed really hard for us so it was great to see him get some reward with some goals.” CN
Marc Pittonet (11 disposals, 3 tackles, 45 hit-outs)
“He competed really hard in the ruck for us, finishing with 45 hit-outs on the day. On a number of occasions, he went back and really helped us out in defence. His workrate was terrific and he showed a real physical presence. He finished with 11 disposals so it was a pretty solid game for big ‘Pitto’.” CN
Conor Glass (10 disposals, 2 marks, 3 rebound 50s)
“He’s quite creative with the footy and he continues to set us up when he has the ball. Like all of the first-year players, there is a lot of room for improvement. But he defends really hard and shows sign of improvement in each week that he plays. He’s playing half-back at the moment, where he’s been pretty solid. He can also play midfield but we’re liking him at half-back so he will probably continue to play there for the moment.” CN
Olly Hanrahan (5 disposals, 3 tackles, 1 inside 50)
“His day ended early with a slight strain to his hamstring. It wasn’t ideal for him, especially off a pretty solid performance from him last week. He started in the midfield and he looks quite dangerous there. He doesn’t mind the contest, having three tackles in only a quarter and a bit. But hopefully his injury isn’t too bad and we can get him back out there soon because he’s been playing some pretty good footy.” CN
