Box Hill returned to action on Easter Monday, defeating Geelong by 55 points at the MCG, with several AFL-listed Hawks starring in the game.

Coach Zane Littlejohn said he was grateful to all those involved in enabling the VFL side to be able to play the curtain raiser prior to the the AFL match. 

"It was a great opportunity, I think we had eight boys that hadn't played on the MCG before, so it was a great experience for them," Littlejohn said.

"It's really important that our first-year's development have those little exposures, although not in front of a big crowd, just to be on the MCG before ideally they make their AFL debut makes it a bit less of a foreign territory. Any time our VFL guys get to play at AFL venues we feel it's a really valuable experience that helps with their development."

Littlejohn added that the connection between the Box Hill and AFL-listed players has been a highlight during his short time at the club so far. 

"We hope we can continue this all year and I've got no thought or reason as to why we couldn't," he said.

"Even the Geelong coach mentioned to me after the game about the connection between the two, and I know that's something that Hawthorn and Box Hill both really pride themselves on."

Read Littlejohn's review on each of the 16 senior-listed Hawks who performed on the day, alongside some additional Box Hill shoutouts.

Lachlan Bramble (30 disposals, 4 tackles, 4 marks)

"Lachy came back and had some things he needed to focus and work on. And he was able to find the footy - that's his weapon - we like his ability to use the ball well and we saw some of that during the course of the day which was really pleasing. To finish with 30 touches should give him some real confidence, he was a really calm head for us down back and was able to help penetrate a lot of that offensive drive from our back 50, so I was really pleased with how Lach was able to fit in. With all our AFL boys, their attitude to fit back into the group after unfortunately the disappointing news of being dropped from the AFL has been great, and Lach was no exception for that. He was exceptional with the way he fitted in and lead the group. There is still some areas of his game that he needs to improve and grow and be more consistent in, but we were pleased with how he was able to contribute in the game."

Max Lynch (19 disposals, 2 goals, 34 hit-outs, 4 tackles)

"Max was dominant all day in the ruck for us - his contested ball work, his ability to win the clearance, and obviously his hit-out's as well were all really pleasing. And then he pushed forward and was able to hit the scoreboard too which was great. He's in some good form at the moment, he's still got some areas of his game that he's working on improving closely with David Hale (Midfield Coach) and Dave Mackay (Development Coach), but he was really solid and lead around the contest all day for us."

Sam Butler (4 goals, 16 disposals, 4 tackles)

"Sammy's pressure and his ability to hit the scoreboard was strong, he probably should've finished the game with a few more. But it was nice to see him get some reward for I guess our offensive play further up the ground and for him to be on the end of it. He kicked four goals and finished with 16 touches which as a small forward is really exciting. He worked hard, and we'll continue to work with him on making sure he believes in what he can do and showcase his weapons with every opportunity he gets. He was really impressive for us, now it's about him continuing to be consistent in that area, and not one week up and then one week not at the level he wants to be at. He definitely played above the level on the weekend which was great and it's good for the fans to see him continue to develop. We're really looking forward to what Butsy can offer for us in that space."

Josh Morris (12 disposals, 6 marks)

"It was a great return for Joshy, I spoke to him after the game and he said that last quarter his legs were gone, but that's what it's all about coming back and having to play your first game back on a big ground like the MCG. He'll be better for the run, but he was solid out there which is really pleasing. He gave us some good contests, used the ball pretty well for us coming out of the back half. His contest and ability to compete one-on-one was really good. It will just be about now getting some continuity in his body and building on from that. But it was great to have him back out there."

Jacob Koschitzke (11 disposals, 3 marks)

"It wasn't a 'big guy' game if you look at the stats sheet. Kosi showed the ability to have the right attitude when it wasn't going his way, engaging in meetings pre-game and making sure he was showing that he was ready to perform, but unfortunately it didn't go his way on the day. He had some good moments where he was able to provide a contest and get the ball to the ground for our small forwards like Sul (Jack O'Sullivan), Butsy (Sam Butler) and JB (Josh Bennetts). But he also had some good moments where he was able to provide some pressure himself which was pleasing, and I think that's important. While we want our big guys to be kicking goals all the time, there's going to be games where they can't do that, so for Kosi to still have some involvement and impact in that area was really impressive. It's a good thing for our younger guys to see that while you may not be having the impact that you want on the game, you can still impact the game. He'll continue to work hard as we know he does - he's one of the hardest workers at the club. We're excited about what he can produce in the future for us."

Denver Grainger-Barras (9 disposals, 3 marks)

"Denver just got his job done. It wasn't a huge game stats-wise for him, but he was really focussed on getting his job done, working hard on his one-on-ones and not giving up those contests so that was really pleasing. There was probably moments where he didn't see as much of the ball as he would've liked, but sometimes as a key defender that's not a bad thing - it's actually a positive. So it was a solid game for Denver."

Cooper Stephens (16 disposals, 4 tackles)

"Coop was tough inside against his old mob - he showed a really good ability around the stoppage and clearance, his hands and footwork inside the bubble was really good and tough as well. Fans might look at the stats sheet and think he hasn't had much of the footy, but what he was able to do around his toughness, especially in the contest and around stoppages was really impressive, so it was an exciting game for Coop. We'd love him to find more of the footy, but you have days like that."

Max Ramsden (12 disposals, 2 goals, 5 marks)

"Max is developing really nicely in all facets of his game, particularly as a forward. His ability to get up and back, provide a contest and then give representation at ground-level, his toughness - all of those little things he is developing really nicely. He is starting to show a little bit more consistency in those areas that I mentioned, so we'll keep working with him and he's working really hard himself on his game with Chris Newman (Forward Coach), Hale and Mackay in the mids as well so he's doing a lot right. We've got to be patient with Maxy, but things are moving forward in the right direction. While he has shown the ability to hit the scoreboard, when he's in the ruck he has also been really competitive and is able to give us great options and use in there which is really exciting."

Seamus Mitchell (18 disposals, 6 marks)

"Seamus played a very pleasing game and gave us some great offensive drive. He was given a role in the second half and did a great job while doing his role and taking his opposition out of the game, while still being able to find the football himself. So it was another good step forward for Seamus."

Ned Long (21 disposals, 8 tackles, 1 goal)

"Ned was solid around the contest, his tackle pressure and contested ball and just his ability to be a bigger body around the contest was really important and impressive across the day. He was able to continue to provide that real sounding board around the contested footy and his tackling for the day. While it wasn't the numbers we have seen for Ned in the past around possessions, his influence on the game was still important. Late in the game he was able to hit the scoreboard too which was a great reward."

Bailey Macdonald (20 disposals, 6 marks)

"Bailey was exciting, you can see that he really relished the openness of the MCG, he found a little bit of space and was able to run and carry. But what was also really pleasing from my perspective was his ability to stay calm and composed under pressure. A couple of times he was faced with a bit of pressure, but was able to stay calm and find a mark, not do any more than he had to do and we were able to set-up some offensive play from that. His ability to recover defence, get back and help and use his speed that way was also pleasing. Any fans at the game would've seen some highlights of Bailey using his dash, his run and carry and his speed which was really exciting. He should be really proud of the performance he put in, he finished with 20 touches as a half back and was able to give us some good drive at times."

Josh Bennetts  (16 disposals, 1 goal) 

"Josh started a little bit slower in the game, but really worked his way in. His ability to keep his feet in a marking contest was a real highlight - for him to get forward, hit the scoreboard and be dangerous was pleasing. He provided some really nice energy up there and tackling pressure - both he and Jack did that well - not necessarily always getting the tackles, but just that refereed pressure in particular the second quarters where Geelong had a lot of repeating inside 50s and repeat stoppages."

Jack O'Sullivan (15 disposals, 3 marks)

"Jack as we know works hard - he has this ability to get up and down the ground - but some of the things I really liked from him was his ability to be involved in team defence a bit more this week which was really nice. Then for him to be able to showcase his weapons off the back of that, show and ability to get forward hard and be a target going inside 50 was really pleasing. So it was another good step forward for Jack."

Fionn O'Hara (13 disposals, 3 marks, 4 tackles) 

"What a great effort for Fionn to get back out as well and play three quarters of footy. His effort, his toughness and his contest work was probably the highlight for us. We're really pleased with what he was able to show - although there is still a long way to go for Fionn, he's taken two steps forward and we want to keep taking those steps and not go back in any stage. He's been working hard on his game, he's still got areas where he's got to work a little bit harder, but it was really impressive for Fionn. Now it's about building some continuity in his body and in his footy. For someone who hasn't grown up playing AFL, the more he can play the better it will be for him. But overall it was a really positive performance and return for Fionn."

James Blanck (5 disposals, 3 marks)

"Blancky played the half and like Denver was really solid. He had some nice big spoils and was able to win a bit of the ball back, and to start some offensive drive off the back of that. He and Denver have both areas of their game they need to work on, and we saw patches of that. Now it's just about them being consistent in that area of the game and continue to work with Kade Simpson (Defensive Coach) and Andy Collins (Head of Development) in growing those areas."

Henry Hustwaite (6 disposals)

"Unfortunately Henry got a little bit of a head knock in the first quarter, but for the time he was on during that opening term he was really impressive. He used his hands well around the clearances and got us going forward a bit from there."

And this week's Box Hill shoutouts go to...

Ethan Stanley (1 goal, 14 disposals, 4 tackles) 

"It was his second VFL game and his first game ever on the MCG. He hit the scoreboard and showed some really good signs and was able to play as an inside mid and a bit on the wing and forward as well. I think no doubt he relished the open ground of the MCG, and was able to use the ball really well and was exciting going forward with the ball in hand. He was able to kick his first VFL goal and first at the MCG which was really exciting. We were really happy to have him, he's a non-pathway kid and has developed well."

Jaylon Thorpe (4 goals, 14 disposals, 8 marks)

"Thorpy started the game exceptionally well with our first goal and took some big contested marks, but more importantly as a tall he was able to win his own ball at ground level, especially when the rain set in for us and it got really wet. Not only was he able to go at it in the air, but then land on his feet too. He kicked four, but arguably he should've finished with six on the day, regardless he showed a lot of excitement up forward."

Box Hill will return to their home base of Box Hill City Oval next Saturday for the club’s first home game of 2023, a day the VFL program will share with its VFLW counterparts in a double header against Collingwood.