Box Hill succumbed to its second defeat of the season after going down by 13 points to the undefeated Footscray Bulldogs at Mission Whitten Oval on Sunday.

Hawks Coach Zane Littlejohn said it was a disappointing day for his men, highlighting the strength of the Bulldogs’ outfit on the day.

“Full credit to the Footscray Bulldogs, they took away the game that we wanted to play and really owned and controlled the game over the day,” he said.

“But also credit to our boys, we found a way in the second half to get within a goal.

“It just shows the effort and mentality of the group to continue to fight and try and find a way.”

Littlejohn also reviewed the 11 AFL-listed players who pulled on the brown and gold in Round 6 and gave a shout-out to two VFL-listed guns.

Jai Serong (22 disposals, eight marks, two tackles)

“Jai was arguably the best player on the ground even though we lost. He stood up really strong… and had some really crucial one-on-one wins as a defender. Jai really held us up along with Ethan Phillips.”

Ethan Phillips (20 disposals, 15 marks)

“Ethan and Jai were really strong for us and arguably without those two, especially early in the game, the score could’ve been different. Both Jai and Ethan were very influential in keeping us in the game and around the mark. They were under a lot of fire early with a lot of repeat entries but they both stood up well.”

Bodie Ryan (19 disposals, seven marks, two tackles)

“Bodes had a solid day. He started as a defender and then got up on the wing which is great for his development and education. He ran some really nice patterns on the wing and got involved. I was really impressed with what Bodie was able to do and provide, both offensively and defensively as a winger.”

Josh Bennetts (One goal, 16 disposals, seven marks, two tackles, two inside 50s)

“Great to have Josh back. It’s probably not the standard of game he would’ve liked to have had but it was great to have him back out there. His work rate was really high… and he played a pretty selfless role as a high half-forward where you’ve got to get up the ground and get back. Late in the game, he was one of the players that really kept us alive and gave us a spark to get back within a goal. He’ll look to grow on that performance and get back to his best.”

Jack O’Sullivan (One goal, 15 disposals, two tackles, two inside 50s)

“It was a quiet day for Sull. He didn’t use the ball how he would’ve liked. He’s just got to look at getting on his bike a bit more and find a little bit more of uncontested ball between the arcs as well as inside 50. That comes back to his work rate, but he’s working really hard on his game. That’s one thing we know about Sull, he’s very diligent.”

Bailey Macdonald (14 disposals, eight tackles, six marks)

“We started to see some really good signs again from Bailey with his run and dash. He’s working really hard on how he can find more of the footy but importantly as a half-back/ small defender, he’s been really hard at it. We’re confident if he keeps working… more of that footy will come into his hands. We know when he gets it, it’s really exciting. He’ll continue to grow, he’s starting to find more consistency in his performances.”

Chad Wingard (One goal, 11 disposals, two marks, two inside 50s) 

"He played three quarters this week so he’s slowly building back up. His leadership is outstanding. We just didn’t move the footy well enough to give Chad great looks. Defensively, Chad would’ve liked to have been better in some areas with his work rate to get himself into better positions. He’s such a good player so when he does that, he’s going to win more contests than he loses."

Henry Hustwaite (11 disposals, five tackles, three clearances)

“Henry only played the first half after getting a little head knock. He was looking really solid though and was on track to have a really good game. It was unfortunate to lose him but these injuries are really important to look after so we wish Henry all the best with his recovery.”

Ned Reeves (One goal, 36 hit-outs, 10 disposals, four clearances, two tackles)

“Ned broke his hand in the second quarter but full credit to him, he played out the game, which was really pleasing. He had an influence on the game in the second half and he kicked a goal to get us back within a goal. It’s a great effort, I don’t know if anyone has ever played with a broken hand, it couldn’t have been an easy thing to do but that’s full credit to his mentality and his toughness to get through and still help the team. We already had Henry out at half-time and we were about to lose Chad at three-quarter time so full credit to Ned.”

Max Ramsden (Six disposals, four marks)

“Ramma returned and got his hands on an awful lot of the ball but unfortunately just couldn’t hold onto the marks. He’s had a bit of an interrupted month of footy with playing AFL, being the holdover and being a sub so that was really his first game for a while. We expect to see Max continue to build on what he was able to do. If he held onto some of those marks, it could’ve been a really good day for Max but it just wasn’t his day.”

Clay Tucker (14 hit-outs, four tackles, three disposals)

“Clay returned from his ankle injury against North but was a bit limited in what he could do. I was still really impressed with his ability to get through the game. I spoke to Clay post-game about how coming back from an injury is a great thing to add to his kit bag. He wasn’t feeling 100 per cent but for him to get through a game and compete really solidly is a great thing to add to his kit bag.”

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

Cal Brown (Two goals, 35 disposals, seven marks, five tackles, five clearances, four inside 50s)

“It was a great all-round game from Cal. We know what he gives. He’s continuing to work on some of his defensive acts but I just love that he was able to provide heaps of spark, especially in the second half, and give us great exposure to being right in the game.”

Ben Cavarra (One goal, 14 disposals, two marks, two tackles, two clearances, two inside 50s) 

“I think it’s important to acknowledge the return of Ben Cavarra. It was great to have Ben back after 20 months of no footy. He injured his ACL last year but we were just rapt to have him back, not only the player, but the person and leader we get back out there. He kicked an unbelievable Ben Cavarra goal from a forward-50 stoppage on his right foot! His leadership, smarts and composure with ball in hand were really good.” 

Box Hill now gears up for a massive double-header at Wonthaggi Recreation Reserve, with the VFLW team taking the field first against the Southern Saints from 11.30am before the VFL side goes head-to-head with Sandringham at 2.05pm.

Get the full details here! 

Feature image taken by JM Sacchetta Photography