Box Hill went down by four points to the Casey Demons in a highly contested clash on Sunday afternoon at Casey Fields.

2025 draftee Aidan Schubert further established himself at VFL level, booting a game-high five goals, four of which came in the first term. While Finn Maginness led all Hawks with 31 disposals and a game-high 13 tackles, and Box Hill skipper Stu Horner was instrumental in defence with 29 disposals, including a game-high 16 intercept possessions.

Box Hill Senior Coach David Mirra said the game was a step up from last week's effort against Geelong, though they ultimately fell short.

“We had periods of dominance for stretches but struggled to arrest momentum once lost, failing to convert late-game chances when it mattered most,” he said.

“But plenty of positives to take away and valuable lessons to carry into next week.”

Mirra summarised the display from each AFL-listed Hawk in Round 3 below.

Finn Maginness (31 disposals, 13 tackles 12 clearances)

“Finn did a lot of the run work in the midfield. His game time was very high as he played majority of the game which is a testament to his fitness and running power working contest to contest. He finished the game with 14 tackles, 15 contested possessions and 6 inside 50’s. Another solid game overall.”

Henry Hustwaite (28 disposals, six clearances, four tackles)

“First game back for Henry since he injured his ankle at the same venue around four weeks ago. He played as an inside mid and got through the game without any issues. He was very good working contest to contest and was very dynamic at stoppages and in offence provided the team with some nice ball use with good decisions. He’ll look to build over the coming weeks.”

Bodie Ryan (24 disposals, 11 marks, three tackles)

“Bodie’s strengths continue to shine through in each game he plays, and these are his ability to beat his man 1v1, support the contest on the ground or in the air. Each week of the season so far, he has had terrific moments on the game where he has been able to impact the contest in a significant way. The next step to his game is to communicate strongly with his teammates and his reaction on turnover.”

Bailey Macdonald (21 disposals, seven marks, five tackles)

“In great touch right now. We love the way he’s leveraging his pace. His overlap run puts the opposition under immediate pressure and usually results in a scoring chain. A key contributor to our ball movement.”

Max Ramsden (17 disposals, nine hitouts, four marks)

“Ramma had a tough assignment this week against Max Heath. Ramma was able to run around the ground well and get open, and a few times where he was able to get out into space and deliver the ball into our forward 50. He is a terrific runner, so it was nice to see him use that to his advantage this week.”

Cam Nairn (Two goals, 17 disposals, five marks)

“Cam played a mixture of half forward and wing. Had a higher number of possessions this week, he uses the ball really well and set ups our attack with the decisions he makes. It was nice to also see him be rewarded and hit the scoreboard with two goals.”

Ollie Greeves (17 disposals, four marks, four tackles)

“Ollie was in good form at stoppages winning 50-50 balls with five clearances and then used the ball well. Ollie is continuing to develop his running patterns to be even more dangerous and threatening to the opposition. He is finding the ball and already has developed some nice craft around stoppage.”

Will McCabe (One goal, 16 disposals, seven marks)

“Will worked really hard throughout the day to get up the ground and into open space. He had 17 uncontested possessions which speaks to his work rate. He had nice moments in the third quarter to cut out their attack with a spoil and then a nice lead, mark and goal from 50m.”

Matt LeRay (16 disposals, four marks, four inside 50s)

“We saw some flashes of what Matt is capable of with his run and carry from half back. He was able to get handball receives and then use the ball beautifully to set up our forwards with four inside 50’s. He is still working on the defensive system in which we play and his role in that, but it’s exciting to see how he jumps at the ball, impacts in the air and can run with the ball.”

Calsher Dear (One goal, 16 disposals, seven tackles)

“Whilst Calsher had a relatively quiet first three quarters, he had some big moments in the last quarter of the game which had high impact on the result, he was enormous and looked at his best. He was everywhere, kicking goals, defending and setting them up. He is working tremendously hard on his game during the week and he is starting to hit some really good form.”

Aidan Schubert (Five goals, 12 disposals, seven marks)

“Started the game incredibly well with four first quarter goals finishing with five for the game. Aidan was everywhere in the first quarter and that’s because he has a strong ability to beat his opponents with run and get into space often beating them back toward goal. He had some nice leading patterns and his kicking for goal was accurate. He’s coming along nicely.”

Cody Anderson (10 disposals, five score involvements, three tackles)

“Cody played a hybrid role today, rotating through the midfield and forward line. Although it was a quieter game on the stat sheet, his value shouldn't be measured purely by disposals, his elite defensive pressure and relentless chasing are vital for our forward-half structure.”

Noah Mraz (Nine disposals, five intercept possessions, four marks)

“By his own lofty standards, it wasn't his most consistent four-quarter performance. However, he showed great character to find another level late in the game. He is a fierce competitor who hates losing his individual battles, and those big moments in the final term were crucial for the team.”

Matt Hill (Two goals, nine disposals, four marks)

“Injected significant life into the group after halftime. His ability to separate from his opponent and present as a dangerous leading option resulted in two crucial goals that shifted the lead in our favour. Seeing him spend time at the centre bounce was also a highlight as he continues to broaden his versatility.”

Jaime Uhr-Henry (22 hitouts, three disposals, three tackles)

“Jaime showed his strengths in the ruck at stoppages with 22 hit outs, headlined by some elite work in the forward-50 stoppages late in the game. What makes him so exciting to watch isn't just the stats, it’s the raw intent he brings to every play and particular his follow up work. He’s still gaining experience and ironing out the kinks in his game, but his work rate is exactly what we want to see.”

A few VFL player shout outs…

Stu Horner (29 disposals, 16 intercept possessions, eight marks)

“Massive game from Stu as the captain of our club. He has started the season tremendously well. Stu was a rock down back with 16 intercept possessions, 12 contested possessions and 12 ground ball gets to go with his 29 possessions which is just an incredible stat sheet.”

Sam Sofronidis (16 disposals, five contested possessions, four intercept possessions)

“Shout out to Sof for playing his first game for Box Hill since joining the club this year. Sam has previously played at Collingwood VFL and Collegians in the VAFA. He played across half back, his strengths are his ability to intercept the ball and repel opposition attacks. He had a number of terrific moments with ball in hand making good decisions and showing nice composure with the ball.”

The VFL has a league-wide by this weekend as the VFL and VFLW representative teams take on the SANFL as part of Gather Round. Box Hill returns to action in Round 4 on Saturday 18 April against Port Melbourne.