Box Hill went down to Essendon by 25 points in its Round 18 clash at the Kennedy Community Centre last weekend. 

Senior Coach David Mirra declared the result was a disappointing one, but would something his side would learn from.

“Unfortunately, we couldn't play the style of football needed to secure the win,” Mirra said.

“While we created plenty of opportunities, we failed to capitalise forward of centre and turn those entries into scores.

“Credit to Essendon, they nailed the fundamentals and took full advantage of their chances.”

Mirra summarised the performance of each AFL-listed Hawk below.

Bodie Ryan (25 disposals, five marks, three clearances)

“Our leading possession winner on the day, Bodie impacted numerous contests with his toughness and gave us great run and drive out of the backline. He recorded eight intercept possessions and consistently chose aggressive, attacking options with the footy.”

Sam Butler (One goal, 24 disposals, four clearances)

“Continuing to adapt to his role as an inside mid, Sam used his elite engine to cover plenty of territory. He was frequently first to the footy, as shown by his team-high nine ground ball gets. While he’s still fine tuning his midfield running patterns, he won plenty of the ball, worked hard in transition and was rewarded with a goal.”

Finn Maginness (23 disposals, eight marks, four tackles)

“Another prolific output from Finn. His running power was on full display as he repeatedly beat his opponents to the next contest and linked up in our offensive chains. He worked into great scoring positions, though unfortunately couldn't finish his chances this week.”

Flynn Perez (19 disposals, nine marks, three intercept possessions)

“Intercept marking was the hallmark of Flynn’s game, pulling down nine total marks before setting us up with clean ball use. His leadership and voice around the group continue to be a huge asset.”

Cam Nairn (16 disposals, five marks, four tackles)

“Cam tested his opponent going forward and worked hard to create options inside 50. His ball use was a highlight, frequently hitting difficult targets despite the tough conditions and his work rate was proven by eight handball receives.”

Max Ramsden (15 disposals, 10 hit outs, five marks)

“As always, Max competed strongly while carrying the majority of the ruck load. He challenged his opponent by pressing forward into dangerous spots, though he couldn't quite capitalise, finishing with 0.3. Defensively, however, he was outstanding, cutting off opposition attacks with key intercept marks to create front half turnovers.”

Max Beattie (15 disposals, two marks, two tackles)

“Playing as a high half-forward, Max used his running capacity to push deep up the ground and exploit open space. He was heavily involved in our scoring chains, regularly providing the link that led to inside-50 entries and scores.”

Aidan Schubert (One goal, 14 disposals, seven marks)

“Another terrific, well rounded performance splitting time between the forward line and secondary ruck. In a wet first half, Schuey was dynamic and handled the ball cleanly. He hauled in some big contested marks, booted a goal and used his elite running capability to completely work his opponent off their feet.”

Matt LeRay (14 disposals, four contested possessions, one mark)

“A very solid outing from Matt, whose aggressive mindset was key to injecting speed into our ball movement. He constantly provided an option on the overlap gathering eight handball receives and took ground to set our forwards up with quality 1v1 looks.”

Cody Anderson (10 disposals, two marks, two clearances)

“Cody relished the heavy conditions, leaving his mark offensively by creating scoring chances and defensively through relentless tackling and chase-down pressure.”

Calsher Dear (One goal, nine disposals, two tackles)

“Calsher competed strongly in the air and repeatedly got hands to the ball and if he had taken them, he would’ve had a solid day. His second efforts at ground level were excellent and got rewarded with a neat snap goal in the final term.”

James Blanck (Seven disposals, four tackles, three intercept possessions)

“Great to see Blancky back out there for a full game. His hunger for the contest returned in full force laying strong tackles, staying composed with the ball, and executing his core focus: beating his man, winning aerial contests and using the footy cleanly.”

Matt Hill (One goal, six disposals, six tackles)

“Started on fire with an early goal and a brilliant chase down tackle. Great things happen whenever Matt gets involved, though he struggled to maintain that impact in the contest after the opening quarter.”

Jaime Uhr-Henry (12 hitouts, six tackles, one disposal)

“Shared the ruck duties and won 12 hit-outs on the day. His six tackles were particularly impressive, highlighting his intensity around the contest as he continues to build on his technique and ruck craft.”

The Hawks remain inside the top four ahead of their Round 19 clash with North Melbourne this Saturday afternoon at Box Hill City Oval.