Box Hill was too strong for the Casey Demons in both the VFL and VFLW in its respective rounds last weekend.

The VFL side’s 57-point victory locked in a top four spot for the Mustangs, finishing third with a Qualifying Final lined up against Werribee in two weeks’ time.

Senior Coach David Mirra said the challenge was set against a very strong Casey team.

“We had 11 changes to our team from the previous round.  We were a bit fortunate in the first quarter with Casey squandering some good opportunities on goal that allowed us to stay in the contest,” Mirra said.

“However from the second quarter until the final siren we were able to play our best football and some of the best football we have played all year to lock in 3rd spot on the ladder.

“We are very excited about the upcoming finals series and have given ourselves a good opportunity to go deep into September.”

Mirra summarised the performance of all 17 AFL-listed players below.

Bodie Ryan (34 disposals, nine marks, four intercept possessions)

“Back into the team this week after being the carry over emergency in the AFL two weeks ago, he effectively had two weeks without a game due to the VFL bye last week. It took him a while to settle into the game and get going, but once he found his rhythm, he was one of the standout players on the ground defending with strong intent and then using the ball well with 11 rebound 50’s.”

Ollie Greeves (26 disposals, five marks, five clearances)

“Another player who came back from a stint in the AFL team, Ollie didn’t miss a beat and was fantastic in and around the stoppages. He won a lot of contested football and was clean with his ball use. He won five clearances playing as an inside mid.”

Finn Maginness (24 disposals, seven marks, five clearances)

“Finn was terrific playing as a midfielder and his run was very important getting to contests to outnumber. He managed a team high six inside 50’s, 17 uncontested possessions and five tackles which speaks to his enormous work rate.”

Henry Hustwaite (24 disposals, eight clearances, four tackles)

“Returned for his first game back since the nasty incident that occurred to his teeth and jaw in the game against Tasmania in Round 15, which saw him miss six weeks of football. He was very good and connected well with Ned Reeves and the other mids to help win centre bounce and around ground clearances finishing with a team high eight clearances for the day.”

Cam Nairn (Three goals, 21 disposals, nine marks)

“Played as a forward and winger. His ball use was a particular highlight finishing with 90% disposal efficiency. He was able to run hard forward and kick three goals and take nine marks. A very good overall performance and another step in his development.”

Will McCabe (One goal, 21 disposals, nine marks)

“Huge work rate playing on the wing. Will was able to get up and down the ground supporting both the defence and offence. He was able to spread hard allowing himself to get into positions to take nine marks and had five inside 50’s also finishing with a goal in the fourth quarter.”

Jack Dalton (One goal, 20 disposals, seven marks)

“Very diligent in his rehab to allow himself to return this week and on the eve of finals. This was his first game back since injuring his knee and like the others, he got straight to work. He was everywhere and in everything making up for lost time. He is very fit even after the layoff and was able to get goal side of his opponent on many occasions leading to three scoring shots.”

Matt LeRay (16 disposals, four marks, three tackles)

“Looked really good yet again with his run and carry from the wing and half back. He got eight handball receives and looks very exciting when he is at full speed kicking the ball inside 50. Importantly this week he set up well behind the ball and was able to win 1v1 contests.”

Aidan Schubert (Three goals, 15 disposals, nine marks)

“Another very consistent performance from Schuey. He took a number of marks inside 50 showing his forward craft which he has done a lot of work on. He was very accurate kicking three straight from his set shots. His running power again was an asset as his opponents couldn’t run with him which he used to his advantage bobbing up for a goal in the fourth quarter.”

Max Ramsden (Two goals, 15 disposals, eight marks)

“Played mainly as a forward and second ruck. It was pleasing to see Ramma take four contested marks. Two of those inside 50 and convert his opportunities. His leading patterns were very good, and he was heavily involved in our offence also setting up scoring opportunities for others."

Sam Butler (Two goals, 15 disposals, seven marks)

“Played majority of the game as a forward. His defensive actions and pressure were very good causing turnovers and was rewarded with shots on goal from these. His finishing was accurate making the most of his opportunities.”

Ned Reeves (Two goals, 26 hitouts, 13 disposals)

“First game back at VFL level for a while. Ned was terrific giving our midfielders first use which allowed us to win centre bounce and clearances. He got forward and took big marks and converted his opportunities kicking one from 60m. He was the dominant ruckman on the day.”

Calsher Dear (One goal, 13 disposals, six marks)

“It was great to see Calsher being ferocious in the contest. He laid a number of really strong tackles, won contested ground balls and was physical. He was back to his best taking pack marks and threatened to blow the game open in the third quarter with a dominant display. He had three shots on goal, but it was the way he played the game which was really pleasing.”

Jack Scrimshaw (Eight disposals, two tackles, one mark)

“He played his first game back after his long stint on the sidelines. He played the first half only on limited minutes. By his own admission he was a little rusty at the start with his first possession, but then we got to see glimpses of the Scrim that we all know and love. He was tough pressing with intent to help cause turnover and then his ball use was very good to help on offence. He will continue to build his game time from here. But it’s awesome to have him out there.”

James Blanck (Eight disposals, three marks, three tackles)

“After multiple injuries and limited game time upon his return, this was Blancky’s most complete performance for the year. He has now found his rhythm and is confident in his body to really play at his best. He was tough in the contest beating his man and his skills were very good executing some difficult kicks. He is a leader among our back six and it’s great to see him impose himself on the contest.”

Matt Hill (Seven disposals, two marks, one tackles)

“Not many opportunities to impact the game this week compared to his performance last week, but still managed to hit bodies and tackle hard. As a small forward you have limited opportunities, but he looks threatening every time he is near it which is a positive sign. Looking forward to seeing what he can do in finals.”

Cody Anderson (Five disposals, two marks, one tackle)

“Unfortunately, Cody injured his hamstring in the second quarter in a trademark Cody Anderson run down tackle which helped us to win the ball back but unfortunately ended his day. The timing of it is unfortunate, but we are hoping for a speedy recovery and hopefully can see him back at some stage during the finals series.”

VFLW Round 14

In the VFLW, it was the sides’ biggest win this season, securing a 61-point victory over the visiting Demons.

Four AFLW-listed Hawks took to Box Hill City Oval for the Round 14 clash. AFLW Backline Coach and VFLW Specialist Coach Steph Binder gave a summary on each of their performances below.

Lavinia Cox (15 disposals, five intercept possessions, two marks)

“Vinnie had a great game running off half back. She provided a lot of drive through run and carry and used the ball well by foot to hit up her teammates.”

Najwa Allen (One goal, 12 disposals, eight contested possessions)

“Naj provided leadership and experience to Box Hill's young backline in the first half, denying her opponent the ball in the process. As Box Hill took hold of the game Naj moved up to the wing to get more opportunities. She finished the game with a beautiful left foot goal on the run after a handball receive from Mikayla Antony.”

Mikaylah Antony (Two goals, 11 disposals, eight tackles)

“Tony looked dangerous all day up forward. She applied good pressure and was clean at ground level. Toni was also good in the air taking a strong overhead mark and finished the day with two goals.”

Jess Vukic (12 hitouts, seven disposals, four tackles)

“Jess played the first half in defence, locking down Casey’s key forward. Jess then moved into a ruck/forward rotation for the second half where she was very strong in the contest and competed well in the ruck giving her mids first access at the stoppage.” 

Box Hill                     1.3      5.5      8.6      12.6 (78)

Casey Demons               0.1      0.1      1.2      2.5 (17)

GOALS: R Neaves (2), J Matin (2), M Antony (2). Z Vozzo, H Stuart, E Stoddart, R Dillon, T Cattle, N Allen.

DISPOSALS: H Stuart (30), K Kavanagh (23), T Cattle (19), C Thorne (16).