Box Hill has suffered a pre-season loss going down to Coburg in its first hit-out of the year on Saturday.

A fast-paced game played out in the opening term, with Box Hill hitting the board first with a quick goal from second year Hawk, Mason DeWit.

It wasn’t long before the Hawks had registered their second major with the help of a forward 50 intercept from Lachie Walker, who chipped it to Jesse Cucinotta to slot it through for the six points.  

Box Hill had the momentum early with Liam Mackie kicking the side’s third goal within minutes, Coburg still yet to hit the scoreboard.  

After a couple late goals from the Lions, the Hawks led by six points at the first break.

The scoring came to a stop in the second term with neither side able to register goals.

The half-time break brought a significant personnel change for the Hawks’ line up, with several untried youngsters given the opportunity to show their wares at VFL level.

The third quarter saw Coburg hit the lead, keeping the Hawks to just three points and kicking back-to-back goals.

In the final term, Coburg pushed its lead out further with two easy scores.

Young Hawk Beau Tennant was able to collect a sneaky goal out the back of a pack, but the Lions once again responded quickly.

The siren sealed the Lions’ practice match win at 46 to 30. 

Walker, who was one of the stronger performers on the day, said that it was an overall positive result as the club experimented with different plays, patterns and players.

“I think because we went into the game with a good mindset, we did better than we thought we were going to,” said Walker.

“Max’s message ahead of the game was to focus on the positives, to not dwell on the mistakes and I think that worked really well for us.”  

BOX HILL 4.6 (30) def. COBURG 7.4 (46)

GOALS: DeWit, Mackie, Cucinotta, Tennant

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