Box Hill succumbed to its first loss of the VFLW season on Sunday at Box Hill City Oval, going down to Collingwood by 24 points.

However, the Hawks were able to welcome back Janet Baird, Charlotte Baskaran, Catherine Brown, Emily Everist, Bridie Hipwell and Tamara Smith for another game in brown and gold at VFLW level.

Speaking about the result, Box Hill Coach Cherie O’Neill said the Hawks couldn’t get the game on their terms across the four quarters.

“We didn’t play the game of footy that we wanted to and we didn’t show up until half-time,” ONeill said.

“It just goes to show that good teams are going to make you pay if you don’t play four quarters of footy.”

Read O’Neill’s thoughts on each AFLW-listed Hawk as well as who she liked from a VFLW-listed point of view.

AFLW-listed Hawks 

Janet Baird (7 disposals, 3 tackles)

“Janet started on the wing and then rotated to defence. She had some good opportunities and tried to make the most of the touches that she had.”

Charlotte Baskaran (9 disposals, 4 tackles)

“Charlotte’s working on her craft and she’s getting better each time she plays. She had some really good passages of play and continues to build.”

Catherine Brown (11 disposals, 3 tackles)

“Catherine’s always solid for us in defence. She sets up the ground really well and she’s really reliable. You know what you’re going to get from her.”

Emily Everist (6 disposals, 2 tackles) 

“Emily was very athletic for us. She started down back and tried a bit of a different role before we moved her up onto the wing. We’re continuing to try her in a few different positions to see how she goes.”

Bridie Hipwell (8 disposals, 3 tackles) 

“Bridie’s going well. She’s definitely learning a different craft through the midfield. We threw her up forward for the last quarter as a target inside 50.”

Tamara Smith (10 disposals, 12 tackles) 

“Tamara applied great tackle pressure again. As I said the other week, you know exactly what you’re going to get. She provides that little bit of pressure and she leads from the front.”

VFLW-listed Hawks 

Chantella Perera (5 disposals, 4 tackles, first VFLW game in two years) 

“I have to definitely give a shout-out to Chantella for her first game back. She provided great leadership down back. It was just so good to see her back out on the ground and hopefully we can continue to see her out there.”

Amanda Tessari (1 goal, 12 disposals, 7 hit-outs, 3 tackles, 2 marks)

“Maddie Boyd was out this week so we asked Amanda to play a very similar role and I think she did well. She worked the body well and gave 100 per cent all game. I really enjoyed watching her play.”

 

Matilda Van Berkel (13 disposals, 5 tackles, 3 marks) 

“Matilda played in the backline for us again in her second game. She’s leading from the front and she’s a very attacking defender. We just want to keep highlighting that and let her play with a bit of freedom down there.”

It’s a short turnaround for the Box Hill Hawks, coming up against third-placed Port Melbourne under Friday night lights at ETU Stadium.

O’Neill was looking forward to the opportunity to bounce back.

“What you notice about the results from the VFLW season is that you just never know what you’re going to get,” she said.

“You’ve got to turn up, you’ve got to be switched on and nothing’s a given so you need to pay the opposition respect.

“We’ll be focusing on trying to make a quicker start, playing four quarters of footy and going back to the brand we’re used to.”

Entry to Friday night’s game is free and it will be live-streamed on afl.com.au, the AFL Live Official App and the VFL App from 7pm AEST.