News Box Hill Hawks news thread (2025 offseason into 2026)

[streetspirit]

Stu Horner named captain

 

[peetoo]

KCC v Sydney confirmed for 20 march. Friday

 

[Walshawk]

Back at City Oval from May. Maybe one or two more at Dingley then they will stack our home games for the second half of the season.

 

[stemline]

Apparently we're playing Collingwood in round 6, meant to be the first return to City Oval. Would be late April. Also our 500th game of the alignment with Box Hill.

Couple more signings - Beau Tennant, tall defender and captain of Montrose. Was on Box Hill's dev list back in 2021. And Kanoa McGrath, a forward who kicked 38 goals in 11 games last year, will be a Cat B signing, whatever that means at VFL level.

Also learned today there'll be a Box Hill praccy game prior to the Hawthorn one at the Western Oval on the 27th. Probably start 12-12:30. Two weeks later Box Hill play another praccy against Port Melb at the KCC, 4pm 13th March. Would be a bit of a rush to the G for the Essendon game that evening, but probably doable if you're prepared to miss the end of the praccy match. These games will probably feature most of our draftees, so worth a look.

 

[Walshawk]

Apparently we're playing Collingwood in round 6, meant to be the first return to City Oval. Would be late April. Also our 500th game of the alignment with Box Hill.

Couple more signings - Beau Tennant, tall defender and captain of Montrose. Was on Box Hill's dev list back in 2021. And Kanoa McGrath, a forward who kicked 38 goals in 11 games last year, will be a Cat B signing, whatever that means at VFL level.

Also learned today there'll be a Box Hill praccy game prior to the Hawthorn one at the Western Oval on the 27th. Probably start 12-12:30. Two weeks later Box Hill play another praccy against Port Melb at the KCC, 4pm 13th March. Would be a bit of a rush to the G for the Essendon game that evening, but probably doable if you're prepared to miss the end of the praccy match. These games will probably feature most of our draftees, so worth a look.

No VFL during Gather Round so round 6 will be the first weekend in May which ties in with what I have heard. Also Hawks v Pies that week in AFL. Reckon lock in Sat 2/5.

 

[Walshawk]

Lots of home games late season

 

[streetspirit]

Just noticed former BHH Jed Rule, who disappeared off the Box Hill radar after two good seasons in 2023-24, has signed up with Sammartino and Ethan Phillips at Carlton VFL https://www.carltonfc.com.au/news/1949714/vfl-news-blues-sign-four-more

 

[stemline]

You'd think lists must be finalised by now. Wouldn't mind seeing ours, not a huge amount of publicity around our signings.

 

[Rudi Gilham]

Out: Porter, Arundell, Philactides, Stefanakis, Stanley (Casey if not selected by Hawthorn?) and Sammartino.

In: Sam Sofronidis, Alex Lukic, Beau Tennant. Kanoa McGrath as a Cat B selection.

 

[stemline]

Updated practice match schedule -

Fri 27-Feb 4:10pm v WB @ WO (before Hawks game)
Sat 7-Mar 11am v Casey @ CF
Fri 13-Mar 4:30pm v Port Melb @ KCC

Unfortunately they've shifted the last one back half an hour, probably in part to discourage attendance at KCC, as you now won't have time to get to the G for the Essendon game, unless you leave before the end.

 

[houdinihuddo]

Out: Porter, Arundell, Philactides, Stefanakis, Stanley (Casey if not selected by Hawthorn?) and Sammartino.

In: Sam Sofronidis, Alex Lukic, Beau Tennant. Kanoa McGrath as a Cat B selection.

Also Out: Amoroso (Frankston), Durdin, Cavarra, Latchford, Hicks, Wood, McCormack. The rest of the 2025 have returned.
I went to the BHH training before the Intra Club (good way to gain entry ) and hardly recognised any players. Beau Tennant court my eye and looked solid.
Also In: Tom Swainston.
Horner, Ward, Simondson, Julian and Swainston had late runs in the intraclub.

 

[stemline]

That's a huge turnover. Lot more outs than ins too at this late stage.

There'd have to be some more signings announced soon?

 

[Dazza67]

Looking at the experienced players that have left, Dave Mirra's going to have a rebuild on his hands. Also gone Serong (best defender), Mitchell, Frost & Scaife (only reliable mainstay forward) can only see them finishing 9th - 16th

 

[streetspirit]

Yep looks like the Hawks fledglings will have their hands full, with pretty much no VFL-star level support to do the grunt work and leadership (unless we sign, say, like Riding or McLaughlin, if they don't get a SSP spot). No too many experienced AFL hawks likely to be playing out their careers at VFL level you would think, like we had Bruest and Frost do last year.

 

[Tall Tales and True]

Top 4, make a note ... so many good kids, depth underestimated

 

[tommyk72]

Will all depend on how the seniors go with injuries. If we get a smooth run we’ll have Blank, Harry M, potentially Reeves and a couple of others/similar players playing most weeks. If we lose a few, then we’re in trouble.

 

[Walshawk]

Yep looks like the Hawks fledglings will have their hands full, with pretty much no VFL-star level support to do the grunt work and leadership (unless we sign, say, like Riding or McLaughlin, if they don't get a SSP spot). No too many experienced AFL hawks likely to be playing out their careers at VFL level you would think, like we had Bruest and Frost do last year.

Bruest and Frost were not exactly top contributors at BH. Frost poor most of the season. Serong thought will leave a massive hole.

We have missed the finals once since 2008. AFL depth is good. We will still win more than we lose.

 

[houdinihuddo]

I went to the practice game which started at 3:40pm, not at 4:10pm as previously advised. Luckily I arrived early to try to identify the new players.
HFC Reeves, Dear, Ryan, McCabe, Leray, Anderson, Dalton, Greeves, Ramsden, Uhr-Henry, Hustwaite (11) plus Perez, Stanley and Riding.
BHH (Christian name included for new players) Farrer, Declase, Ward, Beau Tennant, Bianco, Alex Lukic, Donohue, Max Pinckbeck, McGown, Brown, Julian, Thomas Swainston, Canning, Baldwin, Simonson and William Pewtress.
Footscray also had 11 AFL listed players.
Scores: Qtr Time Footscray 0.5.5, BHH 3.0.18
Half Time 2.8.20, 6.1.37
3/4 Time 4.9.33, 8.4.52
Full Time 10.11.71, 11.7.73
The Dogs kicked three goals in the last three minutes and had a chance to win with a shot on goal after the siren from about 40 metres on a 45 degree angle. The kick went OOBOTF for a good win.

The goal kickers to the best of my viewing were Ramsden 3, Stanley 2 and singles to Dear, McCabe, Anderson, Dalton, Uhr-Henry and Farrer. All our set shot gaols were straight through the middle with Ramma, Daltons and Farrer from the boundary the standout.

My brief thought on the players:
Reeves - dominated the ruck contests and applied some good follow up pressure.
Dear - Fairly quiet, didn’t hold his marks. A highlight was a strong tackle in the third quarter which resulted in a mark and goal to Ramma.
Ryan - Really strong defending and won the one on one contests to give us drive.
McCabe - A really good first half. Worked hard, took some strong mark and generally used the ball well by foot. Rested in the last quarter.
Leray - Played a solid game whilst finding his feet. Received a really heavy knock in the third quarter however returned and displayed courage.
Anderson - Played mainly deep forward and his pressure and tackling were very good with one tackle resulting in a goal. Was a bit fumbly and needs to find more of the ball.
Dalton - Worked hard and read the game well. Had one terrific intercept mark in the last quarter for a good gall.
Greeves - Had a strong second half winning centre clearances from Reeve’s ruck work. Also laid some strong tackles.
Ramsden - Played on Busslinger and took some strong marks. He kicked accurately. Seems to play very well in patches.
Uhr-Henry - Took a really strong mark and kicked a goal from a free kick in the first quarter. Did okay in limited opportunity in the ruck.
Hustwaite - His ball winning abilility in congestion is great as well is his ability to dispose of the ball under pressure. I’d love to see him get the opportunity to adapt his VFL dominance to the AFL.
Perez - Solid in defence. Halves or wins most contests.
Stanley - Had a really good third quarter in the centre clearances. Displayed pace and long kicking.
Riding - Tapped the ball to his advantage on a number of occasions before using pace to break away.
Finally a few BHH payers:
Kye Declase - Cleary BOG in the first half playing HBF. Spent less time on the ground in the second half.
Tom Farrer - Low however quality possessions. An interesting watch.
Tyler Brown

21

Tyler Brown

Age

26

Ht

192cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.0

3star

K

4.0

2star

HB

7.0

4star

M

1.0

1star

T

1.4

3star

CL

0.6

3star

D

11.0

3star

K

4.0

1star

HB

7.0

4star

M

1.0

1star

T

1.4

2star

CL

0.6

3star

D

11.0

3star

K

4.0

2star

HB

7.0

5star

M

1.0

1star

T

1.4

4star

CL

0.6

3star

- Great to have him back. He was solid but a bit rusty after missing the season in 2025.
Blake Simondson - Was solid in defence with good desperation.

 

[moginie]

I went to the practice game which started at 3:40pm, not at 4:10pm as previously advised. Luckily I arrived early to try to identify the new players.
HFC Reeves, Dear, Ryan, McCabe, Leray, Anderson, Dalton, Greeves, Ramsden, Uhr-Henry, Hustwaite (11) plus Perez, Stanley and Riding.
BHH (Christian name included for new players) Farrer, Declase, Ward, Beau Tennant, Bianco, Alex Lukic, Donohue, Max Pinckbeck, McGown, Brown, Julian, Thomas Swainston, Canning, Baldwin, Simonson and William Pewtress.
Footscray also had 11 AFL listed players.
Scores: Qtr Time Footscray 0.5.5, BHH 3.0.18
Half Time 2.8.20, 6.1.37
3/4 Time 4.9.33, 8.4.52
Full Time 10.11.71, 11.7.73
The Dogs kicked three goals in the last three minutes and had a chance to win with a shot on goal after the siren from about 40 metres on a 45 degree angle. The kick went OOBOTF for a good win.

The goal kickers to the best of my viewing were Ramsden 3, Stanley 2 and singles to Dear, McCabe, Anderson, Dalton, Uhr-Henry and Farrer. All our set shot gaols were straight through the middle with Ramma, Daltons and Farrer from the boundary the standout.

My brief thought on the players:
Reeves - dominated the ruck contests and applied some good follow up pressure.
Dear - Fairly quiet, didn’t hold his marks. A highlight was a strong tackle in the third quarter which resulted in a mark and goal to Ramma.
Ryan - Really strong defending and won the one on one contests to give us drive.
McCabe - A really good first half. Worked hard, took some strong mark and generally used the ball well by foot. Rested in the last quarter.
Leray - Played a solid game whilst finding his feet. Received a really heavy knock in the third quarter however returned and displayed courage.
Anderson - Played mainly deep forward and his pressure and tackling were very good with one tackle resulting in a goal. Was a bit fumbly and needs to find more of the ball.
Dalton - Worked hard and read the game well. Had one terrific intercept mark in the last quarter for a good gall.
Greeves - Had a strong second half winning centre clearances from Reeve’s ruck work. Also laid some strong tackles.
Ramsden - Played on Busslinger and took some strong marks. He kicked accurately. Seems to play very well in patches.
Uhr-Henry - Took a really strong mark and kicked a goal from a free kick in the first quarter. Did okay in limited opportunity in the ruck.
Hustwaite - His ball winning abilility in congestion is great as well is his ability to dispose of the ball under pressure. I’d love to see him get the opportunity to adapt his VFL dominance to the AFL.
Perez - Solid in defence. Halves or wins most contests.
Stanley - Had a really good third quarter in the centre clearances. Displayed pace and long kicking.
Riding - Tapped the ball to his advantage on a number of occasions before using pace to break away.
Finally a few BHH payers:
Kye Declase - Cleary BOG in the first half playing HBF. Spent less time on the ground in the second half.
Tom Farrer - Low however quality possessions. An interesting watch.
Tyler Brown - Great to have him back. He was solid but a bit rusty after missing the season in 2025.
Blake Simondson - Was solid in defence with good desperation.

Thanks for your write-up, mate. Really appreciated.

 

[stemline]

I went to the practice game which started at 3:40pm, not at 4:10pm as previously advised. Luckily I arrived early to try to identify the new players.
HFC Reeves, Dear, Ryan, McCabe, Leray, Anderson, Dalton, Greeves, Ramsden, Uhr-Henry, Hustwaite (11) plus Perez, Stanley and Riding.
BHH (Christian name included for new players) Farrer, Declase, Ward, Beau Tennant, Bianco, Alex Lukic, Donohue, Max Pinckbeck, McGown, Brown, Julian, Thomas Swainston, Canning, Baldwin, Simonson and William Pewtress.
Footscray also had 11 AFL listed players.
Scores: Qtr Time Footscray 0.5.5, BHH 3.0.18
Half Time 2.8.20, 6.1.37
3/4 Time 4.9.33, 8.4.52
Full Time 10.11.71, 11.7.73
The Dogs kicked three goals in the last three minutes and had a chance to win with a shot on goal after the siren from about 40 metres on a 45 degree angle. The kick went OOBOTF for a good win.

The goal kickers to the best of my viewing were Ramsden 3, Stanley 2 and singles to Dear, McCabe, Anderson, Dalton, Uhr-Henry and Farrer. All our set shot gaols were straight through the middle with Ramma, Daltons and Farrer from the boundary the standout.

My brief thought on the players:
Reeves - dominated the ruck contests and applied some good follow up pressure.
Dear - Fairly quiet, didn’t hold his marks. A highlight was a strong tackle in the third quarter which resulted in a mark and goal to Ramma.
Ryan - Really strong defending and won the one on one contests to give us drive.
McCabe - A really good first half. Worked hard, took some strong mark and generally used the ball well by foot. Rested in the last quarter.
Leray - Played a solid game whilst finding his feet. Received a really heavy knock in the third quarter however returned and displayed courage.
Anderson - Played mainly deep forward and his pressure and tackling were very good with one tackle resulting in a goal. Was a bit fumbly and needs to find more of the ball.
Dalton - Worked hard and read the game well. Had one terrific intercept mark in the last quarter for a good gall.
Greeves - Had a strong second half winning centre clearances from Reeve’s ruck work. Also laid some strong tackles.
Ramsden - Played on Busslinger and took some strong marks. He kicked accurately. Seems to play very well in patches.
Uhr-Henry - Took a really strong mark and kicked a goal from a free kick in the first quarter. Did okay in limited opportunity in the ruck.
Hustwaite - His ball winning abilility in congestion is great as well is his ability to dispose of the ball under pressure. I’d love to see him get the opportunity to adapt his VFL dominance to the AFL.
Perez - Solid in defence. Halves or wins most contests.
Stanley - Had a really good third quarter in the centre clearances. Displayed pace and long kicking.
Riding - Tapped the ball to his advantage on a number of occasions before using pace to break away.
Finally a few BHH payers:
Kye Declase - Cleary BOG in the first half playing HBF. Spent less time on the ground in the second half.
Tom Farrer - Low however quality possessions. An interesting watch.
Tyler Brown - Great to have him back. He was solid but a bit rusty after missing the season in 2025.
Blake Simondson - Was solid in defence with good desperation.

Fully concur with all of that.. except who you said was Tom Farrer I thought was Alex Lukic... number 60 with the great set shot in the first quarter?

Impressed with McCabe. Good intent and hard at the contest. Took a couple of great marks. Big step forward for him I thought. He has some cat-like agility, in terms of his ability to so quickly regain his feet after a marking contest - dare I say it a bit of the Cyril style. If he could improve his ground skills/ball handling he would be very unique for his size.

Also thought Lane Ward had some great moments, particularly with his pressure/tackling.

 

[alexc]

Fully concur with all of that.. except who you said was Tom Farrer I thought was Alex Lukic... number 60 with the great set shot in the first quarter?

Impressed with McCabe. Good intent and hard at the contest. Took a couple of great marks. Big step forward for him I thought. He has some cat-like agility, in terms of his ability to so quickly regain his feet after a marking contest - dare I say it a bit of the Cyril style. If he could improve his ground skills/ball handling he would be very unique for his size.

Also thought Lane Ward had some great moments, particularly with his pressure/tackling.

Thanks, the only Box Hill info I have found from this game.

 

[houdinihuddo]

Thanks Stemiline. Agree re Lane Ward, his work rate was really good. Also you're correct, Alex Lukic kicked the great goal, right foot near the right boundary line from about 40 metres.
There were a few number changes so it took a while to identify the players. Perez wore 59 (listed 39), Farrer 70 (51), Donohue 71 (61), Swainston 51 (70) and Cannington 69 (71).
There was a funny moment just after half time when Dylan Moore

8

Dylan Moore

Age

26

Ht

177cm

Wt

77kg

Pos.

Fwd

Career

Season

Last 5

D

11.9

3star

K

5.1

2star

HB

6.7

4star

M

4.4

4star

T

2.9

4star

G

0.3

3star

No current season stats available

D

12.2

3star

K

6.0

3star

HB

6.2

4star

M

5.4

5star

T

2.8

5star

G

0.4

3star

and Josh Weddle sat in front of me. They asked me who was playing well and I thanked Josh for making me very happy this week. He turned around and with a big grin asked me what had made me happy. I indicated a signature and Dylan and he laughed. Our players are really lovely young men and I love our great club.
I’m looking forward to our next practice game on Saturday at 11:00am away against Casey.

 

[ppphawk]

I went to the practice game which started at 3:40pm, not at 4:10pm as previously advised. Luckily I arrived early to try to identify the new players.
HFC Reeves, Dear, Ryan, McCabe, Leray, Anderson, Dalton, Greeves, Ramsden, Uhr-Henry, Hustwaite (11) plus Perez, Stanley and Riding.
BHH (Christian name included for new players) Farrer, Declase, Ward, Beau Tennant, Bianco, Alex Lukic, Donohue, Max Pinckbeck, McGown, Brown, Julian, Thomas Swainston, Canning, Baldwin, Simonson and William Pewtress.
Footscray also had 11 AFL listed players.
Scores: Qtr Time Footscray 0.5.5, BHH 3.0.18
Half Time 2.8.20, 6.1.37
3/4 Time 4.9.33, 8.4.52
Full Time 10.11.71, 11.7.73
The Dogs kicked three goals in the last three minutes and had a chance to win with a shot on goal after the siren from about 40 metres on a 45 degree angle. The kick went OOBOTF for a good win.

The goal kickers to the best of my viewing were Ramsden 3, Stanley 2 and singles to Dear, McCabe, Anderson, Dalton, Uhr-Henry and Farrer. All our set shot gaols were straight through the middle with Ramma, Daltons and Farrer from the boundary the standout.

My brief thought on the players:
Reeves - dominated the ruck contests and applied some good follow up pressure.
Dear - Fairly quiet, didn’t hold his marks. A highlight was a strong tackle in the third quarter which resulted in a mark and goal to Ramma.
Ryan - Really strong defending and won the one on one contests to give us drive.
McCabe - A really good first half. Worked hard, took some strong mark and generally used the ball well by foot. Rested in the last quarter.
Leray - Played a solid game whilst finding his feet. Received a really heavy knock in the third quarter however returned and displayed courage.
Anderson - Played mainly deep forward and his pressure and tackling were very good with one tackle resulting in a goal. Was a bit fumbly and needs to find more of the ball.
Dalton - Worked hard and read the game well. Had one terrific intercept mark in the last quarter for a good gall.
Greeves - Had a strong second half winning centre clearances from Reeve’s ruck work. Also laid some strong tackles.
Ramsden - Played on Busslinger and took some strong marks. He kicked accurately. Seems to play very well in patches.
Uhr-Henry - Took a really strong mark and kicked a goal from a free kick in the first quarter. Did okay in limited opportunity in the ruck.
Hustwaite - His ball winning abilility in congestion is great as well is his ability to dispose of the ball under pressure. I’d love to see him get the opportunity to adapt his VFL dominance to the AFL.
Perez - Solid in defence. Halves or wins most contests.
Stanley - Had a really good third quarter in the centre clearances. Displayed pace and long kicking.
Riding - Tapped the ball to his advantage on a number of occasions before using pace to break away.
Finally a few BHH payers:
Kye Declase - Cleary BOG in the first half playing HBF. Spent less time on the ground in the second half.
Tom Farrer - Low however quality possessions. An interesting watch.
Tyler Brown - Great to have him back. He was solid but a bit rusty after missing the season in 2025.
Blake Simondson - Was solid in defence with good desperation.

Given frenchie is out and newk might be also, who would you pick to go in and why?

 

[stemline]

I spotted Justin Reeves (Ned's Dad) holding a player list before the game and he kindly let me take a pic of it -
the pen marks ups were his, not mine

 

[stemline]

William Pewtress was an interesting watch. Not especially tall, but solid as the preverbial bsh. Played last line most of the game. Laid a crunching tackle that the other players loved. Looked raw, but at the same time seemed at home at the level.

Reminded me a bit of Mason De Wit, for those who remember him.