Box Hill Hawks 2016 season preview

The question for the Box Hill Hawks in 2016 will be whether they can stay at the pointy end of the competition after a second straight VFL Grand Final defeat.

Coach: Marco Bello (third year)

2015 finish: Runner-up

2015 best and fairest placings: 1. Jonathan Simpkin / 2. David Mirra / 3. Kurt Heatherley

Leading goalkicker: Sam Grimley (46)

Last premiership: 2013

Alignment: Hawthorn

The Box Hill Hawks suffered a second straight VFL Grand Final defeat in 2015, by 54 points at the hands of Williamstown. The inspired Seagulls exposed a lack of foot speed the Hawks had regularly overcome with their quick, precise ball movement reminiscent of alignment partner Hawthorn.

What’s worse is that plenty of pace has flown out the door, with Hawthorn-listed regulars Jonathan Simpkin and Jed Anderson now at new AFL clubs. However, quick small defender Max Warren, who played 60 games for North Ballarat between 2012 and 2015 while on North Melbourne’s list, will help in containing opposition small forwards – the likes of which torched the Hawks in the Grand Final.

Box Hill’s tall stocks have also taken a hit with key defender Sam Collins drafted by Fremantle, dual ‘Frosty’ Miller Medallist Sam Grimley signed as an Essendon top-up player and the retirement of AFL premiership Hawks Brian Lake and David Hale likely to see VFL regulars Kurt Heatherley, James Sicily and Tim O’Brien receive senior opportunities.

Connor O’Sullivan and Dale Hehir are former Eastern Football League talls who could fill those key-position holes, with prolific goalkicker Hehir named the EFL’s 2015 Division 1/2 Young Gun. Sam Smith is a ruckman originally from the Northern Territory, while Jack Firns starred as a lock-down key defender in Oakleigh’s TAC Cup Grand Final triumph last year. The return of injured Ayden Kennedy will also help the Hawks' back six.

Box Hill was the top-ranked team in the VFL for short kicks and uncontested marks in 2015, and expect to see more of the same under Marco Bello in 2016. The alignment with Hawthorn has been one of the competition’s most fruitful and will continue to provide a training ground for young AFL-listed Hawks to learn how to play the Hawthorn way.

COACH COMMENTS:

Aims for season 2016: "We want to be up there again at the pointy end. We want to give the guys that have been thereabouts an opportunity to play more senior footy and to emerge as VFL senior footballers. We want to ensure we have good VFL talent coming through and help develop the AFL players, but making sure we get guys drafted, and we are developing some really good senior players. On top of all that is the elusive, for me anyway, premiership cup. I would still love for this group to taste success again and hopefully I can help lead them in that path."

Pre-season standouts: "Out of the new group that we have in, Lachie Williams has impressed (the Dandenong Stingrays captain in 2015). He just loves training, loves football and loves being involved in football at the highest level he can. He was unlucky not to get drafted and wanted to ply his trade at the next best level. His running ability is up there with a Brad Hill or Isaac Smith type. Outside of that it is the next tier of guys that we have not heard a lot of, like Julian Soccio who has played as a 23rd player, Sam Switkowski and Chris Jones. Then you have the household names like David Mirra who continues to impress and gets PBs in his runs despite being seven years into the system."

Recruiting: "We have had more of an emphasis on the selection criteria of who we wanted to get in. The guys that come out of the TAC Cup, their standards are high, they understand the semi-professional side of things with schooling and having to ply their trade at footy after hours. Having the relationship with the Eastern Ranges is paramount - we try and get as many of those guys across but we just wanted to put our feelers out a little bit wider, hence the likes of Firns (Oakleigh), Canfield (Murray) and Williams (Dandenong)."

INS & OUTS:

Ins: Lachlan Williams (Dandenong Stingrays), Anthony Brolic (Eastern Ranges), Sam Smith (Kyabram), Max Canfield (Murray Bushrangers), Max Warren (North Melbourne), Connor O’Sullivan (Norwood), Brayden Kilpatrick (NSW/ACT Rams), Jack Firns (Oakleigh Chargers), Ben McIntyre (Penola), Dale Hehir (Scoresby), Liam Cox (South Croydon)

Outs: Peter McEvoy (Coburg), Ryan Exon, Nik Papadopoulos, Agape Patolo (Frankston), Sam Collins (Fremantle), Sam Crocker, Dalton Graham (Port Melbourne)

* Photo: David Mirra leads the Box Hill Hawks out to play in 2015

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Box Hill Hawks 2016 season preview

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