Preview: Semi Final Ready Hawks Welcome Lions
The Brisbane Lions roll into Box Hill City Oval for a do-or-die, win-or-go-home Semi-Final on Saturday morning, with both teams out to keep their premiership dreams alive and book a preliminary final showdown with Footscray.
Who: Brisbane
Where: Box Hill City Oval
When: Saturday at 11:40am
TV/Streaming: Channel 7 from 11:30am; live stream available via the VFL Match Centre
Past Three Meetings
Round 9, 2025: Box Hill 14.7 91 def. Brisbane 10.12 72
Round 9, 2024: Box Hill 4.10 34 def. by Brisbane 15.12 102
Round 12, 2023: Box Hill 16.13 109 def. Brisbane 12.18 90
Ticketing
Fans wishing to attend the game are encouraged to pre-purchase their tickets via this link.
Ticket sales will be available on the gate, but please bear in mind there will be card sales only.
Wear Your Colours
Hawks fans can catch their team in action at City Oval, before heading home to take in the senior side’s Elimination Final against GWS from 3:15pm.
Those attending are strongly encouraged to wear their brown and gold and create as vibrant and loud an atmosphere as possible.
A Little Bit of History
Played 3 (since 2023) – Box Hill 2, Brisbane 1
The Hawks and Lions share a brief history at the VFL level, having played just three times since Brisbane entered the competition in 2022.
All three meetings have been at Box Hill City Oval to this point, with the hosts winning twice and the visitors once.
Fergus Greene (five goals), Cal Brown (30 disposals), Harry Morrison (30 disposals) and Damian Mascitti (25 disposals, one goal) were among the best the first time around, on a day in which the Hawks got off to a fast start, held their nerve late and ultimately saw off the Lions’ threat with three goals in four minutes mid-way through the final term.
Things were different the next time around, with the Lions flipping the script to run out 68-point winners on a dirty day for those in brown and gold.
Brisbane edged a somewhat even first half and lead by 15-points despite both teams having had nine scoring shots. Come the third term, however, and lead by Jarryd Lyons and Deven Robertson, the Lions kicked away to lead by 41-points with one to play.
Josh Ward and Harry Morrison were among Box Hill’s best on a bad day for the hosts, who booted just the four goals and boasted very few winners across the ground.
The teams most recent meeting was in round nine of this season, with the Hawks coming from behind to record a stirring 19-point victory.
Brisbane would’ve been hoping for a strong start – and it was exactly what they got. The Lions jagged five of the six goals kicked in the first term to lead by 28-points at quarter time.
But the Hawks produced a spirited response once play resumed, kicking five unanswered goals between the two and 16-minute marks to snatch the lead.
The Lions found their feet in time on, booting two goals to take a seven-point advantage into the half. A three goal to one third term from the hosts tied the scores away at 59-apiece with one quarter to play, setting up a grandstand finish.
Again it was the Hawks who had the answers, kicking three goals to open the term and another two as the quarter hit time on to secure a memorable come-from-behind victory.
Sam Butler was peerless on the day, winning 42 touches, taking 10 marks, winning eight clearances and kicking a goal in a best afield display, while Seamus Mitchell (36 touches, 1 goal), Jai Serong (26 disposals, 12 marks), Henry Hustwaite (35 disposals, 11 clearances) and Jake Arundell (three goals) were all equally as instrumental.
The Season So Far
Box Hill – Home and Away: played 18, won 14, lost four – finished second on the VFL ladder; Finals: lost Qualifying Final last weekend to Southport; form W, W, L, L, L
Brisbane – Home and Away played 18, won 11, lost six, drawn one – finished sixth on the VFL ladder; Finals: won Elimination Final last weekend against Richmond; form W, W, L, D, W
The Hawks roll into Saturday’s Semi-Final in a challenging run of form, having dropped matches to Footscray, Casey and Southport in consecutive weeks.
It colours what has otherwise been an excellent campaign from the second-placed Box Hill, who’ve shown time and again they’re one of the competition’s stand out teams.
Things have been as much about efficiency as anything else in recent weeks, with the Hawks having one more scoring shot in the 19-point loss to Footscray – a game in which the side was 2.9 to the Dogs’ 5.1 at half-time – and leading the Demons at the 16-minute mark of the third term of a 23-point loss at Casey.
In last weekend’s loss to Southport the side was two-points behind at quarter time (having had three more scoring shots), level at half-time (having had five more scoring shots), four-points in arrears at the last change (having had six more scoring shots) and, finally, beaten by 21-points having had 29 shots to the Sharks’ 25.
It was a contrast ultimately decided by a blistering Southport blitz in the final term, a period in which they transformed what had been a hard-fought, cagey encounter into rout. The visitors kicked goals after one, six, eight, 10, 13, 16 and 21 minutes to blow the contest wide open and send Box Hill into a Semi-Final against Brisbane.
The Lions won through to Saturday’s match via a 20-point Elimination Final victory over Richmond.
Having finished fifth at the conclusion of the home and away season, Brisbane hosted the Tigers, who advanced through the VFL’s wildcard round.
Nine-points down at the first break and 24-points to the good at half-time, the Lions were headed come three quarter time, but rallied to turn a two-point three quarter time deficit into a 20-point victory.
Oscar McInerney was excellent with 26 touches, 11 clearances and a goal, while Deven Robertson was busy on his way to 31 disposals, five clearances and a goal.
Conor McKenna was the Tigers’ chief destroyer with four goals and was ably supported in front of the posts by Fergus McFadyen, who chimed in with a double of his own.
Previous to that the Lions drew away to Frankston in the final round of the season, lost to Casey by four-points the week before and came from behind at half-time to defeat Coburg away.
Selection News
Box Hill have made three changes to the team which came up short against Southport a week ago, losing Josh Weddle and Sam Butler to AFL recalls and omitting the experienced Ben Cavarra on team balance.
Into the team come Hawthorn spearhead Mitch Lewis, versatile swingman Sam Durdin and the hard-working Blake Simondson – who is back in the mix for the first time since the Hawks lost the penultimate game of the home and away season to Footscray.
One(s) To Watch
Max Ramsden was a shining light in attack for Box Hill last weekend, presenting, marking and finishing well on his way to four goals on the day.
‘Ramma’ has produced three bags of three and one haul of four goals in his fourteen games this season, indicating when he’s in the mood in front of the big sticks he finds a way to impact the scoreboard.
The Hawks’ no.38 will be deployed alongside fellow marking talls Mitch Lewis and Jasper Scaife come Saturday, and Zane Littlejohn’s coaching cohort will be hoping that trio can work together and off one another.
How To Follow
Match coverage will be provided via our social channels throughout the day, while a radio call will be available via our wonderful community partners at 3WBC 94.1FM
Where To Watch
For just the second time in 2025 Hawks fans will be able to catch their team live on Channel 7!
Additionally, fans will be able to live stream the action via the VFL match centre on the AFL website and app.
