Selection: Box Hill Primed For Prelim

The Box Hill Hawks have made two changes ahead of Saturday’s Preliminary Final showdown against Footscray, re-gaining three-time premiership Hawk Luke Breust and, excitingly, Club Captain Cal Porter, who will suit up for the first time since the round 12 win over Coburg.

Breust has travelled to Adelaide as part of Hawthorn’s extended squad for Friday’s Semi-Final and will fly home to play if not required by Sam Mitchell and his coaching panel, while ‘Ports’ has overcome the muscle strain which has sidelined him since mid-June. 

Out of the team come Mitch Lewis, who has been elevated to the senior Hawthorn side in place of Calsher Dear, and the desperately unlucky Blake Simondson, who has been squeezed out on team balance.

The Hawks’ four representatives in the 40-man squad for the VFL’s Team of the Year have been named, with each of Jai Serong, Kye Declase, Henry Hustwaite and Ned Reeves to take their places in Zane Littlejohn’s line-up.

There’s also a milestone to be celebrated, with dashing half-back Bailey Macdonald set to play his 50th VFL match.

Notably, there are six additions to the Hawks’ side  which lost to the Dogs little over a month ago. Sam Frost, Luke Breust, Cody Anderson, Sam Durdin, Kye Declase and Cal Porter shape as additions which give the brown and gold a decidedly different look to the team which came up 19-points short that afternoon.

Hawks fans are encouraged to make their way down to Whitten Oval to support the side as they chase a first Grand Final appearance since 2018. Those unable to make the game can follow all the action on the screens of Channel 7, with the game broadcast live on 7Mate and the 7plus app from 2pm.

Any changes to the selected 23 will be communicated prior to Saturday’s first bounce, which is scheduled for 2:10pm

Additions: L. Breust, C. Porter

Omissions: M. Lewis, B. Simondson

Squad: 7. N Reeves, 8. S Frost, 22. L Breust, 26. B Ryan, 27. W McCabe, 28. C Mackenzie, 29. J Serong, 32. C Anderson, 36. J Blanck, 38. M Ramsden, 39. J Scaife, 40. S Mitchell, 41. M Hill, 42. B Macdonald, 44. H Hustwaite, 50. S Durdin, 53. K Declase, 54. L Ward, 55. C Porter, 58. T Bianco, 62. S Horner, 65. E Stanley, 70. J Arundell

Emergencies: 52. B Cavarra, 67. J Sammartino, 68. D Wood, 72. J Baldwin, 74. B Simondson, 75. G Julian, 76. T Farrer, 80. W Kellar