Preview: Box Hill, Stage set for Sharks
The Box Hill Hawks welcome Southport to City Oval on Saturday afternoon for a Qualifying Final showdown, with a home Preliminary Final berth up for grabs for the winner.
Who: Southport
Where: Box Hill City Oval
When: Saturday at 12:35pm
TV/Streaming: live stream available via the VFL Match Centre
Past Four Meetings
Round 17, 2025: Southport 8.5 53 def. by Box Hill 14.13 97
Round 16, 2024: Southport 16.11 107 def. Box Hill 7.12 54
Round 9, 2023: Box Hill 11.18 84 def. Southport 6.9 45
Round 16, 2022: Box Hill 8.11 59 def. by Southport 10.14 74
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
All Hawks fans making their way to City Oval are encouraged to don their colours to create a sea of brown and gold!
With the senior Hawthorn side out of action on account of the pre-finals bye, Saturday is a great opportunity for fans to scratch their footy itch.
A Little Bit of History
Played 4 (since 2022) – Box Hill 2, Southport 2
The two sides met for a fourth time just four weeks ago on the Gold Coast, with the Hawks securing a win to tie away the head-to-head record at two-apiece.
A tense affair through three hard fought quarters, the Hawks kicked away in the final term to win by 44-points.
16-points to the good at the final change, five unanswered majors to start the term ensured the visitors ran away with the game and the points.
Jasper Scaife, Max Ramsden and Jake Arundell each kicked three goals on the day, while Sam Frost bobbed up with a double of his own.
Cam Mackenzie was superb in winning 28 touches, while his midfield mates Henry Hustwaite and Ned Reeves each won a game-high nine clearances.
Jai Serong continued his fine form, too, winning 25 touches, taking nine marks and compiling 10 rebound 50s; Changkuoth Jiath was at his dashing best with 24 touches and nine marks out of half-back; and Trent Bianco did a bit of everything on his way to 27 disposals.
Historically, the teams have traded wins against one another to this point in time – with Southport winning the first meeting, Box Hill the second, Southport the third and Box Hill the fourth. The Hawks will hoping to become the first team to claim back-to-back match-ups in this nascent rivalry.
The Season So Far
Box Hill – played 18, won 14, lost lost four – second on the VFL ladder; form W, W, W, L, L
Southport – played 18, won 13, lost four, drawn one – third on the VFL ladder; form W, W, L, W, W
Having been the competition pace-setters for much of 2025, the Hawks dropped their final two matches of the home and away season to finish in second place behind minor premiers Footscray.
Up until then the Hawks had been superb, dropping just two of the 16 games played to that point in time and recording seven wins in succession.
Box Hill’s most recent win came on the Gold Coast against Southport back in round 19 – a win which locked away a top two finish with two rounds to play and offered a timely and fascinating preview of what always shaped as a finals preview.
With both sides missing key players it was the Hawks who prevailed by 44-points – but its a result which will count for nothing come Saturday afternoon.
Southport were able to recover from that defeat to finish their home and away campaign with back-to-back wins over North Melbourne and Werribee to qualify third on the ladder.
The Sharks started the 2025 season winning eight and drawing one of their first 10 games, before defeats to Sydney and Collingwood in successive weeks halted their momentum.
A hat-trick of victories followed against Brisbane, Frankston and Williamstown to thrust them back into the mix for the minor premiership, only for the round 19 loss to Box Hill to ensure they could finish no higher than third.
They arrive at City Oval in good touch and will be a great test for a Hawks team hunting a first home Preliminary Final since 2010.
Selection News
Zane Littlejohn and his match committee have made two changes ahead of Saturday’s first final against Southport, re-gaining classy wingman Kye Declase and Hawks’ young gun Josh Weddle – with both returning from injury lay-offs just in time to take their places.
Making way for Declase and Weddle are the unfortunate duo of Tom Farrer and Sam Durdin, but both have been retained as match day emergencies.
The side is replete with 16 AFL-listed Hawks, representing a swathe of established senior types and development prospects, as is the case among the seven VFL-listed players who comprise the 23.
One(s) To Watch
It’d be silly to overlook the two ins, wouldn’t it?
Josh Weddle returns to VFL action for the first time since round five, 2023 – a day in which he tallied 27 touches and 10 marks in a win against Coburg – and is joined among the ins by fellow star Kye Declase.
Weddle will hope to get through the contest in good form and health ahead of Hawthorn’s Elimination Final next weekend, while Declase’s quality, versatility and dynamism has been missed in Box Hill’s recent losses to Footscray and Casey.
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
You can catch the live stream via the VFL match centre.
