VFL Team Announcement
The Box Hill Hawks will blood seven Club debutants in Sunday’s season opener against Casey, including gun off-season recruit Tyler Brown, Hawks draftees Bodie Ryan & Calsher Dear and SSP signing Ethan Phillips.
Having missed all of 2023 with a knee injury, key position defender Ben De Bolfo makes his long awaited debut and in further good news he’s joined in the squad by fellow ACL-returnee James Parsons.
Small forward Andreas Stefanakis has been rewarded for his six-goal haul in last weekend’s practice match against Essendon, while mature-aged forward Daniel Wood, the VAFA Division 2 league best and fairest and leading goal kicker, has traded the blue and gold of Whitefriars for the brown and gold of Box Hill and, with it, a VFL debut.
Our first 23 of 2024.
— Box Hill Hawks (@BoxHillHawks) March 22, 2024
MORE: https://t.co/wuh0gkLAVQ pic.twitter.com/GmpAYGE73A
The squad is comprised of 13 AFL-listed and 10-VFL listed players, and includes the likes of second and third year Hawks Jai Serong, Sam Butler, Seamus Mitchell, Josh Bennetts, Bailey Macdonald and Henry Hustwaite – players who’s maturation and development was integral to the Club’s top four finish in 2023.
There are a further five prospective debutants among the emergencies, including Nathan Philactides, Lane Ward, Andrew Mathieson, Josh Tovey and Jett Latchford, while Kye Agosta has overcome an injury-interrupted pre-season to win a place among the reserves.
Our final team will be communicated prior to Sunday’s first bounce, which is scheduled for 2:00pm.
New: B. Ryan, C. Dear, Eth. Phillips, A. Stefanakis, D. Wood, B. De Bolfo, T, Brown
Squad: 1. H Morrison, 17. L Meek, 26. B Ryan, 29. J Serong, 30. S Butler, 35. C Dear, 37. Eth. Phillips, 38. M Ramsden, 40. S Mitchell, 41. J Bennetts, 42. B Macdonald, 44. H Hustwaite, 45. C Tucker, 50. M Hall, 55. C Porter, 59. J Rule, 60. Ed Phillips, 65. A Stefanakis, 66. C Brown, 68. D Wood, 77. B De Bolo, 88. J Parsons, 99. T Brown
Emergencies: N. Philactides, L. Ward, A. Mathieson, J. Tovey, K. Agosta, J. Latchford
