VFL Round 5 Team

The Box Hill Hawks host Coburg on Saturday afternoon with a chance to move to four-and-zero on the 2023 season and retain the annual ANZAC Cup.

The Hawks look set to welcome back a pair of AFL-listed stars from injury, while also blooding a pair of debutants.

Having missed last week with a knock Cooper Stephens is back in the squad to face the Lions, with versatile tall Emerson Jeka set to play his first minutes of the new campaign after recovering from a hamstring strain sustained in the pre-season hit-out against Williamstown.

Lloyd Meek could feature for the first time at VFL level in place of the elevated Max Lynch, while Morwell’s own Tristen Waack has been named to play his first match of state league footy.

‘Waacky’ arrived at Box Hill via the Gippsland League and signed up for 2023 following an impressive display at the Club’s trial day in November and during subsequent train on period.

Finn Maginness and Jack Scrimshaw round out the six additions to the game day squad.

Among the outs are Damian Mascitti, Max Hall and Liam Coghlan, who are all retained in the extended squad as emergencies, while Stu Horner and Fionn O’Hara will miss due to injuries sustained in the last-start win over Collingwood.

Box Hill’s final 23-man squad will be confirmed prior to Saturday’s first bounce – scheduled for 1:05pm.

Ins: J Scrimshaw, L Meek (NEW) , C Stephens, F Maginness, E Jeka, T Waack (NEW)

Outs: M Lynch (AFL), F O’Hara (injured), S. Horner (injured), D Mascitti, M Hall, L Coghlan

Squad: 

14. J Scrimshaw, 16. L Bramble, 17. L Meek, 21. C Stephens, 23. J Koschitzke, 30. S Butler, 32. F Maginness, 35. J Morris, 36. J Blanck, 37. J Weddle, 38. M Ramsden, 39. E Jeka, 41. J Bennetts, 42. B MacDonald, 43. J O’Sullivan, 53. H Beasley, 54. J Trudgeon, 55. C Porter, 57. J Thorpe, 60. E Phillips, 64. T Waack, 65. E Stanley, 66. C Brown

Emergencies: 50. D Mascitti, 61. M Hall, 67. D Murr, 68. L D’Angelo, 74. L Coghlan, 80. M Sruk