It was a season of two halves for the Box Hill Hawks, with their early dominance being enough to see them hold on for a rebel VFLW finals spot despite a drop off in the second half of the year.
BY THE NUMBERS
Position: 5th
W-L-D %: 8-6-1 (174.26%)
Players used: 61
Played every match: 2 – Tamara Luke, Danika Spamer
AFLW players used: 24 (74 matches)
Debutants: 19 – Emily Bates, Grace Belloni, Georgie Brisbane, Eleanor Butler, Tess Cattle, Taylah Canobie, Jess Cox, Jasmine Fleming, Mackenzie Eardley, Annabelle Embleton, Georgia Knight, Mikayla Lee, Evie Parker, Molly Patterson, Paula Pavic, Danika Spamer, Stasia Stevenson, Ash van Rooyen, Mia Zielinski
STAR PERFORMERS
Best and Fairest: 1st: Tamara Luke, 2nd: Rosie Dillon, 3rd: Danika Spamer, 4th: Caitlin Ford, 5th: Gabby Collingwood
Lambert-Pearce Medal votes: Tamara Luke (14, runner-up), Rosie Dillon (5), Eliza West (5)
Coaches MVP votes: Tamara Luke (57), Charlotte Baskaran (18), Emily Bates (16), Caitlin Thorne (16)
Rebel VFLW Team of the Year: Tamara Luke, Caitlin Thorne
Leading Goalkickers: Tamara Luke (20), Miz Kendall (9), Jess Matin (9)
STAT LEADERS
(Averages – Minimum 6 matches)
Disposals: Caitlin Thorne 15.7, Rosie Dillon 15.6, Danika Spamer 15.1
Contested possessions: Rosie Dillon 8.8, Danika Spamer 8.7, Tamara Luke 7.9
Kicks: Caitlin Thorne 11.1, Tamara Luke 9.8, Danika Spamer 9.1
Handballs: Rosie Dillon 8.2, Danika Spamer 5.9, Ellie McLinden 4.7
Marks: Tamara Luke 4.2, Nadia von Bertouch 4.0, Cassie Davidson 3.3
Tackles: Danika Spamer 8.0, Caitlin Thorne 7.1, Annie Muir 5.3
Hitouts: Grace Matser 19.0, Tamara Luke 17.1, Miz Kendall 0.2
Clearances: Rosie Dillon 3.5, Danika Spamer 3.2, Caitlin Thorne 3.0
Inside-50s: Caitlin Thorne 3.6, Grace Matser 2.7, Tess Cattle 2.2
Rebound-50s: Nadia von Bertouch 4.3, Eleanor Butler 2.2, Annabelle Embleton 2.0
What went right: The Hawks started like a house on fire with a Hawthorn-stacked line-up, obliterating Casey (108 points), Geelong (96), a goalless Collingwood (34) and eventual premier North Melbourne (50) alongside a 10-point defeat of a Williamstown team on its way to the minor premiership. Star forward-ruck Tamara Luke played so well after her AFLW retirement that Richmond coaxed her back as a fill-in. The 36-year-old finished runner-up in the Lambert-Pearce Medal and was one of two Hawks to be named in the Team of the Year, along with youngster Caitlin Thorne who earned an AFLW contract with Geelong. Danika Spamer also enjoyed a terrific debut year.
What went wrong: When the Hawthorn players went into cotton wool, so did Box Hill’s season. The Hawks won just three more games after winning their first five. Those wins came against bottom-four teams Southern Saints, Carlton and Geelong, while there was a draw with reigning premier Port Melbourne in the final round, with the Borough avenging that result in the elimination final a week later.
Summary: A season of two halves for the Hawks, with their early dominance being enough to see them hold on for a finals spot despite the second half drop off. We know how proud a club Box Hill is and how they pride themselves on having a strong VFL/W list that doesn’t need to rely on the AFL/W to keep them strong, so you can guarantee they will be out hard on the recruiting trail. 61 players passed through the team this year, a huge number in 15 games and that also affects the ability to gel.
Grade: 6/10
2024 REBEL VFL REVIEWS
Essendon
Collingwood
Casey Demons
Carlton
Darebin Falcons
Southern Saints
Geelong Cats
GWS Giants
Sydney Swans
