VFL 2019: Eighty-seven players in contention for Box Hill Hawks All Stars
With 87 names including Sam Mitchell, Josh Kennedy, Brad Sewell and Chance Bateman to choose from, selecting an All-Star team from the first 20 years of Hawthorn and Box Hill’s alignment is not going to be easy.
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As soon as the pre-counted votes up to Round 10 were announced, a gasp went around the room.
On the Box Hill Hawks table, coach Donald McDonald asked his young player Sam Mitchell how many more games he played for the season.
“Four,’’ Mitchell replied.
“Well, you better get your bloody acceptance speech ready!’’ McDonald shot back.
It was the 2002 VFL JJ Liston Trophy, being counted at the Skyline Room at Melbourne Park.
And after the first 10 rounds it was Mitchell first and daylight second.
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From seven games he had picked up 21 votes — best-afield in all of them. From the remaining four he gained another 10 votes to finish on 31.
“It was all over pretty early,’’ Box Hill Hawks director John Ure recalled.
Coburg’s Dean Talbot was second on 19 and Bendigo’s Mark Bradley third on 18.
Mitchell joined Preston (and later Collingwood star) Ray Shaw in becoming a 19-year-old winner of the Liston, and he remains the only Liston champion to poll votes in every game he played.
Of course, he went on to a distinguished AFL career with Hawthorn, and these days attends Box Hill Hawks matches as a member of the Hawthorn coaching staff.
Mitchell’s Liston romp is being recalled as the Box Hill Hawks prepare to name an All Stars team marking 20 years of the Box Hill and Hawthorn VFL alignment.
Eighty-seven players have qualified for selection.
They must have played 40 VFL games for Box Hill Hawks (VFL or AFL-listed) or 10 games as a VFL player drafted from Box Hill who then appeared at AFL level, as Mitchell did.
From Eastern Ranges, he started 2001 in Box Hill’s reserves. He finished it runner-up as club champion, best first-year player and tied with John Baird as best finals player. Hawthorn grabbed him at No. 36 in the national draft.
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It will be a VFL-style All Stars team, with five players on the bench, including a 23rd man.
From next Monday supporters will be invited to go online and have a dash at picking the side. The six who get closest will win a commemorative “All Stars” jumper signed by the captain and coach.
The Box Hill Hawks All Stars will be announced on Saturday, August 24 at the home game against Collingwood.
Ure, the non-voting chairman of selectors, said it was a powerful combination.
Eligible players include Swans captain Josh Kennedy, premiership Hawks Brad Sewell and Chance Bateman, Carlton’s Ed Curnow and late-developing Kangaroo Sam Gibson.
Asked if there was room for Mitchell, Ure said: “Well, we can name four on the bench, so we might be able to slip him in!’’
The Box Hill and Hawthorn alliance was one of the first finalised when the VFL was revamped in 2000.
“Out of the alignments, it was probably the most straightforward and the most obvious, geographically and with the brown and gold colours, and the fact that there had always been an interchange of players between Box Hill and Hawthorn,’’ Ure, who was involved in the talks, said.
“Both sides went into it with a sense of goodwill. I think some of the alignments that have fallen apart over the years have been because the VFL club treated the AFL club like an invading force. We always thought it was a partnership, for developing Hawthorn players and allowing Box Hill to be successful. It’s got to work for both of us. I think we had the right attitude from the start.
“Twenty years down the track and it’s funny, the agreement we signed 20 years ago hasn’t changed all that much. So we got a few things right early on.’’
BOX HILL HAWKS ALL STARS CONTENDERS
1: Clinton Alleway (58 games, 97 goals)
2. Luke Andrews* (54, 21)
3. John Baird (29, 4)
4. Matthew Ball (102, 23)
5. Chance Bateman (48, 20)
6. Jarrd Boumann (27, 0)
7. Tim Boyle (48, 57)
8. Kaiden Brand (44, 1)
9. Luke Brennan (46, 9)
10. Matthew Brewer (91, 60)
11. Anthony Brolic* (45, 34)
12. Robert Campbell (53, 19)
13. Kyle Cheney (57, 4)
14. Tim Clarke (43, 29)
15. Sam Collins (38, 11)
16. Tyson Collins (49, 12)
17. Adrian Cox (49, 26)
18. Ed Curnow (33, 11)
19. Zac Dawson (58, 21)
20. Beau Dowler (63, 63)
21. Taylor Duryea (45, 11)
22. Nick Evans* (53, 9)
23. Ben Fagan (41, 33)
24. Michael Firrito (19, 4)
25. Michael Georgiadis (64, 23)
26. Sam Gibson (103, 98)
27. Tom Gordon (47, 19)
28. Steven Greene (65, 40)
29. Sam Grimley (69, 128)
30. Mitch Hallahan (48, 30)
31. Tim Hazell (47, 44)
32. Kurt Heatherley (77, 4)
33. Kristan Height (78, 46)
34. Cameron Howat (21, 9)
35. Sam Iles (96, 43)
36. Brett Johnson (49, 25)
37. Matthew Jones (17, 7)
38. Ben Kane (59, 44)
39. Jordan Kelly (55, 12)
40. Stephen Kenna (69, 65)
41. Josh Kennedy (41, 18)
42. Hayden Kiel (56, 6)
43. Will Langford (57, 29)
44. Patrick Lawlor (58, 46)
45. Jordan Lisle (52, 77)
46. Angus Litherland (71, 6)
47. Matthew Little (40, 80)
48. David Loats (50, 35)
49. Marc Lock (81, 43)
50. Kieran Lovell (40, 14)
51. Luke Lowden (72, 56)
52. Lukas Markovic (47, 4)
53. Ben McGlynn (42, 24)
54. Teia Miles (68, 41)
55. Riley Milne (40, 12)
56. David Mirra* (142, 15)
57. Sam Mitchell (28, 20)
58. Andrew Moore (40, 30)
59. Jarryd Morton (53, 27)
60. Tom Murphy (53, 12)
61. Xavier Murphy (49, 38)
62. Beau Muston (48, 26)
63. Ben Neagle (53, 12)
64. Brad Neil (55, 22)
65. Tim O’Brien (69, 71)
66. Mitch O’Donnell* (59, 16)
67. Jonathon O’Rourke (54, 15)
68. Michael Osborne (56, 38)
69. Adam Pattison (26, 16)
70. Cameron Pedersen (59, 57)
71. Marc Pittonet (73, 17)
72. Andrew Pugsley (83, 55)
73. Nick Ries (40, 24)
74. Michael Rix (40, 5)
75. Sam Rudolph (40, 17)
76. Ryan Schoenmakers (58, 36)
77. Brad Sewell (47, 17)
78. Matthew Smith (49, 15)
79. Matthew Suckling (40, 21)
80. Sam Switkowski* (27, 27)
81. Simon Taylor (37, 33)
82. Joshua Thurgood (45, 0)
83. Travis Tuck (47, 8)
84. Derek Wanganeen (66, 42)
85. Brendan Whitecross (82, 39)
86. Mark Williams (57, 93)
87. Dallas Willsmore (88, 62)
* Eligible to be selected as 23rd player
Statistics to end VFL Round 6, 2019
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