Box Hill Hawks Football Club

Box Hill Hawks

Names
Full name	Box Hill Hawks Football Club
Nickname(s)	Hawks, Mustangs
Best and fairest	Kyle Cheney
Club details
Founded	1936
Colours	Brown      and Gold
Competition	Victorian Football League
Coach	Marco Bello
Captain(s)	David Mirra
Premierships	7 1939 (ESFL), 1945 (ESFL), 1946 (ESFL), 1984 (VFA Division Two), 1986 (VFA Division Two), 2001 (VFL), 2013 (VFL) Reserves Grade = 4 2006, 2009, 2010, 2011
Ground(s)	Box Hill City Oval (capacity: 12,000)
Other information
Official website	www.boxhillhawks.com.au

Box Hill Hawks Football Club is an Australian rules football club playing in the Victorian Football League. It has an alliance with the Hawthorn Football Club which plays in the Australian Football League.

Early Australian rules football in Box Hill – 1903 to 1936

Organised Australian rules football within the municipality of Box Hill can be traced back to the year 1903. In that year Mr EFG Hodges, the proprietor of the "Reporter" newspaper, founded the "Reporter District Football Association". The six foundation teams were Bayswater, Box Hill, Canterbury, Ferntree Gully, Mitcham and Ringwood. This Box Hill team played on a ground approximately 400 metres south of where Box Hill City Oval is located today, the site is now partly occupied by the Box Hill High School and the Box Hill Cemetery. This team is wholly unrelated to the Box Hill Hawks Football Club of today but was the first team to be known as Box Hill and was the first Australian rules football team in the municipality.

In 1921 a team known as the Box Hill Junior Football Club participated in local competition and in 1923 the Eastern Suburban Protestant Churches Football Association was formed with two teams representing Box Hill; Box Hill United and Box Hill City. The Box Hill City Football Club was the fore-runner of the present day club and was the first to wear the brown and gold uniform associated with later Box Hill teams. In 1932 the Eastern Suburban Football League formed with Box Hill City as a foundation member. In November 1936 this team amalgamated with Box Hill East to become the Box Hill Football Club and this event is now generally regarded as the formation of the present day Club.

Eastern Suburbs Football League years – 1937 to 1950

In 1937 the team moved to the newly constructed Box Hill City Oval after the land south of Whitehorse Road was acquired by the Box Hill Cemetery Trust. The new oval was designed and constructed by the City Engineer, Mr FW Kerr, and provided first class facilities including grand stand with changing rooms and covered races, recorder board, conveniences, committee rooms, timekeeper's box and a kiosk. Chain mesh partitions were provided for the "inner" and "outer" spectator viewing areas. At the time the ground was regarded as the equal of any in Victoria.

The new Box Hill Football Club won the ESFL "B" Grade premiership in its first season (1937) and was runner-up in the "A" Grade the next season. In 1939 the inaugural "A" Grade premiership was won and during the ensuing years the team was a powerful member of the ESFL, making five successive grand final appearances from 1945 to 1949, with premierships in 1945 and 1946. A third consecutive premiership was narrowly missed with the 1947 grand final being lost by 1 point to Mitcham.

Towards the end of the 1940s the Victorian Football Association adopted an expansionist policy aimed at bringing senior football to the newer and younger suburbs of Melbourne, a policy that would see the VFA increase in numbers to from twelve to twenty Clubs by the mid-1960s. The first two Clubs admitted under this new strategy were Box Hill and Moorabbin who, at the end of the 1950 season, were invited to field teams in the VFA for the 1951 season.

VFA years – 1951 to 1995

The Box Hill Football Club made its debut in the VFA on Saturday 21 April 1951, at Preston. The team lost to Preston 7.9(51) to 16.14(110). Success did not come readily at first as the team largely based on its ESFL players and local juniors struggled to make the transition to senior football. The only premiership points gained during this first season were recorded in a drawn match against Williamstown at home in Round 13.

Improvement was steady during the early VFA years and the appointment of former Richmond champion and 1948 Brownlow Medallist Bill Morris as playing coach for the 1952 season proved to be an excellent choice. Morris attracted quality footballers to Box Hill and inspired the team through his own efforts. Morris played with Box Hill for three years and won the best and fairest by a huge margin each season and must still be regarded as one of the very best players ever to represent the club.

In 1956 Box Hill made its initial appearance in the VFA finals under captain-coach Col Austen. It defeated Brunswick in the first semi-final before losing to eventual premiers Williamstown in the preliminary final. Austen again guided the club into the finals in 1958, losing the first semi-final to Port Melbourne.

After the high points of 1956 and 1958, during the ensuing seasons Box Hill's performances began to decline. In 1960 the VFA was a single division of seventeen teams and Box Hill finished tenth. When divisional football was introduced for the 1961 season Box Hill therefore became the final club admitted to the newly formed ten team first division.

Box Hill finished last in the first division in 1961 and therefore became the first team to be relegated to the VFA second division. Divisional football was conducted in the VFA for 28 years from 1961 to 1988 and Box Hill played a total of 24 seasons in the second division (1962 to 1984, 1986). Only Northcote (25 seasons), Sunshine (25 seasons) and Mordialloc (withdrew 3 rounds into its 25th season) were in the lower division for a longer period of time.

In 1960 the VFA introduced Sunday football which, as the only professional sport played in Melbourne on a Sunday, soon developed a large following and became a financial boon for VFA clubs that hosted Sunday matches. Box Hill, a conservative club in a conservative municipality, at first vigorously opposed the introduction of Sunday football and refused to play Sunday games. Even when the club changed its stance and agreed to play on Sundays in 1966, the Box Hill City Council continued to refuse permission for the club to host Sunday matches at Box Hill City Oval. Box Hill did not gain Council's permission to play Sunday matches on its own ground until 1969, the final VFA club to do so. Generally the club struggled throughout the 1960s as it suffered financially by not being able to play Sunday Football at home. Through the 1960s, the club relied on a successful Saturday night dance that it hosted at the Box Hill Town Hall for most of its income. Box Hill finished fourth in the second division in 1962 but did not reach the finals again until 1969 when it also finished fourth.

It was around 1968 that the nickname the "Mustangs" was adopted by the Box Hill Football Club. When the Club joined the VFA it was known as the "White Horses" and for a brief period during the mid-1960s was known as the "Stranglers", an obscure name which did not catch on.

Box Hill's improved form during 1969 was the launching place for a successful 1970 season in which it played Coburg in its first VFA grand final. Box Hill finished third on the ladder and defeated Brunswick in the first semi-final and Sunshine in the preliminary final to qualify for the grand final. Its opponent Coburg had lost only twice during the course of the season but both of these losses were to Box Hill and the Mustangs were therefore given a good chance of winning promotion. Coburg took the lead early and were never seriously threatened thereafter, winning 20.17(137) to 16.11(107).

After missing the finals narrowly in 1971 and 1972, a financial crisis caused by the collapse of the club's Saturday night dance and promises of large player contracts led to Box Hill granting nearly all of its paid players open clearances prior to the 1973 season. This precipitated a horror nine-year period for the club; between 1973 and 1981 it played 162 games for 18 wins, 143 losses and 1 draw. During those nine seasons, Box Hill finished last five times and second last four times and failed to win a game in both the 1973 and 1977 seasons.

Box Hill reached its lowest point in November 1980 when the incumbent committee, burdened by huge accumulated debts and years of poor on-field performances, resigned and called a public meeting at which the club was to be disbanded unless a new committee could be formed. A new committee headed by former club President John Zigouras took over the administration of the club and immediately introduced two administrative reforms. Firstly, former Box Hill player Keith Ralph Jnr was appointed as general manager, making Box Hill the first VFA club to have a full-time, paid administrator. Secondly the club addressed its financial problems by becoming one of the first sporting clubs in Victoria to gain a permit to conduct Bingo sessions.

Box Hill's financial position was stabilised in 1981 and thereafter the club's on-field performances improved rapidly culminating in an outstanding 1984 season in which Box Hill claimed its first VFA premiership in overwhelming fashion, losing only two games for the season and achieving the highest ever score and greatest winning margin ever recorded in a VFA grand final in defeating Oakleigh by 135 points, 32.23(215) to 11.14(80).

For Box Hill, in 1985 its first appearance in first division in 24 years unfortunately coincided with the VFA restructuring its competition. In mid-season it was announced that the bottom 3 teams on the first division ladder would be relegated, rather than the last placed club only. The result for Box Hill was that it immediately returned to second division after just 1 year back in the higher grade.

Box Hill responded by immediately claiming the 1986 second division premiership. It won the first 6 games of the season and thereafter maintained a place near the top of the ladder, finishing 2nd with just 3 losses. Box Hill defeated Sunshine in the second semi-final and again in the grand final to claim its 2nd premiership in 3 years. The grand final was closely fought with Box Hill steadying with the final 2 goals of the match to win by 18 points, 14.14(98) to 11.14(80). The grand final was marred by numerous spiteful incidents, with 6 Sunshine players reported on a total of 13 charges. Not one Box Hill player was reported.

Back in first division Box Hill steadily improved and between 1989 and 1994 experienced its most successful period during its years in the VFA competition, with 4 finals appearances in 6 years. In 1989 former Carlton premiership player Peter Francis guided the club to 3rd place, equalling its best VFA result to that time. In 1991 and 1992 Shane Molloy became the first coach to guide the Mustangs into consecutive finals series. In 1994 Box Hill finished 2nd on the ladder and reached its first major VFA grand final under the coaching of John Murphy. Box Hill established a 24-point lead at 3/4 time against the more favoured Sandringham team but was overrun in the final quarter, losing narrowly 10.9(69) to 11.12(78).

Box Hill's most successful VFA era ironically coincided with the decline of the VFA competition and its ultimate demise. (Refer to the article "Victorian Football Association" for more commentary on the factors contributing to the decline of the competition.) After a high point of 24 clubs in 1983, the competition had dwindled to only 12 clubs by the 1994 season and more significantly the central administration of the VFA was in severe financial difficulty. In order to avoid total collapse, the central administration of the VFA relinquished control of the VFA competition at the end of the 1994 season; it was transferred to the Victorian State Football League which had previously been responsible for establishing and administering the TAC Cup competition. The new administration disbanded the VFA Under 19s and did not offer Dandenong Redlegs, Oakleigh and Prahran licenses in the VFA competition for the 1995 season, leaving just 9 clubs to compete for the VFA premiership for the final time. Box Hill narrowly missed the finals in the last year of VFA competition, finishing 6th.

VFL years – 1996 to 2013

The creation of the Australian Football League from the previous Victorian Football League in 1990 had left a structural void within the heartland of Australian rules football, with no Victorian state based competition to provide a player pathway from the elite Under 18s TAC Cup competition.

In 1995 it was announced that a new state based competition would be formed, to be named the "Victorian Football League", as was its predecessor. Each Club would be linked to a TAC Cup Club and recruiting zone, of which there were to be 8 based in metropolitan Melbourne and 4 in regional Victoria. Initial speculation was that only some of the surviving VFA Clubs would be invited, along with a number of stronger metropolitan and regional Clubs. After a period of some uncertainty, all 9 remaining VFA Clubs, along with North Ballarat and Traralgon were granted licences for the first season of the new VFL competition in 1996. Box Hill was granted the licence for the eastern zone of metropolitan Melbourne, with Eastern Ranges becoming its feeder club from the TAC Cup competition. Box Hill's results in the initial VFL years between 1996 and 1999 showed a club which remained competitive but not able to win enough games to qualify for the Finals.

At the end of the 1998 season, the administrations of the AFL and VFL adopted the recommendations of the "Busse Report", which recommended the amalgamation of the Victorian-based AFL Reserve Grade competition with the VFL competition into a revamped and stronger VFL commencing in season 2000. Victorian based AFL clubs were to be permitted to participate in the VFL competition either by fielding its reserves teams or by entering into an "alignment" partnership with an existing VFL club, whereby the VFL club hosted players from the AFL club, effectively fielding a hybrid team.

Due to the complexities involved in finalising the details of such an arrangement, only 3 AFL clubs participated in an "alignment" partnership in the VFL in 2000. Box Hill and Hawthorn created one of the very first such partnerships, considered to be one of the more natural and logical of such arrangements, due to such factors as both clubs wearing brown and gold playing uniforms and Box Hill being geographically located within the heartland of Hawthorn's membership and supporter base. Moreover, Hawthorn's training base Glenferrie Oval was wholly unsuited to state league football, making the prospect of Hawthorn players playing at a quality suburban venue such as Box Hill City Oval an attractive one for that club. As part of the alignment partnership, Box Hill dropped its "Mustangs" nickname in favour of the "Hawks" nickname of Hawthorn but its brown and gold playing uniform with the large white horse emblem remained unchanged.

The early years of the restructured VFL competition handed a considerable advantage to clubs which had entered into "alignment" partnerships; the blend of full-time, professional AFL listed players with a smaller number of VFL players on most occasions proved to be too strong for "stand alone" VFL clubs composed entirely of part-time, semi-professional footballers. Such was the case for the Box Hill Hawks, which between 2000 and 2005 completed the most successful period of its long history, with 6 consecutive finals appearances.

The Box Hill Hawks claimed its first major division VFL premiership in 2001 under the coaching of former North Melbourne player and Werribee coach Donald McDonald. After finishing the home-and-away season in 2nd place with 15 wins and 5 losses, it defeated Springvale and the Murray Kangaroos to claim a grand final berth against Werribee. Werribee had only lost two games for the season and had twice comfortably defeated the Box Hill Hawks during the home-and-away round, but Box Hill jumped Werribee early and by half-way through the 2nd quarter had established a lead of more than six goals which Werribee was unable to threaten. In the end the Box Hill won comfortably by 37 points, 13.13(91) to Werribee 7.12(54).

The Box Hill Hawks again played in the grand final in 2003 under the coaching of former Western Bulldogs champion and 1990 Brownlow Medallist Tony Liberatore. During the course of the season, the Box Hill Hawks established a club record of 13 consecutive wins, but after losing the qualifying final to Wiliamstown (Box Hill's 1,000th match in VFA/VFL competition), it defeated Werribee and Sandringham in knock-out finals to qualify for a grand final rematch against Wiliamstown. Wiliamstown, at that time aligned to Colingwood, fielded an unprecedented 16 AFL listed players in its grand final team and proved too strong for the Box Hill Hawks, which fought hard after it trailed by more than seven goals at half-time; Wiliamstown eventually prevailed by 29 points 13.14(92) to the Box Hill Hawks 9.9(63).

The 2004 season saw the Box Hill Hawks stage a dramatic mid-season turn around in its fortunes. Following a large turn-over of players after the 2003 grand final defeat, Box Hill lost the opening 6 games of the 2004 season under new coach Andy Collins and after 9 rounds was still last on the ladder with just 1 win. It then proceeded to win 12 games out of 13, winning its way through to the preliminary final before losing to Port Melbourne, just one victory away from a third grand final appearance in four seasons. The Box Hill Hawks made a 6th successive finals series in 2005 but bowed out in the first final, well beaten by Port Melbourne, and missed the finals for the next three years.

Box Hill returned the finals in 2009 for the first time since 2005 following a strong recruiting drive which yielded ex-Melbourne player Adem Yze and former AFL listed players Sam Iles and Ed Curnow. Under first-year coach Brendon Bolton, the team finished 5th on the ladder with 12 wins and 6 losses. It defeated Geelong in the First Elimination Final before narrowly losing an epic semi-final to Port Melbourne 19.10(124) to 19.14 (128) in a game rated as one of the best played in the VFL for many years.

The Box Hill Hawks built on its improved form in 2009 with another strong performance in 2010, again under the leadership of Brendan Bolton. After an indifferent start to the season, the team came home strongly with seven consecutive wins in the second half of the season to again finish 5th on the ladder. In circumstances uncannily reminiscent of the previous season, the Box Hill Hawks won its Elimination Final in strong fashion and again met Port Melbourne in the First Semi-final. In tense a match played in quagmire conditions on Port Melbourne’s home ground; the Box Hill Hawks defeated Port Melbourne for the first time in a finals game 14.11(95) to 12.17(89); the winning goal coming in the dying seconds. North Ballarat ended the Box Hill Hawks season in the Preliminary Final the following week, the match played at Box Hill City Oval.

Under a new senior coach, Springvale games record holder Damian Carroll, the Box Hill Hawks experienced an inconsistent season in 2011, winning just 7 games and losing a number by narrow margins to fall into 8th place on the ladder and qualify for a 3rd successive finals appearance. With a severely weakened team due to Hawthorn resting a number of its A.F.L. players, the Box Hill Hawks fought hard in the Elimination Final against Werribee before going down by 26 points.

VFA / VFL records

VFA / VFL Grand Final appearances

Senior Grade – 1951 to 2015

		Grand Final Scores
Premiers	1984 (VFA Division Two) 1986 (VFA Division Two) 2001 (VFL) 2013 (VFL)	Box Hill 32.23(215) defeated Oakleigh 11.14(80) Box Hill 14.14(98) defeated Sunshine 11.14(80) Box Hill Hawks 13.13(91) defeated Werribee 7.12(54) Box Hill Hawks 14.15(99) defeated Geelong 11.12(78)
Runners Up	1970 (VFA Division Two) 1994 (VFA) 2003 (VFL) 2014 (VFL) 2015 (VFL)	Box Hill 16.11(107) lost to Coburg 20.17(137) Box Hill 10.9(69) lost to Sandringham 11.12(78) Box Hill Hawks 9.9(63) lost to Williamstown 13.14(92) Box Hill Hawks 13.9(87) lost to Footscray 16.13(109) Box Hill Hawks 8.18 (66) lost to Williamstown 18.12 (120)

Reserve Grade – 1951 to 2013

		Grand Final Scores
Premiers	2006 (VFL) 2009 (VFL) 2010 (VFL) 2011 (VFL)	Box Hill Hawks 10.11(71) defeated Williamstown 8.11(59) Box Hill Hawks 16.18(114) defeated Sandringham 13.8(86) Box Hill Hawks 17.20(122) defeated Williamstown 16.9(105) Box Hill Hawks 18.10(118) defeated Coburg Tigers 7.11(53)
Runners Up	1956 (VFA) 1971 (VFA Division Two) 1984 (VFA Division Two) 1993 (VFA) 1995 (VFA) 2008 (VFL) 2012 (VFL) 2013 (VFL) 2014 (VFL) 2015 (VFL)	Box Hill 4.7(31) lost to Williamstown 14.16(100) Box Hill 14.9(93) lost to Brunswick 15.15(105) Box Hill 9.12(66) lost to Brunswick 17.13(115) Box Hill 5.7(37) lost to Sandringham 11.13(79) Box Hill 6.13(49) lost to Springvale 10.16(76) Box Hill Hawks 11.16(82) lost to Williamstown 16.17(113) Box Hill Hawks 15.11(101) lost to Coburg Tigers 16.12(108) Box Hill Hawks 12.12(84) lost to Williamstown 11.19(85) Box Hill Hawks 13.13(91) lost to Williamstown 18.18(126) Box Hill Hawks 8.12(60) lost to Williamstown 8.13(61)

Thirds Grade – 1952 to 1994

		Grand Final Scores
Premiers	1968 (VFA Division Two) 1976 (VFA Division Two)	Box Hill 15.9(99) defeated Sunshine 13.13(91) Box Hill 27.15(177) defeated Sunshine 13.10(88)
Runners Up	1960 (VFA) 1961 (VFA Division One) 1963 (VFA Division Two) 1971 (VFA Division Two) 1975 (VFA Division Two) 1991 (VFA)	Box Hill 7.6(48) lost to Preston 12.8(80) Box Hill 6.12(48) lost to Coburg 9.11(65) Box Hill 6.11(47) lost to Sunshine 9.10(64) Box Hill 8.8(56) lost to Sunshine 14.15(159) Box Hill 12.14(86) lost to Waverley 20.21(141) Box Hill 4.19(43) lost to Frankston 11.10(76)

VFA / VFL highs and lows

Most consecutive wins	Seniors 13 (2003) Reserves 20 (2009–2010) Thirds 23 (1976–1977)
Most consecutive losses	28* (1976 to 1978)
Highest score	Box Hill 44.22(286) v Sunshine 6.12(48) (1983)
Lowest score	Box Hill 2.4(16) v Sunshine 2.8(20) (1963)
Highest score against	Williamstown 42.18 (270) v Box Hill 13.16 (94) (1985)
Lowest score against	Dandenong 1.5 (11) v Box Hill 17.16 (118) (1958)
Greatest winning margin	254 points: Box Hill 39.33 (267) v Sunshine 2.1 (13) (1984)
Greatest losing margin	180 points: Box Hill 9.7 (61) v Waverley 36.25 (241) (1981)
Highest 1st Quarter	14.3 (87) v Williamstown (1978)
Highest 2nd Quarter	13.5 (83) v Sunshine (1983)
Highest 3rd Quarter	13.4 (82) v Brunswick/Broadmeadows (1991) (Match expunged)
Highest 4th Quarter	14.4 (88) v Northcote (1986)
Most senior games	180: Jack Wright (1951 to 1960)
Most senior goals	340: Paul Bolton (1983 to 1990)
Most goals in a game	12: Paul Bolton v Northcote (1986) 12: Paul Bolton v Frankston (1987)

^* Sequence of losses ended by a draw followed by 4 further losses, i.e. 33 matches without a win.

VFA / VFL Best and Fairests

1960	Don Brown	JJ Liston Trophy	VFA
1961	Doug Beasy	JJ Liston Trophy	VFA Division One
1973	Geoff Bryant	J Field Medal	VFA Division Two
1975	Geoff Bryant	J Field Medal	VFA Division Two
1984	Peter Nicholson	J Field Medal	VFA Division Two
2002	Sam Mitchell	JJ Liston Trophy	VFL
2013	Mitch Hallahan	JJ Liston Trophy	VFL
2014	Alex Woodward	JJ Liston Trophy	VFL
2014	Peter McEvoy	A. Todd Medal	VFL Development Squad

VFA / VFL record against other clubs – 1951 to 2013

	played	won	lost	drawn	highest	lowest
Present Clubs:
-v- Bendigo Gold	24	16	8	—	24.23(167) (2001)	8.8(56) (2005)
-v- Casey Scorpions	54	25	29	—	28.13(181) (1983)	5.5(35) (1988)
-v- Coburg Tigers	73	29	43	1	23.16(154) (1994)	5.7(37) (1996)
-v- Collingwood	9	5	4	—	23.15(153) (2012)	7.15(57) (2010)
-v- Essendon	5	3	2	—	18.18(126) (2001)	12.10(82) (2002)
-v- Frankston	68	31	36	1	30.13(193) (2002)	3.13(31) (2005)
-v- Geelong	21	12	9	—	21.20(146) (2005)	9.11(65) (2009)
-v- North Ballarat	26	12	14	—	25.13(163) (2001)	4.5(29) (1998)
-v- Northern Blues	62	33	27	2	26.17(173) (1992)	4.8(32) (1963)
-v- Port Melbourne	67	18	49	—	26.13(169) (2006)	3.4(22) (1953)
-v- Sandringham	65	32	33	—	25.20(170) (1954)	5.8(38) (1961)
-v- Werribee	81	37	44	—	29.24(198) (1972)	3.6(24) (1996)
-v- Williamstown	82	23	56	3	25.16(166) (1978)	3.16(34) (1992)
Former Clubs:
-v- Berwick	5	5	—	—	34.32(236) (1986)	13.22(100) (1983)
-v- Brighton	25	18	7	—	27.16(178) (1960)	5.10(40) (1952)
-v- Brunswick	46	12	34	—	35.24(234) (1991)	3.6(24) (1951)
-v- Camberwell	62	31	30	1	31.26(212) (1989)	5.12(42) (1951)
-v- Carlton	4	4	—	—	18.15(123) (2002)	17.12(114) (2000) 17.12(114) (2001)
-v- Caulfield	24	13	11	—	24.15(159) (1984)	8.2(50) (1973)
-v- Dandenong	22	10	12	—	24.20(164) (1986)	6.10(46) (1991)
-v- Geelong West	16	4	11	1	23.17(155) (1987)	5.6(36) (1964)
-v- Gold Coast	1	1	—	—	19.16(130) (2010)	19.16(130) (2010)
-v- Kilsyth	5	5	—	—	36.17(233) (1984)	18.17(125) (1982)
-v- Moorabbin	24	10	14	—	37.20(242) (1984)	3.10(28) (1954)
-v- Mordialloc	52	20	29	3	36.18(234) (1986)	4.11(35) (1976)
-v- Murray Kangaroos	5	5	—	—	22.13(145) (2002)	13.16(94) (2000)
-v- Northcote	56	15	41	—	36.21(237) (1984)	3.7(25) (1953)
-v- Oakleigh	48	20	28	—	32.23(215) (1984)	5.1(31) (1952)
-v- Prahran	36	16	17	3	23.18(156) (1986)	3.10(28) (1962)
-v- Richmond	1	1	—	—	13.16(94) (2000)	13.16(94) (2000)
-v- St Kilda	1	1	—	—	13.10(88) (2000)	13.10(88) (2000)
-v- Sunshine	47	19	27	1	44.22(286) (1983)	2.4(16) (1963)
-v- Tasmania	12	6	5	1	28.22(190) (2001)	9.8(62) (2006)
-v- Traralgon	4	3	1	—	24.12(156) (1997)	7.12(54) (1997)
-v- Waverley	24	6	18	—	21.27(153) (1976)	5.11(41) (1962) 6.5(41) (1981)
-v- Yarraville	43	13	30	—	26.12(168) (1982)	3.10(28) (1951)
Totals	1200	514	669	17

VFA / VFL season by season record – 1951 to 2014

Year	Competition	Played	Won	Lost	Drawn	Points For	Points Against	Ladder Position	Position After Finals
1951	VFA	20	—	19	1	1122	2340	14/14
1952	VFA	20	2	18	—	1228	1856	13/14
1953	VFA	20	7	13	—	1371	1703	10/14
1954	VFA	20	9	11	—	1582	1459	8/14
1955	VFA	20	10	10	—	1449	1559	7/14
1956*	VFA	22	15	7	—	1528	1251	4/14	Third
1957	VFA	20	11	9	—	1654	1506	7/14
1958*	VFA	19	13	6	—	1552	1167	3/16	Fourth
1959	VFA	20	8	12	—	1590	1623	10/16
1960	VFA	18	9	9	—	1381	1430	10/17
1961	VFA Division One	22	3	18	1	1454	2276	10/10
1962*	VFA Division Two	17	9	8	—	1309	1329	4/8	Fourth
1963	VFA Division Two	16	9	6	1	1103	1078	5/9
1964	VFA Division Two	18	4	14	—	1263	1487	8/8
1965	VFA Division Two	16	6	8	2	1204	1434	6/9
1966	VFA Division Two	18	9	7	2	1701	1465	5/10
1967	VFA Division Two	18	6	12	—	1577	1805	8/10
1968	VFA Division Two	17	3	14	—	1214	1611	10/10
1969*	VFA Division Two	19	9	10	—	1720	2043	4/10	Fourth
1970*	VFA Division Two	21	14	6	1	2323	2094	3/10	Runners Up
1971	VFA Division Two	18	8	10	—	2002	1845	5/10
1972	VFA Division Two	18	6	12	—	1979	2099	7/10
1973	VFA Division Two	18	—	18	—	1475	2568	10/10
1974	VFA Division Two	18	4	14	—	1460	2190	9/10
1975	VFA Division Two	18	1	17	—	1578	2229	10/10
1976	VFA Division Two	18	6	12	—	1835	2392	9/10
1977	VFA Division Two	18	—	18	—	1450	2889	10/10
1978	VFA Division Two	18	1	16	1	1638	2606	10/10
1979	VFA Division Two	18	3	15	—	1673	2710	9/10
1980	VFA Division Two	18	1	17	—	1535	2623	10/10
1981	VFA Division Two	18	2	16	—	1568	2777	9/10
1982	VFA Division Two	18	10	8	—	2043	2128	5/10
1983	VFA Division Two	18	11	6	1	2457	1695	5/12
1984*	VFA Division Two	18	16	2	—	2974	1579	1/11	Premiers
1985	VFA Division One	18	3	14	1	1616	2566	11/12
1986*	VFA Division Two	20	17	3	—	2742	1449	2/12	Premiers
1987	VFA Division One	18	4	13	1	1672	1968	9/10
1988	VFA Division One	18	8	10	—	1616	2011	7/10
1989*	VFA	22	16	5	1	2843	2061	3/14	Third
1990	VFA	18	8	10	—	2273	2149	9/14
1991*	VFA	22	14	8	—	2491	2178	3/12	Third
1992*	VFA	20	11	9	—	2022	1691	5/12	Fourth
1993	VFA	18	10	8	—	1852	1880	6/12
1994*	VFA	22	15	7	—	2480	1807	2/12	Runners Up
1995	VFA	16	8	8	—	1288	1479	6/9
1996	VFL	18	6	12	—	1355	1784	10/11
1997	VFL	18	5	12	1	1324	1521	9/11
1998	VFL	18	5	13	—	1404	1746	9/11
1999	VFL	18	6	11	1	1636	1821	8/11
2000*	VFL	20	13	7	—	1996	1796	7/18	Seventh
2001*	VFL	23	18	5	—	2498	1716	2/16	Premiers
2002*	VFL	21	12	8	1	2296	1821	5/16	Seventh
2003*	VFL	22	16	6	—	2095	1737	3/13	Runners Up
2004*	VFL	21	12	9	—	1869	1818	7/13	Fourth
2005*	VFL	19	7	12	—	1540	1777	8/13	Eighth
2006	VFL	18	6	12	—	1609	2108	10/13
2007	VFL	18	4	13	1	1362	1875	12/13
2008	VFL	20	6	14	–	1757	2051	11/14
2009*	VFL	20	13	7	–	1899	1789	5/13	Sixth
2010*	VFL	21	13	8	–	1947	1805	5/14	Fourth
2011*	VFL	19	7	12	–	1548	1745	8/13	Eighth
2012*	VFL	20	10	10	-	1833	1664	7/13	Sixth
2013*	VFL	21	16	5	-	2144	1552	2/14	Premiers
2014*	VFL	21	15	5	1	1856	1270	4/16	Runners Up
2015*	VFL	21	16	5	-	1797	1184	1/16	Runners Up
TOTALS		1242	545	679	18	114002	120928

^* Denotes Finals appearance

Executive officers, coach, captain and club champion – 1951 to 2013

Year	President	Secretary*	Treasurer	Coach	Captain	Club Champion
1951	W.L. Bassett	S. Fraser	S. Laurie	H. Dunn Snr	A. Mihan	R. Green
1952	W.L. Bassett	S. Fraser	S. Soffer	W. Morris	W. Morris	W. Morris
1953	M.W. Cane	S. Fraser	S. Soffer	W. Morris	W. Morris	W. Morris
1954	M.W. Cane	S. Fraser	S. Soffer	W. Morris	W. Morris	W. Morris
1955	E.C. Miechel	S. Fraser	A. Duke	C. Love	C. Love	H. Dunn Jnr
1956	E.C. Miechel	S. Fraser	A. Duke	C. Austen	C. Austen	C. Love
1957	E.C. Miechel	S. Fraser	A. Duke	C. Austen	C. Love	B. Craig
1958	E. Hammond	S. Fraser	A. Duke	C. Austen	C. Love	A. Gooch
1959	E. Hammond	S. Fraser	D. Marsh	C. Austen	R. Taylor	B. Craig
1960	E. Hammond	S. Fraser	D. Marsh	D. Beasy	D. Beasy	D. Brown
1961	E. Hammond	S. Fraser	P. Burns	D. Beasy	D. Beasy	B. Craig
1962	E. Hammond	S. Fraser	P. Burns	D. Beasy	D. Beasy	B. Craig
1963	R. Shineberg	D. Marsh	P. Burns	A. Gardiner	A. Gardiner	B. Craig
1964	R. Shineberg	D. Marsh	E. Mansfield	A. Gardiner	A. Gardiner	A. Gardiner
1965	R. Shineberg	D. Marsh	E. Mansfield	A. Gardiner	A. Gardiner	C. Fellows
1966	R. Shineberg	A. Matthews	E. Mansfield	A. Gardiner	A. Gardiner	I. Bates
1967	R. Shineberg	E. Mansfield	A. Matthews	A. Gardiner	A. Gardiner	G. Fellows
1968	R. Shineberg	E. Mansfield	P. Burns	W. Arthur B. Coghlan	I. Bates	G. Bryant
1969	R. Shineberg	A. Matthews	P. Burns	J. Walker	J. Walker	T. Dawson
1970	R. Harris	A. Matthews	E. Mansfield	G. Ireland	G. Ireland	J. Baker
1971	R. Harris	K. Ralph Snr	I. Hansen	R. Johnson	R. Johnson	L. Thompson
1972	B. Coghlan	K. Ralph Snr	T. Smith	K. McNamee	K. McNamee	K. Ralph Jnr
1973	B. Coghlan	R. Hopper	L. McQualter	P. Langley G. Ireland	K. Ralph Jnr	G. Bryant
1974	B. Coghlan	D. Wanless	L. McQualter	G. Ireland	G. Bryant	A. Curtis
1975	J.N. Zigouras	J. Dowsley	J. Brown	G. Bryant	G. Bryant	G. Bryant
1976	J.N. Zigouras	J. Dowsley	J. Morgan	L. Foote	G. Bryant	V. Lawther
1977	J.N. Zigouras	J. Dowsley	S. Cromb	W. Kirby K. Smith	J. Tuckwell	G. Cook
1978	J.N. Zigouras	K. Ralph Snr	S. Cromb	K. Smith	K. Ralph Jnr	M. Connolly
1979	J.N. Zigouras	K. Ralph Snr	C. McGary	P. Langley	K. Ralph Jnr	C. Cruse
1980	N. Moore	J. Richards	C. McGary	P. Langley	C. Cruse	S. Harper
1981	J.N. Zigouras	K. Ralph Jnr	S. Cromb	P. Pettigrew	P. Pettigrew	P. Pettigrew
1982	J.N. Zigouras	K. Ralph Jnr	K. Ralph Jnr	E. Moore	M. Connolly	S. Witnish
1983	J.N. Zigouras	K. Ralph Jnr	K. Ralph Jnr	E. Moore	G. Withers	P. Nicholson
1984	J.N. Zigouras	K. Ralph Jnr	G. Ralph	E. Moore	G. Withers	P. Nicholson
1985	J.N. Zigouras	E. Sutherland	S. Cromb	E. Moore	G. Withers	S. Teakel
1986	W. White	E. Sutherland	S. Cromb	R. Murrie	R. Murrie	D. Bourke
1987	W. White	E. Sutherland	S. Cromb	H. Martin	M. Turner	P. Nicholson
1988	J.N. Zigouras	M. Kainey	L. Robertson	H. Martin	M. Turner	D. Pevitt
1989	J.N. Zigouras	M. Kainey	L. Robertson	P. Francis	P. Francis	L. Zarafa
1990	J.N. Zigouras	M. Reeves	J. Ure	P. Francis	P. Francis	M. Lisle
1991	J.N. Zigouras	N. Dalrymple	J. Ure	S. Molloy	M. Lisle	L. Zarafa
1992	J.N. Zigouras	N. Dalrymple	J. Ure	S. Molloy	M. Lisle	C. Watson
1993	J.N. Zigouras	B. McMahon	J. Ure	J. Murphy	M. Lisle	D. Banfield
1994	J.N. Zigouras	G. Randall	J. Ure	J. Murphy	D. Banfield	T. Livingstone
1995	G.D. Cohen	G. Randall	A. Panther	J. Murphy	D. Banfield	Z. Badrock
1996	G.D. Cohen	G. Randall	J. Ure	J. Murphy	D. Banfield	D. Payne
1997	R.S. Collier	G. Randall	J. Ure	J. Murphy	T. Livingstone	T. Livingstone
1998	R.S. Collier	G. Randall	J. Ure	J. Murphy	D. Wilkinson	C. Crowley
1999	R.S. Collier	G. Randall	J. Ure	B. Mason	D. Wilkinson	A. Slater
2000	A. Pinwill	A. McDonald	J. Ure	D. McDonald	B. Hartin	M. Brewer
2001	A. Pinwill	L. Jervis	J. Ure	D. McDonald	M. Brewer	J. Baird
2002	A. Pinwill	A. Pirchan	J. Ure	D. McDonald	M. Brewer	S. Mitchell
2003	J.D. Ure	A. Pirchan	not appointed	A. Liberatore	A. Pugsley	M. Ball
2004	J.D. Ure	A. Pirchan	not appointed	A. Collins	C. Alleway	S. Bailey
2005	J.D. Ure	A. Pirchan	not appointed	A. Collins	C. Alleway	S. Greene
2006	J.D. Ure	A. Pirchan	not appointed	D. Christensen	K. Height	M. Ball
2007	J.D. Ure	A. Pirchan	not appointed	D. Christensen	K. Height	N. Smith
2008	J.D. Ure	A. Pirchan	not appointed	B. Mitchell	A. Neville	S. Kenna
2009	J.D. Ure	A. Pirchan	not appointed	B. Bolton	L. Markovic S. Kenna (co-captains)	S. Iles
2010	J.D. Ure	A. McLeish	not appointed	B. Bolton	Stephen Kenna	Ed Curnow
2011	A. Pinwill	E. Fenton	not appointed	D. Carroll	S. Gibson	S. Gibson
2012	A. Pinwill	E. Fenton	not appointed	D. Carroll	B.Muston D. Pratt (co-captains)	T. Schneider
2013	A. Pinwill	P.Barnard	not appointed	D. Carroll	D. Pratt	K. Cheney

^* General Manager from 1981

Box Hill / Box Hill Hawks players drafted to AFL

Player	Draft	Drafted By	Played With	Total AFL Games
Andy Goodwin	1987 National	Richmond	Richmond (56 games) Melbourne (17 games)	73
Peter Bourke	1988 National	Essendon	Essendon (1 game) Fitzroy (22 games)	23
Grant Lawrie	1989 National	St Kilda	Fitzroy (151 games) St Kilda (17 games)	168
Ron De Iulio	1991 National	Carlton	Carlton	104
Tim Livingstone	1992 Mid-Year	Richmond	Richmond	8
Jarrod Molloy	1993 National	Fitzroy (father/son rule)	Fitzroy (59 games) Brisbane (61 games) Collingwood (49 games)	169
Andrew Nichol	1995 Pre-Season	Footscray	Footscray	3
Matthew Bishop	1997 Rookie	Melbourne	Melbourne (18 games) Port Adelaide (132 games)	150
Troy Simmonds	1999 Pre-Season	Melbourne	Melbourne (40 games) Fremantle (64 games) Richmond (93 games)	197
Simon Godfrey	1999 National	Melbourne	Melbourne	105
Sam Mitchell	2001 National	Hawthorn	Hawthorn	285*
John Baird	2002 Rookie	Kangaroos	Kangaroos	46
Michael Firrito	2003 Rookie	Kangaroos	Kangaroos	253*
Matthew Ball	2003 National	Hawthorn	Hawthorn	17
Stephen Kenna	2003 National	Carlton	Carlton	5
Michael Rix	2004 Rookie	Hawthorn	St Kilda	29
Simon Taylor	2004 National	Hawthorn	Hawthorn	85
Cameron Howat	2005 Rookie	Richmond	Richmond	21
Ben McGlynn	2005 Rookie	Hawthorn	Hawthorn Sydney	44 109*
Lukas Markovic	2009 National	Western Bulldogs	Western Bulldogs	29
Sam Iles	2009 Rookie	Gold Coast Suns	Collingwood Gold Coast Suns	7 16
Ed Curnow	2010 Rookie	Carlton	Carlton	88*
Cameron Pedersen	2010 Rookie	North Melbourne	North Melbourne Melbourne	16 36*
Robert Campbell	2010 Rookie	Melbourne	Hawthorn	116
Will Sierakowski	2011 trade	North Melbourne	North Melbourne	7
Jarrad Boumann	2011 trade	Greater Western Sydney	Hawthorn	2
Sam Gibson	2011 Rookie	North Melbourne	North Melbourne	85*
Adam Pattison	2011 Rookie	Hawthorn	Richmond 61 St Kilda 5	0
Matt Jones	2012 Draft	Melbourne	Melbourne	51*
Derick Wanganeen	2013 Rookie	Hawthorn	Hawthorn	1
Sam Collins	2015 AFL draft	Fremantle	Fremantle	0*

^* Indicates AFL listed player in 2016.
All games totals to end of 2015 season.

"Greatest Ever Team"

(as announced in 2000, covering period 1951 to 2000)

Back	Jack Wright (180 games, 32 goals)	David Banfield (137 games, 5 goals)	John Baker (155 games, 87 goals)
Half-Back	Cliff Eade (125 games, 63 goals)	Bruce Craig (146 games, 34 goals)	Ron Irvine (133 games, 3 goals)
Centre	Keith White (171 games, 109 goals)	Geoff Bryant (147 games, 195 goals)	Alex Gardiner (73 games, 61 goals)
Half Forward	Peter Nicholson (142 games, 279 goals)	David Plunkett (114 games, 91 goals)	Ian Bates (165 games, 156 goals)
Forward	Don Brown (113 games, 181 goals)	Paul Bolton (99 games, 340 goals)	Darron Wilkinson (101 games, 287 goals)
Followers	Bill Morris (58 games, 101 goals)	Tim Livingstone (77 games, 74 goals)	Laurie Zarafa (132 games, 175 goals)
Interchange	Peter Bourke (83 games, 65 goals)	Doug Gleeson (127 games, 74 goals)	Mark Lisle (84 games, 45 goals)
	Colin Love (124 games, 24 goals)
Captain	Alex Gardiner
Vice-Captain	Bill Morris
Coach	Eric Moore

Box Hill Hawks Football Club in popular culture

• On Sunday 26 June 1988 at a match between Box Hill and Frankston played at Box Hill City Oval, Box Hill coach Harold Martin rode on a cherry picker while delivering his 3/4 time address to the Box Hill team. Martin was serving a suspension that prevented him from entering the playing arena. He circumvented the ban by being hoisted by the cherry picker over the boundary fence and several metres inside the playing arena without actually touching the ground. The incident has been recounted and referred to in several publications since in the context of describing extreme acts that coaches have undertaken in an attempt to motivate their teams.

• In an episode of Kath & Kim, Brett and Kim are shown at a suburban football match. Both are wearing brown and gold scarves and ABC footage of a VFA match played in 1988 between Box Hill and Preston is used. Peter Rowsthorn, who plays the role of Brett, has been Number One Ticket Holder of the Box Hill Hawks Football Club since 2005.

• Since 2004 the federal member for Chisholm, Anna Burke, and the federal member for Gellibrand, Nicola Roxon, have established their own rivallry and bet on the outcome of VFL matches between Box Hill and Williamstown. The bet usually involves the loser being required to perform a task such as wearing the guernsey of the victorious team into the House of Representatives or displaying the guernsey in the window of their electorate office.

Jumpers

1937 to 1974
Brown jumper with a gold vee and small white horse logo on left hand breast.

1975 to 2011
Prior to the 1975 season, the VFA encouraged a number of its member Clubs to adopt a more colourful playing uniform to coincide with the introduction of colour television to Australia. Box Hill adopted its iconic and most widely recognised jumper, consisting of gold and brown vertical thirds (brown in the middle), with a brown back, gold numbers, and a large white "Wild Mustang" logo in the centre of the front of the jumper.

2012 to present
Box Hill adopted the identical jumper to its AFL affiliate Hawthorn, the only difference being that the white "Wild Mustang" logo was retained, located in the centre of the front of the jumper and approximately half the size that it was previously.

References

• "Box Hill Football Club Yearbook", Box Hill Football Club, Melbourne, 1951
• "Box Hill Football Club Souvenir History", Box Hill Football Club, Melbourne, 1961
• "Box Hill Football Club Souvenir History", Box Hill Football Club, Melbourne, 2000
• Box Hill Hawks Football Club 57th Annual Report 2007
• Box Hill Hawks Football Club 58th Annual Report 2008

External links

• Official Box Hill Hawks site
• Full Points Footy Profile for Box Hill Hawks