Five AFL clubs saw their reserves feature in the VFL on Sunday as the afternoon played host to four fixtures.
Kicking off the day was Hawthorn’s affiliate Box Hill facing the Northern Bullants in Preston.
Facing off against the bottom-placed side, the Hawks got the job done easily as they breezed to a 59–115 win.
Box Hill’s Callum Porter was everywhere for the winning side, picking up a whopping 41 disposals in a best-afield performance.
He was well supported by Daniel Howe (29 disposals), Tom Phillips (26 disposals) and Jai Serong (21 disposals) who all pressed their cases for senior recalls with solid outings.
On the Gold Coast, Southport played host to Essendon in the other early game, with the Bombers knocking off the second-place Sharks 85–87 to pick up their fifth win of the season.
For the Dons, James Stewart (four goals) continued to impress in his forward switch, while Massimo D’Ambrosio (19 disposals) and Nick Bryan (14 disposals, 44 hitouts) put their hands up for AFL selection.
Most pleasingly for the Dons, Michael Hurley looked strong in his second game back with a goal and 11 disposals, a far better return than his five-disposal first showing against the Suns last week.
Also in the Sunshine State, Brisbane played host to Gold Coast in a state-level Q Clash at the Moreton Bay Central Sports Complex.
Unlike the AFL, it was the Suns who took the points with an 89-91 win to improve their VFL record to 9-6.
For the winners, midfielder Brayden Fiorini responded to his AFL axing with a prolific 32 disposals while Jack Bowes (three goals, 18 disposals) also continued to press his claims for selection.
For Brisbane, Tom Fullarton (four goals) made a big impact while first-round pick Kai Lohmann was impressive with one goal and 21 disposals.
Heading back to Victoria, St Kilda’s affiliate Sandringham hosted Port Melbourne at Trevor Barker Beach Oval as the Borough ran out 72–123 winners.
While they went down in defeat, Stephen Milne’s son Tyson was huge for the Zebras with 25 disposals and one goal, while listed Saints Tom Highmore (27 disposals) and Jack Bytel (20 disposals) were strong.
First-year Saints Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera (14 disposals) and Mitchito Owens (two goals, 24 disposals) were also impressive, while Dan Hannebery continues his push to prove his fitness with 26 touches.
With Round 18 in the books, the VFL has four rounds remaining before the finals series kicks off.
Photo: @essendonvfl Twitter.