Big-bodied midfielder Hugh Greenwood returns to the VFL side after being omitted from the AFL side, along with Charlie Lazarro.
14:48
Also named to play Box Hill, who sit above the Roos in fifth on the ladder, are VFL-listed players Hayden Smith, Bode Stevens, Ben Bath, Jarrod Lienert and Jason McCormick.
Young defenders Josh Goater and Jackson Archer come out of the side, having been selected by interim coach Brett Ratten and his match committee to face the Hawks in the AFL. Curtis Taylor also returns to the AFL side, while Dan Howe has been named as an AFL emergency.
Louis Butler and Sam Lowson are out injured while Tom O'Sullivan has been omitted.
You can live stream the match via AFL.com.au and the AFL Live Official App.
Follow the @NMFCReserves accounts on Twitter, Instagram and Facebook to stay across everything happening at the match, and don't forget to use #Kangas.
NEVER MISS A THING
Add the Kangaroos' AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW fixtures to your calendar. You'll also receive official club events!
VFL R17 match report: Hawks edge Roos in nail-biter
Box Hill has ended North Melbourne's six-game win streak in the VFL, winning by five points in a tightly contested clash at Arden Street Oval
Will Phillips looks to spot up a teammate on his non-preferred foot against Box Hill. Picture: Henry Barker/NMFC Media
North Melbourne's six-game win streak in the VFL has come to an end after a nail-biting clash with Box Hill at Arden Street Oval on Sunday afternoon.
The Kangaroos didn’t relinquish the lead they gained a minute into the game until midway through the final term, when the Hawks booted three consecutive goals to hit to the front.
Kayne Turner's second major of the afternoon saw North Melbourne hit back, but a Max Hall goal moments later for the visitors was ultimately the sealer as Box Hill held on to win 10.13 (73) to 10.8 (68).
13:35
"We knew going in how they (Box Hill) wanted to play and probably too often throughout the day we felt like they had control and played it on their terms," VFL coach Tom Lynch told NMFC Media.
"We certainly had plenty of opportunities ourselves. We started really well and had several scoring chances, but we just weren't able to connect going inside 50 or able to defend our own defensive 50."
After a string of three quick behinds to start the contest, it was Robbie Hansen jnr who slotted the first goal of the game for a second straight week, following a well-weighted chipped ball from Kayne Turner.
Phoenix Spicer, who was continuously involved in North Melbourne attacking chains early, added a second with a smoothly taken snap before Josh Morris broke through for Box Hill's first at the other end.
Following a ferocious Will Phillips (24 disposals, six clearances) tackle, back-to-back goals from Tyler Sellers saw the Roos stretch their lead to 21 points, but the Hawks began to work their way into things through the damaging Sam Butler.
— North Melbourne Reserves (@NMFCReserves) July 16, 2023
The link-up between half-back Aaron Hall (43 disposals, 11 marks) and midfielder Charlie Lazzaro (28 disposals, four clearances) created early issues for Box Hill at the beginning of the second quarter, but despite set shot majors from Turner and Sellers, it was the visitors who were largely in control.
However, their inaccuracy in front of goal saw the Roos hold a steady advantage of 14 points heading into the main break.
Working alongside Lazzaro and Phillips was Hugh Greenwood (24 disposals, 13 tackles, seven clearances) who inspired his side with a terrific finish at the start of the second half.
— North Melbourne Reserves (@NMFCReserves) July 16, 2023
With the contest battle going up a gear as both sides strived to pull away from each other, North Melbourne's buffer slimmed down to five points with a term to play after a late goal from Box Hill's Brandon Ryan.
With the four points there for the taking, it was Blake Drury who crumbed a pack and utilised the vacant goalsquare by bouncing one home on his non-preferred foot to kickstart his side's fourth-quarter drive.
Todd Goldstein (28 disposals, 35 hitouts, 11 marks) continued to dominate in the middle and over the ground after an impactful first three quarters, but despite his individual efforts, it was Box Hill that pegged four of the last five goals to triumph, doing so off the back of its pressure and ability to stifle North Melbourne's run from the back half.
The veteran ruck had an opportunity late to level the scores, but his left-foot snap sailed across the face.
"Goldy's been outstanding for us and that was one of the other disappointing things – we gained ascendancy from him in the ruck today, he gave our midfielders first use and his hitouts to advantage were really clean and gave us positive exits from stoppages, but we weren’t able to capitalise on that," Lynch said.
"Too often the ball bounced out of our front half to our defensive 50 far too easily. Our fundamentals were just not where they've been for two months really.
"Hopefully this was an anomaly in terms of what we've seen … but, saying all that, we still had a chance to win the game at the end there so the guys should take a lot of confidence out of being in that contest.
"We're really bullish in our ability to bounce back, we’ve got a week off next week but we're confident with the footy we've been playing and the trend of how we've been playing is of a consistent brand … we just weren't at our best today."
Having "reported some calf tightness" prior to the bounce, veteran midfielder Ben Cunnington was a late withdrawal and was replaced by Alex Noblett.
NEVER MISS A THING
Add the Kangaroos' AFL, AFLW, VFL and VFLW fixtures to your calendar. You'll also receive official club events!
