The Box Hill Hawks have bolstered their squad for the 2025 VFL season with the addition of two former AFL-listed players, Ethan Stanley and Kye Declase.
Both players bring valuable experience and versatility to the club as they look to strengthen their roster under head coach Zane Littlejohn.
Ethan Stanley, 21, returns to Box Hill after a brief stint in the AFL with Fremantle.
The Frankston native initially caught the Hawks' eye during his six-game spell with the club in early 2023, impressing with his endurance, ball use and work rate.
His performances earned him selection in the 2023 Young Guns game and eventually saw him drafted by Fremantle with pick eight in the mid-season rookie draft.
Stanley made his AFL debut as the medical substitute in round 19 of 2023 against Sydney and played two senior games for the Dockers. Despite flashes of potential, including strong showings in the WAFL for Peel Thunder, Stanley was delisted at the end of the 2024 season.
Joining Stanley at Box Hill is 27-year-old Kye Declase, another former AFL-listed player who has excelled at the VFL level.
Declase, a versatile utility capable of playing as a tall defender, winger, or forward, had a brief stint with Melbourne in 2021 after being drafted mid-season from Werribee.
Though he didn't play an AFL game, Declase has consistently been a standout performer in the VFL, including representing the league in a mid-season clash against the SANFL in 2024.
After returning to local football with Hurstbridge during the Northern Football Netball League finals campaign, Declase now brings his mature body and leadership to Box Hill.
With these acquisitions, the Hawks aim to build on their middling 2024 VFL campaign and reassert themselves as contenders in the 2025 season.
