Andy Gowers on Hawthorn’s trade aggression, another presidential term, Dingley and Tassie

Oscar Allen, Harley Reid … who else? The Hawks are on the hunt, according to president Andy Gowers, who opens up on aggression at the trade table, another bid as top Hawk, and more.

Hawthorn has vowed to be bold and aggressive in the player acquisition market this year and into the future, with president Andy Gowers insisting the club would be “derelict” in their duty if they weren’t pushing hard to make things happen.

In an exclusive interview, where he announced his intention to run for another three-year term as Hawks president, Gowers indicated his club would be a major player during October’s trade and free agency period.

“We make no apologies for attempting to improve our list, we are exploring all avenues and that’s a mix of mature players and young players,” Gowers said.

Prime minister Anthony Albanese and Hawthorn president Andy Gowers. Picture: Michael Klein

“You always have to keep topping up your talent with draft recruits, but you also have to look at free agency and trading. It’s about being bold … and we think that will continue to be the model to pursue.”

Gowers said the club had great faith in the blossoming crop of players who made it through to a semi-final last year and were on track for another September shot this year.

But he said the club was always on the lookout to get better, having brought in a swag of players from rival AFL clubs across the past three years, including big-name recruits Tom Barrass and Josh Battle late last year.

Coach Sam Mitchell raised eyebrows when he met with West Coast captain Oscar Allen earlier in the season, while he also attracted attention when he was pictured sitting alongside Eagles midfield tyro Harley Reid at Barrass’ wedding in February.

The Hawks are understood to be one of a number of clubs keeping close tabs on Reid.

Gowers said the Hawks had a good recent record of not only attracting talent but also getting the best out of them, while detailing how the club plans to use its state-of-the-art Kennedy Community Centre at Dingley as yet another carrot to attract players.

He said the board had given an imprimatur to the football department, led by executive general manager of football Rob McCartney – whom he described as equal to any footy boss in the AFL – to keep chasing talent where required.

“We are in a competition and we will have other people (clubs) talking to our players, so it is incumbent on us (to do the same),” he said.

“We would be derelict if we didn’t do it.”

Oscar Allen met with Sam Mitchell mid-season. Picture: Morgan Hancock/Getty Images.

While Gowers had no intention of going into specifics about who the club was chasing, he stressed the Hawks would be active with McCartney, Mitchell and national recruiting and list manager Mark McKenzie playing big roles in the process.

“I don’t know whether it is by design or not, but Rob (McCartney) can fly under the radar, but he is at least the equal of the No. 1 general manager of footy in the competition,” Gowers said.

“Rob heads up the footy department and he does an outstanding job. He keeps us updated on our strategy. He has been clear and transparent with what we are doing, why we are doing it, and communicating that to the board, the staff, the members and the fans.”

RUNNING AGAIN

When Gowers was voted in as president in December 2022, Hawthorn was coming off a divisive election campaign while caught up in the midst of racism allegations made by several First Nations past players and family members.

As a result, he had to work on uniting the club, while seeking a resolution to the allegations made by a handful of former players including four-time premiership hero Cyril Rioli.

“It is a great privilege and honour to be president of our wonderful club,” he said. “I knew that coming in, (but) we were dealing with quite a few issues at the time, so it is fair to say that the sleeves were rolled up from day one.

“We had a lot on our plate. But it was really important to deal with those issues properly and I think to a large degree we have. You can always do things better in retrospect, but we did the things as well as we could at the time.

“When I campaigned to be elected, my number one thing was unity and I think we are pretty close with that.

“Whenever there is agitation, if you can focus on what actually unites you, it’s a pretty good starting point. If you do what is in the club’s best interests, that’s a pretty good North Star.”

The Hawks settled a federal-court case with Indigenous former players and their families last November, and apologised to them for their experiences “without determination of any parties’ allegations”.

He said the door remained open for Rioli, who has been estranged from the club since his departure in 2018, to return at any stage that he wanted.

Gowers said the club had resolved some of the issues he inherited when he took over as president, and he and the board could now look into future opportunities in his next term if re-elected.

DINGLEY TIMELINE

Hawthorn will get the keys to its new $100m Kennedy Community Centre in Dingley in late August or early September, but Gowers has revealed the club won’t officially move in until after the men’s program has finished.

There had been speculation that the Hawks could move into its new home during the finals series, but that has now been ruled out.

Gowers said the move from Waverley – which has been sold to the AFL – to the Kennedy Community Centre was “a landmark moment” for the club.

“We made this decision … when we were in the middle of the three-peat (2013-2015),” he said. “We have raised a lot of money to ensure the Kennedy Community Centre is debt-free and our club is debt-free.

Hawthorn president Andy Gowers joins players Will Day and Jas Fleming at the new Hawthorn Dingley community centre. Picture: Jake Nowakowski

“Stage one is ready, and there are some strategic question marks on what it will look like beyond stage one.

“We have a fairly recent history with strong commercial returns from two or three gaming venues and we are now out of those. But what makes sense for Hawthorn commercially which ties in with us morally … is a really important thing for us to get right.”

He said the Hawks were well placed to play finals again this season, but need to keep working hard across the last five weeks of the home and away season, including Thursday’s clash with Carlton.

“If we are good enough, we can make it,” he said. “We have the future in our own hands.”

DEVILISH RIVALRY

Hawthorn is already in discussions with the Tasmania Devils Football Club and with Tasmanian state and local government about forging a close but competitive rivalry with the AFL’s newest franchise.

The Hawks have a deal to play four home games in Launceston until the end of the 2027 season, but intend to keep a presence in Tasmania even when the Devils are scheduled to come into the AFL in 2028.

“We’ve got 25 years of history there, so that means a quarter of our time in the VFL-AFL has been in Tassie,” Gowers said.

“We’ve got 9000 members down there. There is the footy aspect to it and the commercial aspect to it, but there is also the community side of things.

The Hawks don’t plan on leaving Tassie, anytime soon. Picture: Steve Bell/Getty Images

“We have done a ton of work down there and we will continue to do that. We are in the schools, we are in the communities and we are helping with everyday issues that Tasmanians face. We don’t take that responsibility lightly, it is very important to us.”

Gowers said there was “open dialogue” with the Devils about forging a rivalry between the two clubs in the future.

“I have met with Grant O’Brien (the Devils’ chairman) and we have been very encouraging and welcoming of the Devils,” he said.

“Tasmania deserves its own team and we look forward to what the future holds.

“I think it would be a natural rivalry. The Devils will be headquartered in Hobart, which is in the south, but they will also play some games in the north.

“We play our games out of Launceston, so that’s where a natural rivalry could eventuate.”

Originally published as Andy Gowers on Hawthorn’s trade aggression, another presidential term, Dingley and Tassie