Gary Buckenara says Hawthorn could be the ‘quiet sleeper’ in the race for Dustin Martin

ARE the Hawks preparing to make a big splash in free agency? The man who helped build the club’s three-peat premiership list says Dustin Martin could be a target.

Could Dustin Martin be in the mix to join the Hawks? Picture: Getty Images

HAWTHORN could be the “quiet sleeper” in the race for Dustin Martin according to the man who helped build the club’s three-peat premiership list.

The Hawks have not yet been linked to Martin or GWS gun Josh Kelly and Brownlow medallist Nat Fyfe as clubs including North Melbourne and St Kilda circle.

READ GARY BUCKENARA’S FULL HAWTHORN ANALYSIS HERE

Veteran recruiter Gary Buckenara knows that’s the way Hawthorn operates and believes his former club is quietly planning a major pitch to lure Martin away from Richmond.

Hawthorn could be armed with a war chest of up to $2 million after the departure of Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis last year and the likely retirements of premiership heroes Luke Hodge, Josh Gibson and potentially Shaun Burgoyne at the end of the season.

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“Hawthorn is yet to be linked to any of the big three — Dustin Martin, Josh Kelly and Nat Fyfe — and to me that’s a warning sign,” Buckenara said.

“I’ve got a feeling they’ll be in the marketplace and they’re the quiet sleeper in the race for Martin. They’ll go really hard for him.

Could Dustin Martin be in the mix to join the Hawks? Picture: AAP Images

“With Sam Mitchell and Jordan Lewis gone, the Richmond star is like a combination of both those guys because he’s tough and hard inside but also wins the ball outside.

“Martin will be the No. 1 target, followed by Josh Kelly. Both are extremely good players who would fit in perfectly.”

Writing in an exclusive column for the Herald Sun as part of a series analysing all 18 club lists, their needs and potential off-season trade and free agency targets, Buckenara says Hawthorn’s dramatic fall comes as it’s lacking midfield depth and has been hurt by the loss of Bradley Hill.

The seventeenth-placed Hawks will again be without boom recruit Jaeger O’Meara for Thursday’s clash against the top of the ladder Crows at Adelaide Oval.

The former Sun has been sidelined again with more troubles with his knee.

Buckenara turned up the heat on O’Meara and fellow recruit Ty Vickery, declaring “they must stand up”.

“There are alarm bells sounding around O’Meara,” he said. “His body must stand up — the recruiting team would be feeling a bit nervous right now given he has barely played and when he did, he was in and out before being sidelined indefinitely with knee problems.

“It’s a massive worry.

“The Hawks recruited Vickery in a bid to fill the David Hale role, and from a structure point of view I can see why they did it, but it hasn’t worked out and it doesn’t look like it will unless there is a major turnaround.”

Originally published as Gary Buckenara says Hawthorn could be the ‘quiet sleeper’ in the race for Dustin Martin