AFL Coach’s clipboard: New Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell on his plans for the Hawks

Hawthorn had several rising stars emerge as defensive pillars without James Sicily last season — new coach Sam Mitchell reveals what that means for the returning Hawk.

MELBOURNE. 27/11/2021. Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell. Pic: Michael Klein

It’s the end of the Alastair Clarkson era at Hawthorn with Sam Mitchell’s official reign to begin in just over a month when they take on North Melbourne in Round 1.

The club hasn’t played finals since 2018 and look set to inject more youth, while managing the last remaining group of premiership players still on their list.

Mitchell says just how many of this crop of Hawks can take the next step will be the key measure of success in 2022.

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Sam Mitchell wants the Hawks to play a brand of footy the fans love. Picture: Quinn Rooney/Getty Images

What will a Sam Mitchell Hawthorn side look like?

We want to play a brand of footy that our fans love. We would like to see the players playing for each other and show off their natural flair and individual skillsets. A focus across the summer has been playing to our strengths as individuals and as a team.

Will you be an attack-first or defensive-minded coach?

There are always the basics of the game: we have it, they have it or it is in dispute. Each of those three phases are equally important to have a run of success. The competition is stronger in defence currently and Hawthorn is not different. Our contest and stoppage work are clear areas for improvement statistically. I would like a Hawthorn side that is tough and hard to play against while still having a strong, attacking brand.

How many wins for a pass mark this year? 

That’s a really difficult question to answer in January. As much hope and excitement as there is around some of the promising youth we’re starting to put together, what comes with that is a necessary level of patience as well. Some of these guys will have games this year where they really put their name forward as a player of the future and then they might back those games up with a quieter performance the following week. I think assessments of our season in 2022 will be just as much about how many of these players we can see take that next step in their careers.

Josh Ward has made an impressive start to life at the Hawks. Picture: Mark Stewart

Josh Ward has drawn comparisons to yourself, will he play Round 1?

Wardy is a really good kid. He has started his AFL journey now and doesn’t look out of place. Watching him train and push himself and speaking with him and his understanding of the game, you can see why he was an early selection at the draft. The first-year lads are all really tight and have made an impressive start as a group.

Ben McEvoy was a great captain last year and will lead the club again in 2022, who do you think is in the running to be your next captain?

Leadership development is an area of focus for us and we are fortunate we have some established leaders with McEvoy, (Jack) Gunston, (Luke) Breust and (Liam) Shiels all having great traits to pass onto the younger group. We are putting a high value on players having the chance to experience leadership and have the opportunity to show those skills. We have seen some strong development so far with (Jarman) Impey, (Tom) Mitchell, (James) Sicily and (Jaeger) O’Meara all showing some strong traits of leadership. We also have a younger contingent that shows promise and have really bought into the direction we are heading. The likes of Will Day, James Worpel, Mitch Lewis and Dylan Moore are beginning to grow our club’s identity.

That multi-tiered approach of leadership across all age and experience levels is something I think all clubs strive for.

Speaking of McEvoy — will he go back to his usual ruck role or do you like the idea of him as a utility/defender?

Good question, he is so flexible with being able to play as a key forward, key back or ruckman. The best thing about Big Boy is his willingness to do whatever is required for the team and he will play that role again this year.

Ben McEvoy will lead the Hawks again in 2022. Picture: Dylan Burns/AFL Photos

Can you see a world where Max Lynch, Ned Reeves and McEvoy all play in the same side?

It seems unlikely at the moment, but the game continues to evolve so time will tell.

How do you envisage the roles of senior players Breust and Gunston – will they be prominent or will you allow other players to develop?

Breust and Gunston have been two of the premier forwards of the competition for over a decade. A large part of that has been obviously their talent and skill, but, especially when you’re talking about those two, you’re talking about two ultra-competitive people who are addicted to getting the best out of both themselves and their team. I don’t see any of that changing this year, I expect them to both be important players for us in 2022. What has been really pleasing is they both have worked really hard over the summer to fast track some of our other young forwards. David Hale coming on board has really engaged the players with how they would like to be perceived and he is building a strong standard for the forward group. Big Hale Storm has had plenty of help from Luke and Jack.

Who are the young players you think will surprise on-lookers this year?

I think, as a coach, the players you want to see some real improvement from are those that have been in the system for a period and are now ready to use the tools they have learned on the big stage. I don’t want to individualise, but we have a large group of players who have been on our list for four to six years. David Parkin always said to me that once you became a bona fide player in the team (which he thought was around 70-80 games) that you should really take off.

Can James Worpel bounce back from an injury-affected year? Picture: Steve Bell/AFL Photos

James Worpel struggled a bit with injury last season - is he fit now? Do you see a greater role for him?

Worps won a Peter Crimmins Medal in 2019 at just 20 years of age and, in doing so, he had some higher expectations placed on him than were really fair. He’s a guy that places a lot of pressure on himself to perform and works extremely hard on his game – on the training track, in the gym and reviewing tape. He is also a promising leader amongst our younger players and I think we are all excited by what he brings to the group. He played some strong football last year but he is keen to produce that more consistently going forward.

Will we see Sicily back to his intercepting best this season? How important is it having him back?

Sis will be an extremely valuable addition back into our line-up this year. He is a great example of someone who was able to improve themselves both as a person and a player whilst not being able to step foot on a football field for a season. He is an important part of our side, he gives his teammates around him such great confidence with his voice, direction and ability to read the play and then impact in the air.

Chad Wingard - is he better as a forward or a midfielder?

Great question. He has had his most impact as a midfielder throughout his time at Hawthorn but he has had some special moments as a forward as well. Time will tell.

You’ve locked in Jiath and Grainger-Barras recently and have Wingard, Sicily out of contract next year - who are your priority re-signings?

All of them are highly valued players for our football club.

Mitchell with the Hawks’ draftees.

The club was transparent about trying to get early draft picks — a plan that didn’t work out — how will you try and do it again this season?

I think, just as every club does at the end of any season, we will sit down and take a look at what our best avenues are to ensure ongoing improvement moving forward. Whether that’s investing in the draft, the trade period or other options.

What difference will moving to the Dingley training site make when it finally happens?

Moving into Dingley will be a really significant thing for our club. When I think of Dingley, I think of the way in which it will bring our entire club together and allow us to co-exist in the one facility – it will represent our values as the family club. Our AFL, AFLW, VFL, VFLW, Blind and Wheelchair teams will all be able to unite in a state-of-the-art facility that will really drive the standards of what this place is all about. Being part of the move from Glenferrie to Waverley gave me a snapshot of how moving homes is full of opportunity. I am very excited to get there as soon as possible.