GWS forward Jon Patton sees his future at Hawthorn
Jon Patton says his career hasn’t gone to plan after a third knee reconstruction this year which is why he wants a fresh start, preferably at Hawthorn.
Hawthorn
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Greater Western Sydney forward Jon Patton wants to be part of a twin tower forward line alongside young gun Mitch Lewis at Hawthorn next season.
The former No.1 draft pick said he is ready to start training on the first day of pre-season at Waverley after making a full recovery from his third knee reconstruction.
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Patton, 26, sat out the Giants’ second half of the season to complete his rehabilitation and minimise the risk of injury.
While he said it was tough not being a part of the Giants’ enthralling September campaign, Patton is confident his best footy is ahead of him in brown and gold.
A deal should be struck in the early part of the exchange period — which starts next week — for a third-round draft pick.
“I’m feeling the best I have for a long time,” Patton said at TAB’s spring carnival launch yesterday.
“I just think having this whole year off, that was in the back of my mind — just to get myself 100 per cent right for next year and hopefully the next five to seven years.
“I know people say I have had three knee recos, but two of them were in my first three years.
“So I pretty much played four years in a row, and then hurt the other knee last year, so it’s about getting that knee completely right.
“I’ve got full confidence in myself to get back to playing some good footy.”
Patton has already met with coach Alastair Clarkson and is excited about the Hawks’ on-field prospects for next season.
He is close mates with former Giants teammate Tom Scully, as well as captain-in-waiting Jaeger O’Meara.
He said the Hawks were the right fit, in part because of their incredible record of fixing players’ injury issues.
“It’s probably been out there a bit for the past few months, but in an ideal world I would obviously want to make my way to Hawthorn,” he said.
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“I have met with Clarko, obviously he is very impressive, and what he said to me (was) what he thinks I can do at the club.
“My career hasn’t gone to plan so far with the injuries and that sort of stuff, but hopefully a bit of a change, a bit of a freshen up (helps).
“It’s the best thing going forward, going to a club that has got an amazing history, an amazing coach, and I know a few of the players really well.”
He said the feedback from Scully about the club and its medical team was extremely positive.
“I spoke to him quite a bit throughout the year,” Patton said.
“He obviously went there with a pretty bad injury, but the way they look after their players, (Shaun) Burgoyne is still playing.
“Their history speaks for itself.”