Hawthorn 2022 preview: Season predictions for the Hawks
James Sicily’s return will be a welcome boost for Hawthorn, but it will force Sam Mitchell to make some tough calls on his defence. See how we think Hawthorn’s best 22 will look.
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It’s a new era at Hawthorn.
Alastair Clarkson is gone and Sam Mitchell is now the man at the helm.
The pressure isn’t on yet, but how long will it take at a club that expects nothing short of excellence?
Catch every moment of The Ashes live and ad-break free during play on Kayo. New to Kayo? Try 14-days free now.
Time will tell.
Jay Clark looks at the Hawks ahead of 2022.
SCROLL DOWN TO SEE HAWTHORN’S PREDICTED BEST 22 FOR 2022
WHAT HAPPENED IN 2021?
The end to Hawthorn’s 2021 season had more twists and turns than a Gold Coast water slide. With the team in full-blown rebuild mode, the club made the bold call to end the Alastair Clarkson era over concerns, as Dermot Brereton said, the premiership mastermind was past his best. But any hopes of the 2022 succession plan going smoothly quickly went belly up as Clarkson opted out of the Sam Mitchell handover deal and is now the most in-demand man in the game. On the field, the team didn’t get much out of its high quality midfield, struggled up forward, but caught fire late with three wins and two draws from the last six games. Usually, the coach dramas can be a distraction for players, but in Hawthorn’s case the bizarre off-field situation coincided with their best form of the season. A crazy year, finishing with seven wins.
COACH: Sam Mitchell
CAPTAIN: Ben McEvoy
WHAT HAPPENS IN 2022?
How the Hawks perform under Sam Mitchell in his first season in charge will be one of the biggest stories of 2022. It is clear, Mitchell wants to invest in youth to kickstart a new era for the Hawks, but they hit hurdles in the off-season when the club was unable to offload any of its star players for early draft picks. Clearly, it is a compliment for the culture, but the Hawks would have preferred another prized draft choice in exchange for either Chad Wingard or Luke Breust. Regardless, the Hawks loom as a bottom-six side, in a competitive kind of a way. The veteran stars will ensure Hawthorn will enter each game with a winning mentality and a decent chance of victory but, more important than anything, will be the development of the next wave and teaching new systems around attack and defence. That’s where Mitchell’s focus will be. There is lots to like about classy playmaker Will Day, intercepting defender Denver Grainger-Barras, hard nut Jai Newcombe, wingman Connor Downie, defensive revelation Changkuoth Jiath, livewire forward Tyler Brockman and new ruckman Max Lynch, from Collingwood, who the club hopes will become the core of the next premiership assault.
BIGGEST IMPROVER IN 2022?
We only saw a glimpse of Will Day in 2021 due to a nasty ankle injury which limited him to only five games, but this man can become Hawthorn’s best player in a few years. A great find with pick 13, Day is the classy and versatile ball winner who will quickly become a go-to man either off half back or in the middle. The South Australian is one who always has time with the ball and it is that trademark polish and composure which can help him become a genuine star of the competition. Only played 16 games in total but now that Shaun Burgoyne has retired Day, who is still only 20, will become the new silk and, potentially, face of the next generation Hawks.
X-FACTOR
Tyler Brockman turned heads with his speed, tackle pressure and creativity form the moment he arrived at Hawthorn with pick 42 a year ago. Averaged nine possessions and almost one goal a game in his first season when it was often hard going for the Hawthorn forwards. A bit like Hawthorn champion Cyril Rioli, Brockman can do some special things swerving on to the bouncing ball, plucking marks, or knocking over opponents in attack. Changkuoth Jiath stole the show in defence this year with his aerial work and line-breaking run and Brockman also has the x-factor.
Hawthorn's predicted best 22 for 2022
B Impey Hartigan Hardwick
HB Scrimshaw Frost Sicily
C Phillips Worpel Day
HF Breust Koschitzke Shiels
F Moore Lewis Wingard
R McEvoy O’Meara Mitchell
I Jiath Gunston Newcombe Howe
EMG Grainger-Barras Lynch Brockman
COACH STATUS
Sam Mitchell inked a new deal when he took over from Clarkson and will be under the spotlight from the get-go. Mitchell has long been considered one of the smartest players and best credentialed coaching prospects in the game. After a stint at West Coast under Adam Simpson and then Clarkson, the time has come — earlier than even he expected — to take the reins solo. If Hawthorn didn’t make the move, another club would have certainly snapped him up. By any measure, Mitchell looks as well-placed as anyone to forge a fine coaching career, and those close to him think he could be something special.
OUT OF CONTRACT
James Sicily is the priority signing for the Hawks as he comes off a knee reconstruction in his free agency year. The threat of a departure is minimal as Sicily is one of the most important pieces Mitchell can build around, at either end. But fellow free agent Liam Shiels could be tempted to a premiership contender if he feels like a fresh start. Denver Grainger-Barras, Connor Downie, Tyler Brockman and Jack Scrimshaw will surely recommit, while Jack Gunston will be out to extend his career beyond this season after a year ravaged by back injury. Has a point to prove. Ben McEvoy and Kyle Hartigan are also out of contract.
INS FOR 2022
The Hawks were on a mission to find their next premiership ruckman and have circled Max Lynch, from Collingwood for more than a year. After expressing some interest last trade period, they got him cheaply, and will use him to help carry the ruck with Ben McEvoy and youngster Ned Reeves in 2022.
Max Lynch (traded – Collingwood), Josh Ward (pick seven), Sam Butler (23), Connor MacDonald (26), Jai Serong (53), Ned Long (rookie), Fionn O’Hara (category B rookie)
OUTS FROM 2021
Hawthorn traded out veteran ruckman Jon Ceglar to Geelong and will pay some of his salary. Emerging types James Cousins, Ollie Hanrahan and Damon Greaves were let go, while champion Shaun Burgoyne retired along with traded-in pair Tom Scully and Jon Patton. Michael Hartley wasn’t renewed and Tim O’Brien departed as a free agent to Western Bulldogs after eight up and down years.
Keegan Brooksby (delisted), Shaun Burgoyne (retired), Jon Ceglar (traded – Geelong), James Cousins (delisted), Damon Greaves (delisted), Ollie Hanrahan (delisted), Michael Hartley (delisted), Tim O’Brien (free agent – Western Bulldogs), Jon Patton (retired), Harry Pepper (delisted), Tom Scully (retired)
FIRST SIX GAMES AND HOW MANY THEY WIN
North Melbourne @ MCG (W)
Port Adelaide @ Adelaide Oval (L)
Carlton @ MCG (L)
St Kilda @ MCG (L)
Geelong @ MCG (L)
Sydney @ UTAS (L)
1 win, 5 losses
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