The 10 young Hawks who will lead Hawthorn’s rebuild
THIS year Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson has never wavered there were young kids coming through and after five wins in eight games it would appear he is on the money.
Hawthorn
Don't miss out on the headlines from Hawthorn. Followed categories will be added to My News.
TWO months back there were persons of influence within Hawthorn’s hierarchy that doubted some of the club’s next lease of Hawks.
Collective nouns aside, five losses in six opening games including thumpings by Geelong, Gold Coast and St Kilda pointed to lean times ahead.
It made the after-match optimism of coach Alastair Clarkson sound hollow at times, yet he never wavered in his declaration that there were kids coming through.
RUN HOME: WHERE WILL YOUR CLUB FINISH?
VETERAN’S SECRETS: BURGOYNE PUSHES LIMITS TO SUCCESS
And as he often is, Clarkson would appear to be on the money with his Hawks winning five of their past eight including interstate wins over Adelaide and Sydney.
More importantly the improvement has come from his youth. These are 10 Hawks who may help Clarkson rebuild his club for a remarkable third time.
KAIDEN BRAND: A month ago you may have received mixed reviews of the 198cm key defender from Berri in South Australia, but he has started to look more comfortable as he understands the requirements of his defensive role. Plus he has good athleticism.
RYAN BURTON: Star. Just has time that the good players have. And he can play just about anywhere. He has shown that defence suits him but bursting out of full forward or running in the midfield are attractive options with this 191cm kid who appears a steal at pick 19.
KURT HEATHERLEY: From Tauranga in New Zealand, he made rapid progress with Sandringham U18s before stagnating for a period. Standing 193cm, he’s tough, spoils well with his long arms just needs to improve his kicking skills.
BLAKE HARDWICK: From someone who once kicked 12 goals as a mid-sized forward to a 181cm deceptively strong defender capable of playing impressive roles on Eddie Betts and Jamie Elliott, Hardwick is a serious bonus after a promising but not exceptional VFL season in 2016.
BILLY HARTUNG: His extreme running skills makes him a viable option if he can get his tackling, disposal and decision-making up to the same standard. The loss of Brad Hill mean the Hawks require outside runners.
DANIEL HOWE: Has built on 15 games in 2016 to become an integral midfield cog in his role as a lockdown player. His ability to retain his feet more often has changed his game, plus he is highly regarded off the field.
TIM O’BRIEN: Those who saw him take a mark in the VFL last year at Sandringham left knowing he had something special. So it all comes down to self-belief.
JAEGER O’MEARA: His problem is unrelated to his previous knee injuries and it’s hoped he will play the last few this year. He recently trained extremely impressively but his issue is pulling up sore the next day.
TOM MITCHELLL: Has been everything the Hawks hoped for and more. You would back him to win the ball in his sleep if necessary and his two last-quarter goals against Collingwood added another string to his bow.
JAMES SICILY: Transformed from a promising if inconsistent forward to a defender who doesn’t relish being beaten. The change of mindset has obviously agreed with the 186cm Keilor product.
Hawthorn takes over footy’s No.1 list
Three clubs have emerged from the 2024 season with the biggest stars in the AFL with a list of the top 50 players showing huge changes.
Trading places? How the biggest AFL deals will get done
Almost every AFL club is poised to get busy this trade period. See who your club is looking at, who they should be chasing and how they will get their deals done in our ultimate guide.