The List Manager: Jon Ralph examines Hawthorn’s current list, its future and everything in between

The Hawks should have a green light for the next six years to go hunting for a flag, writes JON RALPH. But, after a big off-season, what’s left in the salary cap and how do they use it?

Can Hawthorn cope with being hunted?

With the added pressure of going from 2024 bolter to 2025 flag contender with a tougher draw and rivals desperate to knock them down a peg.

Damn straight they can.

Football is littered with stories of clubs getting ahead of themselves after a single-season spike then crashing back into the pack.

And yet across multiple fronts it is possible to build the case Hawthorn is made of much sterner stuff.

Yes, they cashed in on a cushy draw by beating Richmond and North Melbourne twice plus West Coast in that remarkable run of 15 wins in 20 games after the 0-5 start to the season.

Sam Mitchell’s side was the story over the second half of 2024. Picture: Michael Klein

But the Hawks also bashed up good sides with victory margins like Carlton (74 points), Collingwood (66 points) and Brisbane (25 points) as well as making light work of the Dogs in the elimination final (37 points).

They have a coaching star who will evolve the game plan.

They have an influx of talent (Tom Barrass, Josh Battle) which will immediately stiffen the defence and allow James Sicily and Josh Weddle to play further afield.

And they have early draft picks and under-21s including Josh Ward, Calsher Dear, Henry Hustwaite, Cam Mackenzie and Nick Watson who have barely scratched the surface of their talent.

TRADE PERIOD RATING: 10/10

The Hawks knocked it out of the park.

They secured the free agent in Josh Battle everyone wanted and stared down West Coast on Tom Barrass before eventually giving up future first, second and third-round picks (with a fourth back).

The Barrass deal cost them pick 14 in a very good 2024 draft but they have kept the Blues first and second-rounders next year so haven’t had to sacrifice that draft hand.

The decision to trade out pick 14 for future picks upset the Barrass camp and might have overly complicated the deal but the Hawks maintained they were never giving up two first-rounders and stayed true to that pledge.

And as a 2025 destination club the Hawks would believe they have the rails run on any free agents so might nail another free agent without diluting their future draft hand.

LIST HOLES

Let’s talk about utopia.

If Mitch Lewis can get back to football by May next year (after a July ACL tear) and Changkuoth Jiath can finally play a full season, the Hawks want for nothing.

They have so many small forwards (Nick Watson, Luke Breust, Dylan Moore, Jack Ginnivan, Connor Macdonald) that Blake Hardwick can play as a swingman.

They have Mabior Chol, second-year tall Calsher Dear and Jack Gunston as key forwards behind Lewis, even if Chol will need to show he can withstand second-year blues.

They can play Jiath and Josh Weddle as attacking wingmen but also have 2024 breakout Massimo D’Ambrosio and Karl Amon in that spot, with Cam Mackenzie also building a tank to be able to play outside as well as in.

The defence is stacked – Battle, Barrass, Sicily, Sam Frost, Jack Scrimshaw, Weddle playing tall when needed.

No other team has a better collection of defensive talls in the AFL.

And Lloyd Meek finally established himself as a legitimate AFL ruckman and is only 26 years of age.

Will Day started and finished the year injured but Sam Mitchell will hope his starting midfield is Day, Jai Newcombe, James Worpel, Conor Nash and Meek, with Dylan Moore playing mid-forward while Mackenzie and Ward beat down the door.

Can Mitch Lewis stay on the park? Picture: Daniel Pockett/Getty Images

DRAFT STRATEGY

Hawthorn’s first pick in this draft is No. 33, with two picks 71 and 77 which will come in after some of those later draft selections evaporate when they are used to match father-son and academy bids.

The Hawks will take two picks in the national draft and while they are open to moving up in the order with 33, they want to keep their first and second-rounders next year (linked to Carlton) so won’t give up either to move up.

It means in reality other clubs will probably have better offers to move up early on the second night of the draft.

In the 30s there are plenty of talls available and even though the Hawks have Dear and last year’s No. 19 pick Will McCabe as recent draftees don’t be surprised if they take another key tall.

That second pick – currently 71 – will come in to about No. 60 on draft night and the Hawks are also open to trading up with that pick.

The Hawks will hope to secure more late-round gems after a history that includes Mitch Lewis at pick 76, Blake Hardwick at 44, Sicily at 56, Breust as a rookie, Harry Morrison at pick 74 and Dylan Moore at pick 67.

Some of the Hawks’ draft capital was used to land Tom Barrass. Picture: Daniel Carson/AFL Photos via Getty Images

AFL PLAYER RANKINGS

Jai Newcombe (23rd), James Worpel (54th), Lloyd Meek (61st), James Sicily (65th), Josh Weddle (89th). In 2025 Weddle will believe he can be a top 50 player.

PREMIERSHIP WINDOW

Hawthorn should believe it has a green light for the next 4-6 years to go hunting for flags.

James Sicily is 30 in January and the pensioners (Luke Breust, Jack Gunston) clearly push up the average age of the list.

But Jai Newcombe and Will Day are 23, Dylan Moore and James Worpel are 25, Mitch Lewis, Conor Nash and Lloyd Meek are 26 and then there are the babies like Dear and Watson.

There will be setbacks, pitfalls and false dawns.

But a club that has expedited its rebuild does have enough A grade talent, enough positional depth and the game plan to compete for a flag well into the future.

SALARY CAP ROOM

If Hawthorn isn’t paying Barrass and Battle $1.8m combined next year it is going awfully close.

But it has been extremely prudent in its salary cap management, not paying anyone a million bucks a year in recent times and with Karl Amon and James Sicily the only players in the $600,000 plus bracket in 2024.

Next year’s priority signings will be Meek and restricted free agent James Worpel, with Massimo D’Ambrosio also out of contract.

Post-draft the club will immediately move on to contract talks with that trio, as well as adding a third season onto the contract of Calsher Dear.

D’Ambrosio would be smart to move early to get some contract security, and you just can’t see Worpel or Meek wanting to move on now that they have become quality Hawthorn players.

Lloyd Meek could be set for a big pay rise. Picture: Mark Stewart

TRADE TARGETS FOR 2025

You have got to be in it to win it.

This year the Hawks registered interest in Bailey Smith, Harry Perryman and more, then when their own priority signings were locked in (Hardwick, Nash, CJ, etc) they could narrow their focus on Battle and Barrass.

Like every club the Hawks will have their eyes on Luke Davies-Uniacke, who gives them the explosive line-breaking mid to pair with Will Day given Worpel and Newcombe are probably more of the traditional ball-hunters.

But Newcombe did show signs he can explode out of stoppages and Day certainly can, so the priority will be retention of players.

From there it is more about bringing in talent at the right price, as Melbourne clubs assess early draft picks like Port Adelaide’s out-of-contract flanker Josh Sinn and assess their 2025 progress.

TRADE BAIT

Sam Frost will spend 2025 keen to show he is still one of the league’s quality defenders but if he’s pushed aside rivals will again come for him.

Ditto Finn Maginness.

Originally published as The List Manager: Jon Ralph examines Hawthorn’s current list, its future and everything in between