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Only one of Hawthorn’s key-forwards of the future is contracted for 2022. So how many of the polarising crop should the Hawks keep?
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Only one of Hawthorn’s key forwards of the future is contracted for next year as the club approaches the end of the season.
In a week when the Hawks announced premiership great Sam Mitchell would succeed Alastair Clarkson as senior coach from 2023, other decisions remain on a polarising forward crop.
Mitch Lewis, who is yet to return from a club boxing incident that left him concussed a month ago, is the sole Hawthorn tall forward younger than 29 with a deal for next year.
All-Australian and triple premiership star Jack Gunston is also contracted for the 2022 season, but has played only once this year because of a serious back injury and turns 30 in October.
Jacob Koschitzke, Tim O’Brien, Emerson Jeka and mid-season draftee Jackson Callow are uncontracted for next season, while Jon Patton retired shortly after an AFL investigation into his “inappropriate behaviour” towards women.
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Patton’s recruitment backfired, producing only three goals in six matches, as well as shunting Lewis out of the side after his blistering second half of the season in 2019.
Lewis, 22, had off-season shoulder surgery after that breakout patch and struggled badly last year, but was having a solid campaign this season before the boxing setback.
Rookie-listed Jeka, 19, replaced O’Brien, 27, in the Hawks’ senior side for Saturday’s clash with Fremantle in Launceston.
Koschitzke, who has switched forward after starting his AFL career predominantly as a defender, has kicked the most goals among this group with 18 in 14 games.
That is the lowest team-leading tally of any club for a key forward, something new Hawks list boss Mark McKenzie would be acutely aware of.
It’s a far cry from Hawthorn’s golden era under Clarkson, when Mitchell was kicking to Lance Franklin, Jarryd Roughead and Gunston, who all had 50-plus-goal seasons in their flag dynasty.
However, Koschitzke’s development is a significant positive and he’s shown glimpses of star potential, even if his output has been inconsistent in a poor-performing team.
Negotiations are ongoing for Koschitzke but he is certain to score a new contract, after he had to wait until November last year to score a deal for 2021.
Lewis is next with 12 goals in eight matches, and O’Brien has 10 in 13, with small forwards Luke Breust (26) and Dylan Moore (20) leading the way this season for Hawthorn.
Why this Vic club is the best fit for Ben King
- Jay Clark
The question is whether you can have two of the same full forwards in the same team.
As St Kilda chief executive Matt Finnis said recently, the Saints would love to have Ben King join brother Max when Ben’s contract expires at the end of next season, saying “he would look good, wouldn’t he” in a Saints’ jumper.
But as much as it might be fun to play with his twin brother Max back on the Bayside, it’s probably not the best call for his footy.
The reality is, why would Ben want to join a team which already has the exact same type of player in its forward line?
Would West Coast want two Josh Kennedys? Would it work as well at Richmond with two Jack Riewoldts? Same goes for Tom Hawkins.
Coaches always talk about players complimenting each other. Bringing different attributes as part of a mix in the forward line.
That is why, if King decides to return home to Victoria as many clubs still suspect at the end of next year, Essendon looms as the best fit.
In 15 months’ time the Bombers will be absolutely primed to add a quality key forward to spearhead a superstar midfield brigade and bounce back into the finals mix from 2023.
Even though they won’t make finals this year, they have had an excellent season, the Bombers, and will welcome another high-end draft pick, then go hard for King in next year’s trade period to help round out the list transformation.
Of course, with a big trade move like this one, the seeds are being planted and cultivated now, just like Richmond started to plan for Tom Lynch more than a year before it landed the premiership goal kicker.
And what an immensely successful move that has been.
King, 21, is committed to his current contract but, for him to extend his deal beyond 2023 in Queensland he will want to see the club make some serious on-field progress next season.
The win over Richmond was the first glimpse things could be back on track, but there is no doubt the Suns need another key forward to help partner King if he is to stay.
That is why their first-round draft pick is on the table to land another forward marking target.
But at Essendon you can see what a difference King could make for a team which is trying to emulate Port Adelaide when it took Zak Butters, Connor Rozee and Xavier Duursma in 2018.
The Bombers have forecasted forward in a similar manner and King would be the jewel in the crown of Essendon’s attacking set up.
Power’s Mitch Georgiades would be an equally great get and the carrot will be dangled, but he seems fully committed to Port after inking an extension.
The Bombers had a go but missed out on Harry McKay, so it is clear what they are trying to target and for good reason.
Harrison Jones, Jake Stringer and Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti would all pose a mobile marking threat around another spearhead.
Brad Johnson, who coached the King twins in the AFL Academy side, thinks they will be generational talents and Mick McGuane named Ben centre half forward in his Victorian State of Origin team.
But the question is, how certain is he to stay up north?
King said after the win over Richmond he was aware how important it was that young stars such as Matt Rowell, Noah Anderson, Jack Lukosius and himself stay together.
“We are definitely aware of that responsibility, and we are a very tight young group,” King said on Triple M.
“I think the connections are really strong and hopefully we can drive some success in this club.”
The talks on a new deal won’t start until the pre-season begins, but even then King would be wise to wait to see how the 2022 season pans pout before pulling out his pen.
MCCARTHY SETS SIGHTS ON THREE-YEAR DEAL
- MARC McGOWAN
The Brisbane Lions are in negotiations with in-form small forward Linc McCarthy on a fresh deal that could stretch as long as three years.
McCarthy is one of the Lions’ medical success stories, transforming from talented but injury-prone Cat to barely missing a game at his second club and becoming a borderline All-Australian.
Fellow recruits Joe Daniher and Grant Birchall are following a similar script after a frustrating few years with groin and knee injuries, respectively.
McCarthy, who turns 28 in October, is Brisbane’s top re-signing priority in an uncontracted group that includes Birchall, Mitch Robinson, James Madden and Rhys Mathieson.
He crossed to Brisbane from Geelong on a three-year deal at the end of 2018 in a bargain pick swap that’s unlocked his potential, and is believed to want a new contract of the same length.
After scattering only 29 senior appearances across seven years at the Cattery, the reborn McCarthy’s played 56 of a possible 58 games in his three seasons for Chris Fagan’s Lions.
Rival clubs that inquired about him are understood to have been told he wants to stay at Brisbane on a multi-year deal.
The dearth of quality small forwards in the AFL is why opposition list bosses are closely monitoring the situation.
McCarthy’s third season at Brisbane has comfortably been his best.
He entered Round 17 No. 1 among general forwards for contested possessions, third for goal assists, 10th for goals, sixth for score launches and 15th for pressure acts.
McCarthy’s aerial ability also separates him from his forward peers.
Arguably only Essendon’s Anthony McDonald-Tipungwuti and Giant Toby Greene are ahead of him in the race for an All-Australian small forward berth.
McCarthy and Charlie Cameron have kicked 51 goals between them this year to be the competition’s most prolific small forward combination.
ON THE MOVE? RIVALS CIRCLE PIES BIG MAN
Collingwood back-up ruckman Max Lynch is certain to explore his trade options at season’s end as rivals circle the uncontracted big man.
Clubs including Hawthorn have shown interest in the ruckman who was surprisingly dumped to the VFL side after an impressive performance against Melbourne superstar Max Gawn in Nathan Buckley’s last game as senior coach.
Lynch, 22, was on the Hawks’ radar last year as the club looks to find its next top-line ruckman to replace veteran talls Ben McEvoy and Jon Ceglar.
While Lynch has shown considerable promise in his fourth season and appears ready to vie for a No. 1 ruck spot, it seems he will have to do it at another club as he is stuck behind superstar ruckman Brodie Grundy at the Magpies.
Collingwood is yet to make a contract offer to the former rookie who could be a valuable commodity in any trade deal as the Magpies need to bolster their draft position to help secure jet midfielder and No. 1 pick Nick Daicos.
Clubs are eager to poach ruckmen who are in need of more opportunity and on the brink of entering their prime rather than spending years developing them.
Lynch earned rave reviews for his performances against Adelaide and Melbourne in Rounds 12 and 13 when he was a handful for superstar ruckman Gawn and amassed 41 hit outs and 23 disposals across the two wins.
It was also noticed how successful the Magpies were around the clearances under Lynch before he was dumped back to the VFL when Grundy recovered from his neck problem.
Interestingly, Collingwood’s clearance differential improved from minus one in Rounds 1-10 to plus one in Rounds 12 and 13 when Lynch rucked.
Their points from centre clearances also improved from minus six (ranked 17th) between Rounds 1-10 to plus one in Rounds 12 and 13, according to Champion Data.
But Lynch’s options in the short and long term appear limited at Collingwood as he is clearly behind Grundy who is locked-in at the Magpies on a bumper six-year deal.
Mason Cox and Darcy Cameron have also been picked ahead of Lynch as key forward-rucks in the past two weeks, fuelling rival club interest.
But it could yet be a win for Collingwood if it can secure a second-round pick for the back-up tall and avoid going into a points deficit for Daicos.
The Magpies have already traded out their first pick (currently No. 3) in this year’s draft to Greater Western Sydney for first and second round picks last year.
It means the Pies need more valuable points to claim Daicos who is rated an exceptional underage midfielder and the best talent in the draft.
Last year GWS Giants handed over pick No. 31 to Melbourne for Braydon Preuss who was tipped to take over the No. 1 ruck spot from Shame Mumford but has been injured all season.
The 200cm Lynch was considered unlucky to be dropped after shining in the match-up against Gawn and is expected to field multiple offers to swap colours at the end of the season as a ready-made big man.
In particular, the former Murray Bushranger is rated highly for his competitiveness in the aerial and ground level contests.
The three-gamer has become a cult figure at Olympic Park for his humorous social media videos and light-hearted interviews with teammates.
At Hawthorn, young big man Ned Reeves has shown prose in his appearances this year and will continue to develop.
But Ceglar, 30, could be in his last season and captain McEvoy turns 32 on Monday.
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