List analysis: Every Hawthorn player rated, Hawks delist five players
A rookie revelation has been rewarded with a new deal but a host of Hawks remain out of contract. Find out how Hawthorn’s list is shaping up.
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Hawthorn has backed in mature-aged recruit Lachie Bramble by signing him on for another two years.
The Hawks announced on Wednesday that they had extended the 23-year-old’s contract until the end of 2023.
The club picked up Bramble in the pre-season supplemental selection period (SPP) this year after he trained with Box Hill Hawks over the summer.
He made his debut against Essendon in Round 14 and chalked up 10 games after staying in the senior side for the rest of the year.
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Five Hawks cut as Mitchell’s list taking shape
Midfielder James Cousins’ career in the brown and gold is over.
The 23-year-old from Mansfield is one of five Hawthorn delistings, along with Damon Greaves, Michael Hartley, Keegan Brooksby and category B rookie Harry Pepper.
Cousins won at least 20 disposals in six of his 10 matches this year – and played 35 in total across five seasons – after starting as a rookie.
Greaves, 21, managed 10 games in his three seasons as a Hawk, but Pepper wasn’t able to break through for a senior game after graduating from the club’s Next Generation Academy.
Hartley and Brooksby were recycled after stints at previous AFL clubs.
Brooksby, who spent time at Gold Coast and West Coast, arrived at Waverley Park via the pre-season supplemental selection period to provide ruck depth but played just once at senior level.
Former Bomber Hartley crossed to Hawthorn on a two-year deal but added only five matches to the 44 he played at Essendon.
Hawks football boss Rob McCartney thanked the five footballers for their efforts at the club.
“This is always a tough time of year. Each and every one of these men have made a significant contribution to our club,” McCartney said.
“The past two years have been particularly challenging for all of the players and clubs across the league. The commitment of these players during that time is something that should absolutely be commended.
“We wish them all the best on whatever they do with the next stage of their career and lives – they will always be part of the broader Hawthorn family.”
The Hawks have now made eight list changes, including the retirements of Shaun Burgoyne, Tom Scully and Jon Patton.
LIST ANALYSIS: THE HAWK CALLS MITCHELL MUST MAKE
It’s the calm before the proverbial storm at Hawthorn.
Alastair Clarkson’s left the building and Sam Mitchell is the sheriff at Waverley Park now, while Mark McKenzie is the list boss these days after Graham Wright’s defection to Collingwood.
What this all means for the Hawks’ list direction and involvement in this year’s player movement period remains to be seen.
Hawthorn’s captain, Ben McEvoy, is 32 and fellow ruckman Jon Ceglar is 30, but a 22-year-old Ned Reeves looks increasingly ready to usurp one or both of them.
Several of the Hawks’ better players – Tom Mitchell, Jack Gunston, Chad Wingard, Luke Breust and Liam Shiels – are 28 or older at a time they are clearly regenerating the list.
Defensive reinforcements Sam Frost and Kyle Hartigan are both in that age category, too, while Jaeger O’Meara and James Sicily will start next season aged 28 and 27, respectively.
Seasoned trio Shaun Burgoyne, Tom Scully and Jon Patton have already retired.
Many external views are that members of this group should be moved on to help usher in the era of Will Day, Changkuoth Jiath, Denver Grainger-Barras, Jack Scrimshaw, Dylan Moore and Jacob Koschitzke.
Mitchell (Richmond) and Gunston (Melbourne) have been mentioned as opposition targets, while out-of-contract Docker Lachie Schultz can accept a three-year Hawks deal if he wants it.
But Hawthorn chief executive Justin Reeves said any rebuild needed to strike a “balance” between youth and experience for it to be successful.
“When you have so many inexperienced players in your team coming through, you need to surround them with some mature and senior players to help with their development,” Reeves said on 3AW.
“There’s no use throwing 20 kids out there to be smashed every week. They won’t learn that way.
“It’s about getting the balance right. We know where we are at. We have a number of years ahead of us to go back to the draft and bring in more high-end talent.”
Mitchell is also on the record as saying the draft is a priority in the coming years.
What the incoming coach made of the Hawks’ unbeaten final month, which saw them surge from a wooden-spoon contender into 14th spot, will also guide what’s to come.
Was it the start of a trend, or a mirage in garbage time? That’s for Mitchell to figure out.
1. Luke Breust Age: 30 Games: 239 Status: Signed to 2023
Extended his contract for two more years in February and looks set to play his entire AFL career in brown and gold. The veteran small forward has kicked at least 30 goals in 10 of the 11 seasons he played an AFL game, with last year’s shortened campaign the sole exception. Led the club’s goalkicking with 33 in 19 games.
2. Tyler Brockman Age: 18 Games: 11 Status: Signed to 2022
Brockman showed plenty enough in his debut season to suggest he’s worth persevering with. Had an extended mid-season break to return to WA for a family funeral, but returned to the senior side in Round 17 and is a lively player who adds dynamism and spunk in attack.
3. Shaun Burgoyne Age: 38 Games: 407 Status: Retired
This is it for a magnificent career that places him in the top handful of players for all-time matches played, having announced last year, and since confirmed, that 2021 would be his final season. Burgoyne was a champion at Port Adelaide and Hawthorn, winning a combined four premierships from six Grand Final appearances as a key contributor.
4. Jon Ceglar Age: 30 Games: 101 Status: Signed to 2022
Inked a three-year deal in September 2019 to remain at Waverley Park despite strongly considering a move to Brisbane. Lost his place to younger ruck option Ned Reeves mid-year but a Reeves injury opened the door again for him and he played well with that chance. Could be a target again for ruck-needy rival clubs.
5. James Cousins Age: 23 Games: 35 Status: Signed to 2021
His nervous wait to discover whether he would score a new contract had an unfortunate ending with his delisting. Made double-digit senior appearances for the second time in his career this year. Has no trouble finding the Sherrin, but the dilemma for Hawthorn was whether it wanted to persevere with him in the midfield over other options.
6. Will Day Age: 20 Games: 16 Status: Signed to 2023
Day added an extra two seasons to his draft deal last year and he’s widely regarded as the club’s brightest prospect. A serious ankle injury limited him to only five games in 2021, but the Hawks are excited about his skill, composure and versatility. Day is often likened to Lachie Whitfield and Scott Pendlebury.
7. Connor Downie Age: 19 Games: 2 Status: Signed to 2022
Technically made his AFL debut in Round 1, but didn’t take to the field as the medical substitute before winning 12 disposals when he got another chance in Round 22. Was tipped to make an instant impact in his first season, but instead spent the year in the VFL, where the winger’s form steadily improved. Should receive more opportunities in 2022.
8. Sam Frost Age: 28 Games: 129 Status: Signed to 2022
Has proven a solid addition to the Hawks’ backline and was a particularly good performer last year. Joined the brown and gold on a three-season deal that expires next year, when he turns 29. Has the height, speed and agility to play on a variety of forwards.
9. Denver Grainger-Barras Age: 19 Games: 5 Status: Signed to 2022
Has made a quick impression, especially for a key defender, in his first AFL season after the Hawks spent last year’s No. 6 draft pick on him. A knee injury sidelined Grainger-Barras early in the season but he played five senior games late in the year. Hawthorn will likely look to sign him for two more years soon.
10. Jack Gunston Age: 29 Games: 209 Status: Signed to 2022
Missed all bar one game this season because of a persistent back injury. The star forward won the Hawks’ club champion award for the first time in 2020, but is constantly raised – at least externally – as someone who could benefit from a trade elsewhere, while delivering the Hawks an early pick.
11. Ollie Hanrahan Age: 23 Games: 29 Status: Signed to 2021
Hasn’t been able to score a regular senior spot in Hawthorn’s attack since finally getting his chance in the second half of the 2019 season. Won no fewer than 28 disposals in any of his three VFL appearances this year as he pushed more into the midfield, but is still waiting for a new contract.
12. Blake Hardwick Age: 24 Games: 102 Status: Signed to 2024
Hardwick might not have a towering reputation outside of Waverley Park, but he’s respected greatly internally and inked a new three-year deal mid-season. The sweet-kicking, smart defender is still in the right age bracket for the Hawks, even though they’ve committed to a rebuild.
13. Kyle Hartigan Age: 29 Games: 132 Status: Signed to 2022
Was traded from the Crows in November last year for a future fourth-round draft pick, as a younger but still veteran key defender replacement for James Frawley. Hartigan lived up to his end of the bargain, proving a solid addition across 19 matches.
14. Michael Hartley Age: 28 Games: 49 Status: Signed to 2021
Hartley’s been a terrific locker room guy for the Hawks and capable back-up since crossing from Essendon on a two-year deal. But he appeared only five times at the highest level in that period. Hawthorn has quite a bit of backline depth and he was among the delistings.
15. Dan Howe Age: 25 Games: 87 Status: Signed to 2021
The versatile tall was a regular this season – missing only two matches – and is set to extend his stay into an eighth AFL season, at the end of which he would qualify for unrestricted free agency. Signed a one-year deal in October last year.
16. Jarman Impey Age: 26 Games: 134 Status: Signed to 2023
Suffered an ankle injury at training mid-year and underwent season-ending surgery, after missing much of the first half of the 2020 campaign recovering from an ACL rupture. Impey’s one of the Hawks’ quickest, most impactful players at his best and will hope to play a full season next year.
17. Changkuoth Jiath Age: 22 Games: 23 Status: Signed to 2022
Reached a games-related contract trigger for next year and isn’t in a rush to ink a long-term deal after his breakout season. After struggling for opportunities early, his athleticism, speed and increased game awareness have made him one of the Hawks’ most promising players.
18. Jacob Koschitzke Age: 21 Games: 20 Status: Signed to 2023
Had to wait until November last year before inking a deal for this season, but a breakout campaign up forward earned him two more years in July. With the Hawks crying out for a reliable target, Koschitzke looms as a vital piece of the future puzzle.
19. Mitch Lewis Age: 22 Games: 36 Status: Signed to 2022
Started the year well after an underwhelming 2020 season off shoulder surgery, but was concussed in an infamous boxing incident in June that sparked an AFL investigation. Signed a two-year extension after the 2019 season that ends next year, so will be keen to prove his worth before then.
20. Finn Maginness Age: 20 Games: 3 Status: Signed to 2021
Maginness’ first two seasons haven’t gone quite according to the script after he arrived with a stack of hype as a father-son prospect who blitzed the draft combine. Is keen to establish himself in the Hawks’ midfield, but is stuck behind others. Contract negotiations are underway.
21. Ben McEvoy Age: 32 Games: 244 Status: Signed to 2022
Added another year in February, shortly after being unveiled as Hawthorn’s new captain. Remains a pivotal presence for the club and played every game this season, but his form and health next year may determine whether he plays beyond this contract.
22. Seamus Mitchell Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2022
Mitchell suffered significant knee and ankle injuries shortly before the draft that meant he was slowly integrated into the program. The Hawks’ speedy No. 29 draft pick also had a hamstring setback, but was playing VFL games by the second half of the season. Will look to make an impact next year.
23. Tom Mitchell Age: 28 Games: 150 Status: Signed to 2023
The noise hasn’t quietened about the 2018 Brownlow medallist potentially playing elsewhere next year despite him having two years to run on his contract. Mitchell stated he was “shocked” about the trade rumours and “very happy” in brown and gold. Returned to his best this season, two years after suffering a broken leg.
24. Josh Morris Age: 19 Games: 9 Status: Signed to 2023
Hasn’t made much of a splash yet at senior level, but showed enough in the VFL, including a five-goal haul in Round 5, to score another two years. Also impressed at halfback. Morris has received a taste of the big time the past two seasons but will hope to be there more regularly from 2022.
25. Harry Morrison Age: 22 Games: 57 Status: Signed to 2022
Re-signed on a one-year deal in October last year and reached a contract trigger this season to extend his Waverley Park stay into a sixth campaign. Was a senior regular before a hamstring setback that sidelined him for an extended period and returned for the final three rounds.
26. Conor Nash Age: 23 Games: 29 Status: Signed to 2022
Still has a season to run on the two-year deal he signed last October. More importantly, Nash looks to have found a new position in the midfield, where he produced the best stretch of football in his career late in the season. The athletic Irishman spent most of his time as a forward before that.
27. Tim O’Brien Age: 27 Games: 97 Status: Signed to 2021
O’Brien’s latest two-year contract expired at season’s end and there is some uncertainty despite him again barely missing a match. The Hawks have always thrown him all over the field, pinch-hitting in the ruck or in a key position at either end. There is some intrigue about him among opposition clubs.
28. Jaeger O’Meara Age: 27 Games: 122 Status: Signed to 2023
Is halfway through a four-year deal he signed in April 2019. O’Meara is a potential future captain and put together another consistently good season. He’s a long way separated from his knee problems, but even he’s been suggested as someone who might have trade value, given the Hawks’ list demographics.
29. Tom Phillips Age: 25 Games: 111 Status: Signed to 2022
Crossed from Collingwood in last year’s trade period on a two-year deal after Isaac Smith’s departure to Geelong and Ricky Henderson’s retirement. Played all 22 games for Hawthorn this year and another season like that should see him extend his stay.
30. Jack Scrimshaw Age: 23 Games: 47 Status: Signed to 2022
Enjoyed comfortably his best AFL season this year and should be a staple in the Hawks’ backline for years to come as an intercepting force. The former Sun is out of contract at the end of next season, but he’s unlikely to be searching for a third club.
31. Liam Shiels Age: 30 Games: 242 Status: Signed to 2022
Another dependable season from the triple premiership midfielder, who still has a year to run on an extension he signed in late 2018. There are several younger players hunting more opportunities who will try to challenge him next year, so it will be interesting to see which direction Sam Mitchell goes in.
32. James Sicily Age: 26 Games: 93 Status: Signed to 2022
The star defender hasn’t played since rupturing the ACL in his right knee in August last year. Hawthorn opted for a cautious recovery process with him ahead of a season when he will be one of the AFL’s most coveted free agents. Will be a top re-signing priority and a key plank in the Hawks’ uprising.
33. Chad Wingard Age: 28 Games: 194 Status: Signed to 2022
Finished in a blaze of glory, winning 30 or more disposals in three of the last four rounds after returning from a hamstring injury. This was the dual All-Australian’s best season of his three so far in brown and gold. Wingard’s four-year contract when he crossed from Port Adelaide expires next season, when he should play his 200th match.
34. James Worpel Age: 22 Games: 68 Status: Signed to 2023
Had a slow start to the year, but soon returned to his strong ball-winning ways without consistently reaching his previous standards. Worpel is the youngest of the Hawks’ primary on-ball options and already has a club champion gong to his name. But he will be keen to reassert himself from the get-go in 2022.
35. Lachie Bramble Age: 23 Games: 10 Status: Signed to 2023
The pre-season supplemental selection period recruit was a revelation after breaking into the senior side mid-year, earning a two-year deal. Injected much-needed speed and ball-carrying ability, averaging 18 disposals and 420m gained in 10 games. .
36. Keegan Brooksby Age: 31 Games: 15 Status: Signed to 2021
Ex-Eagle and Sun Brooksby’s spent the past two seasons on the Hawks’ list as big man depth after originally joining via the pre-season supplemental selection period. Was a reliable performer at VFL level, but played only one senior match. Delisted this week.
37. Jackson Callow Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2021
Trained with the Hawks last summer but started in the SANFL, where he kicked 11 goals from eight games and shone with his contested marking. Hawthorn snapped Callow up in the mid-season draft and he played mostly in attack in the VFL, but was also tried in defence. Waiting to discover his contract fate.
38. Damon Greaves Age: 21 Games: 10 Status: Signed to 2021
The rookie-listed defender added seven more matches this season to his three from the end of last year. Greaves’ kicking skills make him a weapon down back and he was a consistently good performer in the VFL. But, the Hawks didn’t picture him being part of their future.
39. Emerson Jeka Age: 19 Games: 4 Status: Signed to 2022
Once one of the country’s brightest junior talents, Jeka was a rookie selection two years ago. He’s quickly repaid the Hawks’ faith. Athletic and can play both ends, but has settled in attack. Kicked two goals against the Dockers in Round 17 but it’s his strong form at the lower level that turned heads.
40. Dylan Moore Age: 22 Games: 30 Status: Signed to 2021
Moore’s one of the best stories of the year for Hawthorn, transforming from a fringe player into the club’s equal-second-highest goalkicker this season with 27 from 20 games. Had to wait until November last year to score a contract for 2021 but is now poised to secure a deserved two-year deal.
41. Jai Newcombe Age: 20 Games: 7 Status: Signed to 2023
Became the talk of the mid-season draft when he was the sole nominee to request ‘other terms’ instead of accepting a six- or 18-month contract. Newcombe’s form for Box Hill convinced the AFL Hawks to hand him effectively a three-year deal. Laid double-digit tackles in two of his seven outings and won 18 possessions in one of those.
42. Harry Pepper Age: 20 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2021
The category B rookie displayed some impressive traits at the lower level this year, particularly with his pace and pressure. Was predominantly a defender but was unleashed in attack with some success as well. Could have been retained with the same rookie status for next season but the Hawks felt he hadn’t made enough progress.
43. Ned Reeves Age: 22 Games: 5 Status: Signed to 2023
Shaping as Hawthorn’s ruckman of the future. The 211cm giant didn’t play an AFL game in his first two seasons on the list, then broke through for five matches this year. Is a work-in-progress with his play away from stoppages, but is developing nicely, which is why he was rewarded with a fresh two-year deal in June.
44. Jack Saunders Age: 19 Games: 0 Status: Signed to 2021
The fourth pick in last year’s rookie draft made steady improvement at VFL level and in scratch matches, playing on a wing and up forward. Has plenty of speed and takes the game on, two qualities the Hawks aren’t necessarily loaded with.
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