Amon comes in on a wing and a prayer
Gun winger set to fly into to Bunjil Bagora
It’s official. Karl Amon has nominated Hawthorn as his destination of choice ahead of this year’s AFL Sign and Trade Period, which kicks off on Friday, September 30.
Despite what various media outlets would have you believe, Hawthorn has never been a major player in the Free Agency stakes and Amon figures to be the biggest name through the doors of Bunjil Bagora since the signing of Premiership defender James Frawley in October 2014.
According to friend of Hawks Insiders Mitch Cleary, Amon will sign a four-year deal with the Hawks, who he chose ahead of interest from St Kilda, Melbourne, and Carlton.
It is a great result for Hawthorn, who bring in a player who slots straight into their starting 18, while holding on to all their draft assets at the same time.
Who is Karl Amon?
First and foremost, Karl Amon is a fighter. He was diagnosed with Perthes disease as a child, undergoing several operations, including five on his hip. Between the ages of five and eight, he was regularly in hospital and spent a year in a wheelchair followed by a year on crutches.
Following a successful junior career at Hampton Rovers and Sandringham Dragons, Amon was selected by Port Adelaide with pick 68 in the 2013 draft. Drafted as a small forward/midfielder, Amon spent 2014 playing at SANFL level before debuting in Round 7, 2015 against Brisbane at the Gabba, collecting 9 disposals and kicking a goal.
What has he done to this point?
Amon tallied 123 games and kicked 54 goals in his time at Port Adelaide. It was a steady but unspectacular start to an AFL career for Amon, but after a failed attempt by teams (including Hawthorn) to get him out of South Australia in 2020, Amon exploded onto the scene as one of the competitions most damaging wingman in 2021, averaging almost 24 disposals a game.
That 2021 season led to him being nominated as a member of the All-Australian Top 40, narrowly missing out on the final All-Australian team.
He continued to solidify his standing in the game in 2022, equalling his disposal count from the previous season and finishing off his Port Adelaide career in fine form as the season came to a close.
What does he bring?
Amon is a fleet of foot wingman who knows how and where to find the football and how to use it to hurt opposition teams. If he is not in the middle of a scoring chain, he will often find himself as the finisher of it, regularly kicking goals on the run.
Amon’s accuracy in front of goal waned in 2022 and he will want to work on improving that heading in to his first season at the Hawks.
Where does he fit? Who’s going to be nervous?
Brought in on a four-year deal and no doubt on above AFL average wages, Amon will immediately find a place on a wing in the first 18 should he be fit come Round 1, 2023.
As a pure outside midfielder, Amon has some traits that Hawthorn has lacked in previous years and his endurance and end-to-end running will bring back some memories of Isaac Smith and Brad Hill’s work during the threepeat era.
This will put further pressure on out of contract Hawks listed players Seamus Mitchell, Connor Downie and Jack Saunders as well as one of Hawthorn’s most improved players for 2022, Harry Morrison.
Amon’s decision to join the Hawks will also put pressure on Sam Mitchell and his use of youngsters Josh Ward, Connor Macdonald, and Finn Maginness for next season, as all three have played large minutes on the wing, a spot that is now certainly taken.
Credit to the Hawthorn List Management team and boss Mark McKenzie, who has started this years Sign and Trade period with a bang in claiming the signing of Amon.
This is just the beginning of what promising to be a busy off-season for the Hawks and their supporters should be incredibly excited about what next season will look like after McKenzie finishes his work in late November/early December.
Really good pick-up and will add a lot to the team