Good vibes only: Notes from the Hawks Family Day
The Hawks faithful has fully bought in
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No superstars, no worries.
On a day where Luke Breust was the sole Premiership player out there, Hawks supporters turned out in their droves to get up close and personal and chase some autographs from a group of players who were mostly just getting started on their AFL journey.
It’s why the club’s Family Day/Season Launch on Sunday at Bunjil Bagora felt noticeably different to the parade of All Australians, Premiership heroes and cult figures we’d become accustomed to over the years.
There was no Tom Mitchell. No Jaeger O’Meara. No Big Boy. No Gunston. The fans were there in big numbers to get an early glimpse at a young developing side who aren’t expected to challenge for a number of years. And yet the excitement was genuine and palpable.
The Hawks faithful has fully bought in to the journey Sam Mitchell and his side are taking us on, and it was evident from the huge queues that snaked around the outer at Bunjil Bagora to nab autographs, selfies and BeReals (whatever that is) from new recruits like Karl Amon, Cooper Stephens and Lloyd Meek; young stars in the making such as Jai Newcombe, Will Day, Josh Ward and Connor MacDonald; our new leadership group led by James Sicily and Dylan Moore; and AFLW rising stars Aine McDonagh and Sophie Locke.
CJ is the Harry Styles of this group
While all four signing marquees drew huge lines throughout the day, the biggest queue was reserved for Changkuoth Jiath, Luke Breust, Blake Hardwick, and Jarman Impey. No disrespect to those other three, but CJ is still the club’s out and out rockstar, even if Jai Newcombe is rapidly gaining ground on him.
Denver Grainger-Barras is a ripping bloke
According to some supporters (*cough* Brad *cough*) it’s a make or break year for DGB as he looks to cement his place in the backline. While there are doubts over his form and physique, there’s no question he’s a great personality who loves being at the club and interacting with fans. While most players signed posters and merch like workers on a production line, Denver asked my daughter if he could draw a moustache on her photo. She obliged, of course.
Sammy keen to move on after Geelong “reality check”
Sam Mitchell was in good spirits as he chatted on stage with radio host and noted Hawks fan Anthony Lehmann (aka Lehmo). He also spent a good half-an-hour roaming through the crowds at Bunjil Bagora, posing for selfies and signing autographs.
Asked what we should be expecting from Hawthorn’s final pre-season hitout against Collingwood in Tasmania this Thursday, Mitchell said the message to his team was simple: just focus on the things you’re good at.
“When you watch the game this week on TV, what I want to see from the players and what you want to see is what they’re good at. Plenty of the guys that I talked to just didn’t play to their strengths [against Geelong], didn’t do the things they’re good at.
He said the coaching group were looking at the next crop of young players who were going to take ownership of the club’s next period of success. And playing finals footy is not enough.
“I love being associated with Hawthorn, because it’s Premierships or nothing,” he said.
“Who will be the player that takes the next step for us? When you look back at the history of this club, a lot of young groups took this club to the next level. When I got to the club, Shane Crawford was here and he was coming to the end. And every story I heard about him was he grabbed it by the horns and said, ‘This is going to be my club and I’m going to make it into something.’ A guy like Luke Hodge did a very similar thing. So now we’re looking at the next group to take the club to where we’d like it to be.”
Despite the excitement in the crowd, Mitchell was keen to temper expectations ahead of the season opener against Essendon on March 19.
“We’re just like every other team,” he joked. “We’ve never been fitter, we’re in peak physical condition, we’re training the house down.
“We got a bit of a reality check against Geelong last week,” he continued, “but we’re still finding our way and we’ll get better and better. We’re very much looking forward to playing against the old, arch rivals Essendon in a few weeks.”
Jordan Lewis is back in the fold
Having seemingly lost Luke Hodge to Brisbane and Buddy to Sydney, it was wonderful seeing Jordan Lewis and family in attendance, and even better seeing his kids decked out in Hawks gear with the #3 proudly on their backs. Are they Jai Newcombe fans too? 😉
Past meets present meets future
Lewis was among a contingent of past players – including Michael Tuck, Peter Hudson, Ian Paton, and Chris Wittman – who presented players their jumper numbers, in a nice coming together of future, present and past. There was a lightness to proceedings and a general feeling of camaraderie among the playing group, best epitomised by young ruckman Max Ramsden receiving a round of “baaaaas” (RAMsden — get it?) from his teammates when his #38 was called.
Triple Premiership winning wingman Darrin Pritchard made a welcome return to Bunjil Bagora to present the #41 jumper to Josh Bennetts.
The Hawthorn Next Generation Academy graduate was added to the list as a Category B rookie, but has been turning heads in training with his crafty ball use and creativity. He was singled out by Mitchell for his performance in the Box Hill Hawks hitout against Geelong last week.
“He showed some real athleticism and great ability to use the ball inside the forward 50 and looked dangerous.”
While Mitchell wouldn’t be drawn on picking his favourites among the new crop of draftees, it’s clear he has a soft spot for Bennetts and the highly touted Cam Mackenzie, who he praised for playing through pain in the club’s intraclub hitout the other week.
“He didn’t tell anyone and the whole back of his leg was purple. He’s a tough player, which you wouldn’t really think so because he’s a nice looking lad,” he joked.
Most of the crowd chatter was centred around Josh Weddle, who has blitzed the club’s time trials and looked impressively well built and readymade for someone who’s only 19.
He’s certainly not lacking in confidence. In his brief interview with Lehmo, he had no issue lightly roasting James Worpel, or making a pretty definitive prediction on whether he’d be bringing his elite running power to the Hawthorn flanks in 2023.
“Well, that’s the plan,” he said.
Oh, and in case you’re wondering, Jai Serong’s ankle injury doesn’t appear too serious. The young forward played down the injury when quizzed by a fan during a signing session with Ned Long, Josh Ward, DJB, Kosi and Will Day.
Expect him back by rounds 8 to 10 then 🙃
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