Inside Hawthorn's Draft mind games

Are we on the eve of another Mark McKenzie masterclass?

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Tonight’s draft promises two things. First, upon hearing AFL footy boss Andrew Dillon (Gill is on holidays somewhere) read their names out, the lives of 20 young men will be changed forever. Second, the cards the clubs have been holding close to their chests for months on end will finally be laid bare.

Make no mistake, Hawthorn has employed every tactic in the book in the lead up to the draft. The Hawks will say they have just done their due diligence on all prospects to prepare themselves for every possible outcome — and if you take things on face value, you might agree. There is no doubt that the moves that have been made by Mark McKenzie and his team can be interpreted in multiple ways, depending on the lens you view them through.