The romanticism of Josh Ward
'It definitely means that little bit more to me'
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There’s no room for romanticism in footy, but it was hard not to get carried away with Hawthorn’s selection of Josh Ward in round one of the National Draft last week.
Aside from being an exceptional young footballer, Ward is lifelong Hawthorn supporter, joining a small but growing group of Hawks fans at Bunjil Bagora including Dylan Moore, Jack Scrimshaw, Jai Newcombe, and Finn Maginness. (Will Day supported Hawthorn as a child, but switched to Gold Coast when his big cousin Sam was drafted in 2011.)
Ward reportedly had to play his Hawthorn fandom down in the hope of landing a spot on an AFL list. But behind the scenes his heart was set on Hawthorn. The great grandson of Alex Lee - who played 31 games with the Hawks in the 1930s - Ward spoke of his undeniable connection to the club in an interview with SEN Breakfast last week.
"I would've been very grateful to go to any AFL club, but for it to be Hawthorn is pretty unbelievable. It definitely means that little bit more to me," he said.
Pulling on the jumper of the club you grew up supporting as a kid doesn’t necessarily translate to better performances on the field. Conversely, we’ve had plenty of rival supporters putting past allegiances aside when they’ve joined the club, including 2019 Peter Crimmins medallist James Worpel who grew up supporting the Cats.
But if you think it means nothing to players, here’s what Paul Salmon said when we asked him about his latent Hawthorn fandom on the Golden Years podcast last year. Salmon had played 209 games and won two flags with Essendon when he came back “home” to the club he supported as a child.
As he sat in the carpark of Glenferrie Oval, the romanticism of returning to the club he grew up idolising was not lost on him.
“It was like my footy soul meeting my reality,” he said.
In more recent times, David Scrimshaw - father of Jack - spoke of the buzz his son got after meeting Clarko following his trade from the Gold Coast. And who could forget the footage the club wheeled out of him celebrating Brad Hill kicking the sealer in the 2013 Grand Final?
"Jack has barracked for the Hawks all his life,” David wrote on socials. “He idolised Crawf and Willo in the 2000s and then later Buddy, Roughy, Cyril and Birch.”
The rollcall of childhood supporters who won premierships for the Hawks includes Peter Schwab, Trent Croad, John Hendrie, Andy Collins, Peter Knights, and Stuart Dew. (Please let me know in the comments if we’ve missed any.) The romantic in me would like to think Stewie Dew’s “bulky hero” third quarter heroics were driven by his deep seated love for Hawthorn - but the realist in me says probably not.
Today’s modern pro is indoctrinated into a club’s culture from the second they walk through the doors. They’re given history lessons from past players and whatever past allegiances they once had are drummed out of them by the time they eventually make their debut. But somewhere deep down, we like to believe they’re still that kid kicking the winning goal in a Hawks guernsey after the siren in their backyard.
Of course, Josh Ward’s Hawthorn fandom had nothing to do with the Hawks drafting him. He was the next best available midfielder in a year in which we needed to bring a young dynamic gun (or four) into an ageing mix.
But the fact he loves Hawthorn makes it all that more sweeter. Just imagine a Premiership won off the back of some dyed-in-the-wool Hawks fanatics like Scrimshaw, Moore, Maginness, and now Ward.
They say there’s no romanticism in footy, but I get goosebumps just thinking about it.
Darren Levin is a former News Corp columnist and the co-founder of Hawks Insiders. Follow him on Twitter @darren_levin.
Darren, terriific read of an article full of wholesome sincerity and warmth. Having such gems to read is a welcome distraction from the stresses of life and with work! As always, well played and thank you!
Ideally the leadership should eventually be Day C Ward VC Magginess DVC that would be the perfect platform for the family club