Weddle sets tongues wagging at Waverley
Christmas at Bunjil Bagora included some great presents for the fans in attendance
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The draftee who Hawthorn moved heaven and earth to get to the club at the 2022 AFL National Draft – Josh Weddle, has put in an incredibly impressive display in a series of time trials at a fan open training on Saturday morning.
The session which was held at Bunjil Bagora included the time trials together with a number of other running and skills drills in front of a large contingent of dedicated Hawks fans ahead of the Christmas break.
Weddle was a clear standout as he flew around the track, with recruit Karl Amon and second year mid Josh Ward also putting in eye catching performances.
Speaking to Hawks Insiders about the athleticism of Weddle, Hawthorn Assistant (and midfield) Coach David Hale said it was clear why the club pushed hard to get him on the list and into the midfield mix.
“It's obviously part of the attributes that drew us towards him as a player – he’s got versatility to be able to play forward, back and he played wing as well at times at under 18 footy,” Hale said.
“So obviously his athletic qualities with his endurance and his repeat sprints stand out, as you saw today.
“It's really good to bring in guys like that, who can raise the level of the other guys to try and catch him, and CJ and Josh Ward and those guys - Finn Maginness in that first group, they can keep driving each other to get better.”
Hale also highlighted the significance that 12 months in the system will have on last year’s first round pick Ward who also looked sharp out on the Waverley turf.
“He's very, very driven, which is what you want as a player you’re always looking for ways to get better.
“His interaction with the whole group in its entirety in order to drive the standards of himself, but also the group is really important.
“So he's had 12 months in the system now, understands how it works playing against those bigger body and we expect him to have a good summer and attack the year with some good venom.”
Hale admitted that while it is a very young group of midfielders, we now have a core group that will be ready to work together and grow over the next few seasons.
And while the ingredients are all there he admitted that there will be a fair amount of experimentation over the course of the season to get experience and game time into each player.
“The development of their crafts and even the development time spent in Box Hill is going to be beneficial for all of our guys.
“The way injuries play out and form changes through the year – there are plenty of reasons why you want to start with 15 to go through the midfield, but as the as the grind of the season gets going, you lose a couple along the way.
“Form wise and energy wise it will sort itself out and obviously the guys that can sustain a good level of output for consistency over the year will play some footy.
“And we're at that stage where we want to get games into those guys that we have just drafted as well so that competition for spots and that depth is really important, especially in the midfield.
“They're pretty young - I think the oldest guy there is Karl who is 27. Most of the others are 24, so it will be a young midfield which is very exciting.”
Port Adelaide recruit Amon was one of the other standouts on Saturday, and Hale had some special words of praise for our newly acquired winger.
“He’s a high quality player and played a lot of footy for Port Adelaide in that wing position, so he has ability to get up and down the ground.
“Even his ability a little bit more inside this year will be important, so adding those guys that can just run all day is important.”