Ins – Jack Dalton, Ollie Greeves, Matt LeRay, Cam Nairn, Aiden Schubert
Outs – Luke Breust, Sam Frist, CJ, Seamus Mitchell, Jasper Scaife, Jai Serong, James Worpel
My Prediction
The Hawks didn’t quite hit the heights that many predicted them to last year. They are a tough team to read as they are clearly greater than the sum of their parts. They are one of a number of teams that need a good run with injuries and I dearly hope they don’t have it.
The backline is as good as any in the competition. Sicily and Barrass is a very good one-two punchy. They also have Battle who they look to have paid too much for and very much seems surplus to needs. Hardwick, Amon and Impey given them toughness and run. They have good structure down there and support from upfield leaving them tough to score on.
The midfield is their concern. They have lost Day again and really needed him. Weddle finished the season in amazing touch whilst Massimo took a couple of steps backwards and became an average wingman with a very good left foot. Newcombe is coming off a pretty good season but they will need MacKenzie to step up and maybe even Worpel to request a midseason trade back from Geelong. They could really have used an extra all Australian type midfielder to give them depth and run.
The forward line is much like the rest of the team and performs better in person that it reads on paper and I guess that is the sign of a well coached team. Dear had an unlucky run last year but it is also to know if he will live up to the hype of his debut year. Gunston is 49 years old and coming off a career best season and suspect they wouldn’t want to rely on that happening again. Mitch Lewis is one injury away from the blue screen and shotgun being brought out. Then you have the most punchable smalls in the competition with Watson and Ginnivan. There is upside with Moore who probably didn’t reach previous heights last year. That all being said, they seem to score more than their opponents which is sort of the aim.
The rucks aren’t in the upper echelon. Meek or Reeves are both good solid rucks. I am not sure the new ruck rules will suit either and will be interesting to see what Mitchell does. Mitchell is annoyingly a very good coach. I keep wanting him to fall over but he has a team performing well above the sum of its parts. The only thing he doesn’t seem to do well is recruitment.
I don’t know where their improvement comes from this year. I know it is impossible to look at this without wondering what it would have looked like with Merrett in the mix. He is absolutely their missing piece maybe alongside a reliable key forward but they don’t have either so I think a stagnant year. Somewhere between 7-10.
I have them a bit like the Bulldogs (could be anywhere 3-10), but opposite reason: they may not have completely stacked team, but they are extremely well coached and get the most out of whatever talent they have. Which equally can lend itself to being able to get on a hot run or only have a so-so season.
I can’t decide whether they’re well-coached and over-performing or terribly coached and under-performing.
I do know they have no clutch and are irrelevant. They could finish fourth and be irrelevant.
Softer underbelly than a blue whale with Mundine’s Dad’s chin for a belly.
Disagree on over paying and Battle surplus to needs. He had a cracking season last year. Think it’s now Scrimshaw who will be on the fringe of a game.
Could see them making a prelim, could see them being that 9/10 team if some injuries occur.
They are well coached as much as it pains me to say.
Hopefully missing Zerrett and another long term injury to Day places strain on that midfield and it causes a drop off…..we can only hope.
Hawks of 2025 were a Gunston away from missing the 8 and a Will Day away from playing in a granny (maybe a stretch).
I think they’ll be 4-6th in 2026 and tipping the Wizard to well and truly breakout.
I hate the hawks. But their list is ready to go and their coach is annoyingly good at setting them up to win. More good times coming their way this year I reckon.
Much has been said of their kicking skills but this is a team of hard nuts who do the contested stuff very well and love to get in the face of the opposition.
The complete opposite of us, really.
Will make the Eight but appear to have stagnated. Losing Worpel while missing out on Merrett hurts them.