SEN Chief Sports Reporter Sam Edmund has outlined the current trade and free agency scenario at Hawthorn, saying the club wants to keep both Jack Gunston and Tom Mitchell, but were “more inclined” to let the latter explore his options.
The Hawks are currently in transition after a bottom five finish and on the back of Alastair Clarkson’s departure.
Edmund said there were still “plenty of whispers” around the future of Tom Mitchell, adding there were “no guarantees” over the future of both Mitchell and Gunston heading into the trade and free agency period.
“There’s certainly plenty of whispers about Tom Mitchell being open for a trade,” he said on SEN’s Crunch Time.
“My understanding is Jack Gunston is more inclined to stay than Tom, do they reset under Sam Mitchell aggressively?
“Hawthorn want to keep both is my understanding on the assumption that the big offer doesn’t come (from another side), but there’s no guarantees.”
Kane Cornes said the draft had to be the priority for Hawthorn, but said a balance was required to ensure there were enough experiences players to guide the next generation through in Sam Mitchell’s first year as senior coach.
“There comes a time where you have to bunch these first-round picks together and get as many together through the door because there’s a big gulf there,” he said.
“But they can’t be all young, players like (Luke) Breust, (Jack) Gunston and (Tom) Mitchell are going to be important. Sam Mitchell is going to want some success and win about eight games next year, so there’s a balance there.
“Absolutely the priority for me is for Hawthorn to go to the draft and that’s what they did last year and what they should do in the coming years.”