Ben McEvoy is hoping the club’s young list profile can set up sustained success in the long term and says the Hawks have the next generation of leaders to do it.
The Hawks skipper is only entering his second year in the job in 2022, however at 32-years of age his days of leading Hawthorn are numbered.
The club struggled in the final years of the Alastair Clarkson reign as it entered a list rebuild, Sam Mitchell taking the lead for the 2022 season.
They have appeared to commit to full-blown change, as evidenced by the fire sale of trying to trade out numerous senior players in return for draft picks last year.
McEvoy acknowledged returning defender James Sicily as an obvious candidate for the leadership, but also threw a surprising name in the mix when asked about youngsters for the future.
“It’s exciting for the club long term,” he said.
“Sicily is not quite under 25, but he’s one that people have spoken about. It will be really interesting to see how Sis goes coming back after a pretty rough couple of years.
“He’s one that has real potential.
“(Also), Will Day is a really special kid who I’ve really enjoyed working with.
Day has excelled in 16 games for the Hawks across half-back, but the 20-year-old has been cruelled by injuries since being drafted at pick 13 in 2019.
Returning from an ankle injury for the 2022 season, Day shapes as an integral cog in the club’s backline with his untapped potential, alongside Sicily, who is returning from an ACL injury.
McEvoy also suggested he’d observed leadership traits in numerous 2021 draftees.
“Some of the young guys that have come in this year, like Connor MacDonald and Josh Ward. They’re so confident, and not in an arrogant, cocky sort of way. They’re good at footy, they’re confident in what they do, they speak well.
“I don’t really like putting names out there, but I think what we’ll try to do over the next little period of time is out a lot of work into our leadership development so when the time comes to hand over the rein, we’ll have an abundance of guys to choose from.”
Ward and MacDonald joined the club with picks seven and 26 respectively in the National Draft.
The Hawks' rebuild is beginning to gather momentum, announcing on Monday their pick six from the 2020 National Draft, Denver Grainger-Barras, has extended his deal for two more years.
Originally out of contract at the end of 2022, the club was more than satisfied with what they saw from 19-year-old in his injury-interrupted season in 2021.
He's only played five games, however Hawks list manager Mark McKenzie is confident fans will see the youngster develop his assets in the coming years.
“It’s great news for the club and exciting for our fans to have Denver commit for a further two years,” McKenzie said.
“He is one that brings a great energy to the side, will throw himself at every contest, reads the ball well and provides a strong aerial presence down back.
“He has shown a real willingness to compete and absorb as much as he can, and we’re confident he’ll continue to improve in 2022.
“We know Denver will take confidence from his form across his appearances last season and we’re excited to see where further development can take him over future years.”
Grainger-Barras will also form a key part of Hawthorn’s future, Kane Cornes suggesting last year that the defender has got “future captain written all over him”.