Karl Amon has fully backed Hawthorn’s off-season player movement which saw the club part with several experienced players.
The Hawks were busy with their trade period activity, trading out the likes of Jaeger O’Meara, Tom Mitchell and Jack Gunston while saying goodbye to retired pair Ben McEvoy and Liam Shiels (who later joined North Melbourne).
Amon, 27, was on his way to the Hawks from Port Adelaide when O’Meara and Mitchell were still at the club, but now they’ve moved on he’ll have to run out in brown and gold as the Hawks’ most experienced midfielder.
Despite the list being cut thin, Amon has put his faith in the strategy of head coach Sam Mitchell and the list management team.
“I think to everyone it was a bit of a surprise but I back the club’s decision in,” he said on SEN Mornings.
“That’s not saying bad words on Jaeger and Tom, they’re both quality players, but at the end of the day the club had a bold decision to make and they made a brave decision.
“They’re looking towards the future and they want to invest games into (young) players like Josh Ward and so forth.
“It was a little bit of a surprise but at the end of the day I think the club made a brave decision. They’ve got a plan on where they want to go in the next couple of years and that was part of it.”
Having won eight games in 2022 and with many pundits forecasting their demise in 2023, how quickly can the Hawks rebound back up the ladder?
“Yeah, I think really quickly,” Amon replied.
“You saw clubs like Collingwood last year who rapidly improved. The group is really hungry for success and stranger things have happened in AFL football.
“A quick turnaround is possible but we know we’ve got to put the work in. From what I’ve seen from this group so far, they’re ready to do that.”
Amon outlined the reasons why he opted to leave the Power for what many would consider an inferior team.
“What I saw in the Hawthorn footy club last year was the boldness in their game plan,” he added.
“That really excited me along with Sam and the knowledge he has around the game. That was something that I really connected with and it may take time, but it could be a quick turnaround as well and you never know what can happen.
“I think that’s really exciting and I think we’ve got a really exciting list. As Sam has said in previous weeks and months, the group that we want for that next premiership we’ve already got.
“The quicker we can develop and get higher up the ladder the better.”
Amon, who polled 15 Brownlow votes with Port last year, arrived at Waverley with 124 games to his name which makes him the fifth most experienced player at the club.
The youthful Hawks meet reigning premier Geelong (February 23) and Collingwood (March 2) in practice matches before setting their sights on the 2023 season opener against Essendon at the MCG on March 19.