Mabior Chol will join Hawthorn on a four-year deal with a trigger for a fifth season once a trade is negotiated reports, SEN’s Tom Morris.
Chol officially requested a move to Waverley on Thursday after just two seasons at the Suns. Despite kicking over 40 goals in 2022, the 26-year-old fell out of favour this season to play just eight senior games.
It saw the Suns happy for Chol to explore his options. Speaking on AFL Trade Radio’s Trade Feed, Morris revealed Chol had several offers in front of him.
“Hawthorn offered four years plus a games trigger for a fifth,” Morris began.
“So he said yes to that. North Melbourne came late and came back with an offer at 4:00pm on Thursday, or thereabouts. Still two years but better money.
“Adelaide offered three years with a trigger for a fourth.”
Chol kicked 10 goals in 2023 and only managed two games after Round 9. His nomination is an important one for the Hawks, who are set to lose Jacob Koschitzke to Richmond.
Hawks footy boss Rob McCartney told AFL Trade Radio there’s a spot for Chol in Hawthorn’s best 22.
“Didn’t get a lot of opportunity at the level this year, we see there’s definite opportunity for him to play regular AFL footy with us if he was to land here,” he said.
“Mitch Lewis needs a bit of a foil to play alongside and we’ve explored a few different options over the last couple of years and haven’t really landed on something we think has worked well regularly.”
But while it’s good news for Hawthorn, it’s less positive for Elliott Himmelberg.
GWS has put its interest in the tall Crow on the record. But with Adelaide already losing Shane McAdam, it’s understood the Crows wouldn’t let Himmelberg – who is under contract – depart without a suitable replacement.
Himmelberg played three games under Matthew Nicks in 2023 and has kicked a total of 41 majors from the same number of appearances since debuting in 2018.
“Chol choosing hawthorn means Himmelberg is now not going to be able to get to the Giants unless the Crows can find another forward. It’s the flow on effect,” Morris added.
“I can only imagine the frustration among the Himmelberg camp once Chol chose Hawthorn over Adelaide.”