Hawthorn's surprise left-field rookie signing

Hawthorn has signed an Australian water polo player as category B rookie.

In a shock move, 21-year-old Ollie Purcell has agreed to terms with the Hawks, just one month after representing his country in Japan as a goalkeeper.

Hawthorn is refusing to tread water with its list management strategy and will now have a former rugby player (Matt Hill) and a water polo player on its list in 2027.

It’s understood Purcell, a 190cm defender in his younger years, was a talented footballer for St Kevin’s as a schoolboy before pursuing water polo.

He was vice captain of the Aussie youth men’s squad in 2022 and part of the national development squad.

Several clubs were looking at Purcell as a potential category B option, with their salaries sitting outside the cap.

If Purcell debuts for Hawthorn, he will become the second national water polo player to represent a club in a VFL/AFL game.

Peter Bennett declined an invitation to play for Australia at the 1948 Olympics to focus on football, but was the national water polo skipper at the 1952 Helsinki Olympics and then the 1956 Melbourne Games.

He booted 258 goals from 103 games for St Kilda in between his water polo career, and was inducted into the Water Polo Australia Hall of Fame after he passed away in 2012.