Connor Downie with his parents after being taken at pick No. 35 in last year’s AFL national draft. Photo: AFL MEDIA
For the first time in coach Alastair Clarkson’s 17-year reign, Hawthorn finds itself in unfamiliar territory.
Not only are the Hawks fresh from finishing in their lowest ladder position (15th) since Clarkson took over, but the last time they missed out on finals in consecutive years was way back in the four-time premiership mentor’s second year in the job (2006).
With Jonathon Patton’s future still up in the air as a result of his “sexting” scandal and Tom Scully retiring earlier this month due to personal reasons, the senior team has suffered further instability.
But out of a crisis comes opportunity, and as Hawthorn embarks on its first genuine rebuild in the Clarkson era, the following four youngsters could play key roles in getting their club out of the lower reaches of the ladder.
CONNOR DOWNIE
The 18-year-old might have only been drafted by the Hawks a couple of months ago, but already he has made a huge impression at his new club.
Not one to assume the stereotypical role of a first-year player and sit back and answer the call when called upon, Downie has entered Waverley Park with a proactive attitude and a determination for immediate improvement.
In many respects, he’s already behaving like a leader at the club and in fairness probably doesn’t know how to act any differently. Based on his performance against the Western Bulldogs in their practice match at Whitten Oval on Wednesday, the young midfielder is well on track to debut in round one against Essendon.
“He’s always got a ball in his hand, he’s always wanting to do vision, he’s always doing extra touch,” Hawthorn head of development Sam Mitchell told Footyology.
“He’s quite lucky, he’s got a durable body that can handle quite a lot of training. He was clearly one of the standouts from an endurance point of view in the draft this year and when we got hold of him, we realised that without an AFL program, he’s already in that boat.
“So as soon as we put some AFL scaffolding around his training and his weights and his fitness program, he’s become really, really strong.”
Downie is a player who does the simple things well and promises to become a predictable and reliable member of the Hawthorn senior team sooner rather than later.
“His highlight tape perhaps won’t be as impressive but there’s just going to be so much of it – he’s just going to do the same thing over and over and over again,” Mitchell said.
“You look at a lot of really good players, particularly wingmen, they just do the right thing over and over again and it gets them in the right position and they become really important players for your club, and I think he’s doing all those things walking into a footy club for the first time and learning an enormous amount and improving at a really strong rate. which is important for those young guys.”
CHANGKUOTH JIATH
One of the more exciting prospects on Hawthorn’s list, Jiath got another decent taste of senior footy last year before getting dropped in round 17.
He strung together five games in a row, and like he did in his two games in 2019, showed glimpses of how effective he can be in the back half for the Hawks.
The 21-year-old has got some tricks in his bag but has been let down by lapses in concentration during games, which get exacerbated as a defender because they can lead to goals to the opposition.
However, Mitchell says Jiath has put together his most consistent pre-season this summer and looks poised to become a more regular member of the senior team in 2021.
“When you have some of the ‘X-factor’ output possibilities that he has, working on foundation and fundamental skill can be tedious, but to his credit, he’s really been head down bum up and worked really hard on the basics of the game over the off-season,” Mitchell said.
“Like all young players they will make some mistakes, but they’re much less frequent than they have been in the past, and I think everyone’s pretty excited by what he’s producing on the training track at the moment.
“A guy like him has the physical attributes to play the game, so we love what we get out of ‘CJ’ when he’s at his best, and he knows that when he’s not he’s pretty quick to fall away.
“I think everyone can be motivated for short periods of time, but his level of desire to improve and perform has been consistent day after day for a long period now.”
JACOB KOSCHITZKE
The former No.52 draft pick has already made a significant detour in his AFL journey without even having played a senior game.
Last year, Koschitzke had been groomed to become a key defender for the Hawks, but that has been flipped on its head heading into the 2021 season, with the 20-year-old now earmarked for a role in the forward line.
With the likes of Jack Gunston, Luke Breust and Shaun Burgoyne no longer spring chickens, the Hawks hope an injection of youth in attack from the likes of Koschitzke will pay dividends.
“He’s come along really, really strongly,” Mitchell said. “He’s got fantastic physical attributes, and he’s started to really mature and be able to play consistently well as a forward.
“He’s quite mobile, he’s got great speed and then when you take it with his physical size, he’s going to be a tough match-up.
“With Jack Gunston not being available for the first part of the season [due to back surgery] I think there’s some opportunity in the front half of the ground.”
DYLAN MOORE
The 21-year-old is another player who is primed to add some youth into the forward line on a more regular basis this year.
And despite having his last couple of years dogged by injury interruptions, like Downie, he has belied his experience (10 career games) to take it upon himself to drive the standards in his part of the ground during training.
As a result, with a clean run at it, Moore looks set to become a fixture in Hawthorn’s best 22 as he heads into his fourth year in the system.
“He’s really made that high half-forward position his own over the pre-season,” Mitchell said. “He’s played some really strong consistent footy for us, just runs really good patterns and has got a really high work ethic.
“We’re quite young in that front half of the ground so having some guys down there that are willing to lead as well as work hard has been really important for us, and I think Dylan Moore has got that in his kit bag.
“We’re in that process of building those blocks to make sure that the next era for us is really strong, and when you get some young guys that are willing to help you build that, then that’s pretty special.”
