Nick Watson was a revelation in his debut season last year and epitomised Hawthorn’s newfound swagger. Photo: AFL MEDIA

HAWTHORN
2024 record: 15 wins, 10 losses (6th)

THE INS
Tom Barrass (West Coast), Josh Battle (St Kilda), Noah Mraz (Dandenong Stingrays), Cody Anderson (Eastern Ranges), Jaime Uhr-Henry (Dandenong Rangers – NBL1 South), Matt Hill (Melbourne Storm Academy – NRL)

THE OUTS
Chad Wingard (retired), Denver Grainger-Barras (delisted), Cooper Stephens (delisted), Clay Tucker (delisted), Ethan Phillips (delisted), Jack O’Sullivan (delisted), Joshua Bennetts (delisted)

THE STRENGTHS
From humble beginnings, the Hawks shrugged off an 0-5 start to last season to become one of the most electrifying and exciting teams to watch. Turbocharged by generous helpings of youthful exuberance, dash, dare, flair and confidence, Sam Mitchell’s men bulldozed their way through the competition, winning 15 of their next 19 games to make it all the way to a semi-final, where their Cinderella run was abruptly brought to a halt by Port Adelaide in a spiteful encounter. But if Hawthorn can pick up where it left off, it is going to be one of the teams to beat in 2025. Powered by both the sixth-best attack and defence last season, Hawthorn feared no one as they claimed the scalps of premiers Brisbane, finalists GWS, the Bulldogs (twice) and Carlton, as well as Collingwood and Fremantle, who were neck-deep in the top-eight race late in the season. The Hawks now boast one of the best midfields in the competition which features future captain Will Day, Jai Newcombe, James Worpel and Conor Nash, with one of the AFL’s most improved players in ruckman Lloyd Meek delivering them silver service at stoppages. Thanks largely to their work, last year Hawthorn was third for contested possessions, third for inside 50s, sixth for disposals, sixth for clearances and fifth for marks inside 50. They also had eight players kick at least 20 goals and Dylan Moore was the crowning jewel as he earned his first All-Australian jumper. The recruitments of Massimo D’Ambrosio and Jack Ginnivan were inspired, while fellow early-20-somethings Josh Weddle and Connor Macdonald look like they could be anything. The Hawks also unearthed a pair of young jewels up forward in Nick Watson and Calsher Dear. And it’s no surprise that Hawthorn has quickly transformed itself into a destination club once again, with gun key backs Tom Barrass and Josh Battle crossing over to join the party. Their skipper James Sicily has taken to his role seamlessly in the last two years and has become a fantastic leader of his team, setting the example for most of 2024 by consistently performing at a high level while battling a shoulder injury.

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THE WEAKNESSES
One thing the Hawks would like to tidy up is their efficiency when the ball gets inside their attacking zone. Despite being one of the best sides at getting the ball up forward, they were an underwhelming 11th in the league last year for scores per inside 50. They also came in fourth-last for contested marks in 2024, so no doubt the recruitment of Barrass and Battle will assist and take the load off the likes of Sicily and Jack Scrimshaw in that department. And, yes, Hawthorn ranked highly for disposals, which means it wasn’t chasing its opponents as often as other sides were, but it still came in at 17th for tackles last season and one would assume that coach Sam Mitchell would like that to improve. There’s also no doubt that after catching the rest of the competition off guard last year, every rival club would have gone to work on the Hawks over the summer and therefore a big target will be on their back. That’s not necessarily a weakness per se, and no doubt Mitchell would welcome that extra scrutiny, but it will definitely ensure they will be made to earn it if they are to replicate their stunning 2024 campaign.

ONE TO WATCH
If you thought Watson was good last year, wait until you see what he produces in his sophomore season. ‘The Wizard’ hit the ground running in 2024, booting 25 goals from 18 games, to be one of the driving forces behind Hawthorn’s unlikely run to the second week of the finals. And he could’ve easily had a more impressive goal tally considering he also kicked 27 behinds to give him an accuracy rate of 48 per cent. If the exhilarating small forward fixes up his radar, watch out.

UNDER THE PUMP
Mabior Chol made a cracking start to life as a Hawk to lead the club goalkicking with 37. But his impact waned at the pointy end of the season, with only six majors in his last five games, four of which coming against North Melbourne and Richmond. He had no influence in either of the Hawks’ finals and would probably feel as though he owes his team.

BEST 23
B: Blake Hardwick, Tom Barrass, Josh Battle
HB: Jarman Impey, James Sicily, Karl Amon
C: Josh Weddle, Jai Newcombe, Massimo D’Ambrosio
HF: Dylan Moore, Mitch Lewis, Jack Ginnivan
F: Jack Gunston, Calsher Dear, Nick Watson
R: Lloyd Meek, Will Day, James Worpel
Inter: Connor Macdonald, Luke Breust, Jack Scrimshaw, Conor Nash, Harry Morrison
Emerg: Sam Frost, Cam Mackenzie, Mabior Chol

Sicily looks set to stay down back again, despite the arrivals of Barrass and Battle, but he can definitely be used up forward with great effect, which provides coach Mitchell with added flexibility. After a career-best year last year, Sam Frost harshly finds himself as an emergency, thanks to Barrass and Battle, which is a great sign for Hawthorn’s depth. With Mitch Lewis (knee) and Dear (back) set to spend varying lengths of time on the sidelines in the first half of the season, Chol will get his chance to redeem himself, but in their very best team at this stage, he just misses out. Don’t be surprised to see Weddle move to a wing and Blake Hardwick proved last year he can be used at either end of the ground. With Changkuoth Jiath, Finn Maginness and Josh Ward all on the outer, there’ll be no shortage of competition for spots at Waverley.

*all team stat rankings mentioned are based on differentials, not totals (apart from overall offence and defence).