With pre-season training in full swing and some much-loved faces making their return to the track, it’s already shaping up to be an exciting year for the Hawks.
Which young guns will look to continue their strong form? How will some of our biggest stars go following their return from injury?
Here’s some of the names we anticipate will be out in force this year.
The returned stars
Eyeing a long-awaited return to the field after both battling significant injuries during 2021, where can James Sicily and Jack Gunston get to in 2022?
In his last full season in 2019, Sicily had a breakout year which saw him rewarded with a spot in the All-Australian squad and his highest ever club best and fairest finish, coming fourth.
He also ranked fourth in the league for intercept possessions and ninth for rebound 50s for the season.
With a 100th game milestone potentially in his sights this season, its easy to forget that Sicily still has plenty of football ahead of him.
It is a similar story for Gunston, who after a troublesome back injury meant he was out of action for 2021.
He scored 31 goals in 16 games during the 2020 season, took home the Peter Crimmins Medal and earned an All Australian nomination.
The club's three-time leading goalkicker is now just two goals shy of reaching 400 career goals this year.
The youngster
Defender Will Day has shown promising glimpses of brilliance in his short career to date.
Coming off the back of an ankle injury in 2021 which limited him to only five games, Day has recently recommenced running as part of his pre-season training program.
If he stays injury-free then expect the No.13 pick from the 2019 AFL Draft to reach new heights in 2022.
Having only played 16 games in his career to date, could this be the year he gets a full season of games under his belt? We can't wait to see him in action this year.
The fan-favourite
Changkuoth Jiath had his break-out 2021 cut short by a knee injury, but there's plenty to like about what he brings to the Hawks defence.
Jiath has gone from a fringe player who was unable to maintain a spot in the senior side on a regular basis, to now being a consistent contributor and a bona fide member of the side.
The 22-year-old stole the show in defence in 2021 with his aerial work and line-breaking run, playing 16 consecutive games in 2021 prior to his injury, averaging over 20 disposals.
He was named in the 22Under22 side and took home Hawthorn's Most Promising Player last season.
Once he's back to full health, we believe the sky's the limit for Jiath.
The recruit
Lachlan Bramble joined the Hawks during the pre-season supplementary selection period in March last year off the back of an impressive summer with Box Hill.
Since making his debut in Round 14 against Essendon, the 23-year-old went on to solidify his role in the team playing all remaining 10 games of the season.
Bramble averaged 18.3 disposals per game in 2021, and is ranked first among his teammates for metres gained, averaging 418 per game.
Following his impressive finish to the season, Bramble was rewarded with a two-year contract extension which will see him remain at the club until at least 2023.
Can he go one step further following his impressive debut season?
