Assistant Coach Robert Harvey has provided his review of how each Hawks midfielder performed for the 2022 season. 

Harry Morrison  

“Harry had a really consistent year, he spent some time half back and some half forward, but was mostly on the wing and became our mainstay winger. He was really consistent with his work rate and his leadership and his ball use was really strong – he took a big step forward this year with his development. We’re looking for him to take things to the next level next year."

Tom Mitchell  

“Tommy had a really good back half of the year after a bit of a slow-ish start, it took a while to adjust to some new tweaks in how we played. But in the end, he had a really good finish to the season. He showed his strengths, he ran really good transition patterns as a midfielder for the majority of the year."

Jai Newcombe  

“Jai is a really self-driven athlete so it’s no surprise that he improved so much because he put so much in. He produced a year that he should really be proud of. He comes in every week and is one of the first of the guys to do his review. He really actions areas that he feels he needs to work on, so that is a great strength of his. But I know he won’t be satisfied, he’ll want to get better, and he’ll know there is no finish line with that. The drive burns deep within him, he has a constant want to improve and get better.”

James Worpel  

“It was a tough year for James in the fact that he probably struggled to get going early in the season. He spent some time at Box Hill where he found his form - he was just starting to get his form back - but then he hurt his shoulder. It was a disappointing and challenging year for him both early with his form and with his injury later. While on the sidelines he remained very heavily engaged and involved with the midfielders, helping them out with the structural side of things and opposition analysis. He was up in the coaches box a bit as well, he remained a really strong leader while he was out. He'll be looking to get himself cherry ripe for the pre-season and improve next year."

Ben McEvoy 

“Ben played forward mainly early, but then late in the season we needed him back in the ruck with Ned and Lynchy out injured. He soldiered his way as a ruckman, he tried his upmost and obviously sadly he leaves us now, but he was nothing different to what he has ever been. He gave his all for the whole year, often against an oversized guys who are younger. He just tried his heart out and was a great leader among the group. I know Ned Reeves and Max Ramsden will both miss him because he was so good for their development. One of his big things was that he wanted was to leave a legacy, and I reckon he’s done that with Ned and Max.”

Jaeger O’Meara   

“I thought Jaeger had a really good year. He had an interrupted pre-season so it took six games for him to really hit his straps but once he got going, his inside and outside game had a really good balance. He started to really get going in the second half of the season, hurting teams with run and spread. He was forward a lot more this year and was able to hit the scoreboard, so he learnt that new role well and I think that's going to make him a better player going forward. Not having known Jaeger before this year, he was exceptional for me as a midfield coach to help get the boys together, to lead and be strong in meetings. He obviously stepped up in the absence of Ben as captain, so it was a great leadership year for him and I thought he took huge strides in his leadership over the course of the year.”

Conor Nash   

“It was a pretty solid year for Conor and I think now he’s looking to take the next step with his footy. We love his team-first mentality - he's a much-loved member of the midfield group and very trusted with how hard he goes at the contest and how much he works. He has a great balance of his height to be able to run and cover the ground, but to also be really tough inside with his tackling pressure. We’re looking at ways to get him a little bit more of the footy as a midfielder and I think that grew as the year went on."

Max Lynch  

“Maxy was looking really promising over the pre-season and the early part of this season and obviously had some issues with the head knocks. It was good to see him get back late and find his way into the seniors which will give him some confidence heading into next year. He has built really good trust in his teammates and now it's onwards and upwards for him looking forward. His application and attitude was fantastic, he just had really bad luck. He trained really well and was looking really good as a young player coming into this prime as a ruckman."

Tom Phillips  

“It was again a tough year for Tom in the fact that he was playing reasonable footy early, but started in Box Hill. He then forced his way into the senior team, but then he had a shocking injury. He worked really hard away from the four walls here to get himself fit and then he came back and got injured again. I’ve known Tommy for a long time and I thought he got a lot of his strengths back in pre-season and we could see those, it was just really unfortunate luck that he went down with injury but we're looking forward for big things from him next year.”

Josh Ward   

“Josh earned his respect early with his work rate, he is a really high worker as a midfielder to contest. I thought he developed really well over the course of the year, to come in and do what he did in his first year I think is a feather in his cap – he’s a great listener and wants to learn a lot and he has great leadership potential down the track. He knows what he wants, he is really strong and really hungry so we're really excited for him. Once he built belief that he belonged at the level, then he really took his game to another level. We saw the excitement for what the future holds for him.”

Liam Shiels  

“Liam was fantastic for me this year and for the midfield group. His work rate was really strong, he is a really good leader and was really strong in meetings. He spent some time in Box Hill due to the younger guys getting a good go this year so he was in and out of the team. But when he did come in, he performed really well and was trusted, he's much-loved by his teammates. It was a consistent year from a Box Hill point of view, he played really well for them. Although he had limited opportunities at AFL, but when he did come back in, he performed really well. He kept his attitude all the way through and was a really strong leader all year.” 

Finn Maginness  

“Finn is a really self-driven athlete, he’s strong in the mind and really listened to both sides and takes feedback really well. It's no surprise that he came home strong in the back half of the year. He did some great jobs for us on some really key players from the opposition. It was a great progression year for Finn and it was a great reward for his own effort. He is much-loved and trusted by the group, he made a big impact in here and was respected for the work he did by both the players and coaches.”

Ned Reeves  

“As a young ruckman at 210cm, Ned is getting better and better we just feel like this year was another step in the ladder for him going forward. Unfortunately he got injured, but he’ll back bigger and better next year. He’s a really good learner and listener who wants to get better. He works hard on his craft and we saw really good growth in all areas of his game, including his aerial work to be able to mark the ball and go forward at times. His ruck craft is coming along nicely, his centre bounce work is his strength, and he is working really hard with his around the ground craft as well. I think both the team and he needed for him to come back (he returned for some games late in the year prior to his surgery), it gives him and us great confidence going forward. When he came back he took it to another level again and that was important.”

Ned Long  

“Ned has been such a diligent guy in his first year, we’re really rapt with the steps he took. For his size as a midfielder, he runs really well and covers the ground. He has a great balance of being able to run and be strong inside. He’s still learning his craft as a midfielder and it was great for him to get a taste in at AFL-level in Round 23. He definitely earned his position, and we saw that he wasn’t out of place. I thought he progressed well through the VFL and showed really good signs. He’s a great kid and really wants to learn."

Daniel Howe 

“It was a tough year for Daniel in the sense that he played a lot of Box Hill footy and played at a really high level. He had a pretty consistent year without having a heap of opportunities at AFL level. He was working on a few areas of his game and his attitude all year was really strong. He was a great leader for the midfield group. It was really good to work with Howey – at his age he's looking for those little areas in his game to take him to the next step."