Just two years ago, Fergus Greene was faced with the prospect of his AFL career coming to an end. 

After four years with the Western Bulldogs, Greene was delisted at the end of the 2020 season.

Having faced several injuries, he managed five senior games for the Bulldogs with all of those appearances coming in the 2018 season where he averaged a goal a game.

But through self-belief, hard work and the support of those around him, the 24-year-old has managed to turn his career around.

A move to the VFL, which saw him produce a stellar 53-goal season for Box Hill this year – off the back of 30 goals in only nine games the year prior – convinced Hawthorn to give him a second chance.

While making a return to the top level again was always a goal of Greene's, he had his doubts as to whether that would come to fruition. 

“Obviously getting delisted at the end of 2020, I wanted to keep the ball rolling and try and get back on a list as quickly as possible,” Greene said.

“I had to put in the work at Box Hill and you kind of keep wondering… is it going to happen? 

“You get to a certain point where you have to start having a conversation with yourself that it might be over, it might be done. I definitely had those thoughts a lot."

In the past two seasons at Box Hill, Greene has won back-to-back Most Outstanding Player accolades and Leading Goalkicking trophy all while finishing fourth in the race for the 2022 best and fairest.

It comes following a season where the 187cm forward slotted 53 goals in a campaign where he showed immense consistency, being held goalless just twice and kicking three or more majors in 11 of his 17 matches.

“I had a reasonable year this year at Box Hill, and you think – is there still a chance?" Greene said. 

“So it is nice to get a little reward, after two and a bit years of hard work you get to realise what it was all for, but I guess the work starts really now.”

That Box Hill-Hawthorn connection will still live on as he reunites with some familiar faces through his second AFL opportunity, including the likes of coach Sam Mitchell who coached Greene at Box Hill in 2021.

“He’s really intelligent,” Greene said of Mitchell.

“He has a way of getting along with his players – when I was there, we had a fun relationship, you feel like you can stir him up pretty easily, and he’ll probably do the same back.

“I think I was probably lucky – both Proc (2022 Box Hill Coach Clint Proctor) and Sam gave me a bit of a licence to play a role that I saw fit, whether that be to get up the ground or stay deep if I felt that was necessary.

“I’m really looking forward to working with Sam again.”

Greene adds to a list of Box Hill products the Hawks have signed under Mitchell, including mid-season selections Jai Newcombe and James Blanck.

With several other current Hawthorn players also having come through the ranks from Box Hill, Greene said it was “quite exciting” to be teaming up again with some familiar faces.

“I’ve worked with a lot of the guys that are at Hawthorn now through Box Hill," Greene said. 

"But now I get to work with them on a full-time basis, grow with them and help them mature as footballers which is really exciting.

“I’m probably fortunate to already have those relationships, you’re not coming in cold and having to get to know everyone off scratch.

“You probably know a few tendencies too in how they play, which definitely makes the transition a little bit easier.”

Some of those familiar faces, Mitch Lewis and James Sicily, helped orchestrate a surprise to deliver Greene the news that he'll be back on an AFL list ahead of season 2023. 

"John Cavara (Hawthorn's team manager) gave me a call asking if I could come into the club to say some words about Naps (Box Hill's Football General Manager Dan Napoli) who was finishing up," Greene explained.

"It was a bit awkward because I’d actually prepped a bit with what to say. But then Mitchy and Sis came from behind and told me the good news.

"It was a bit of a shock – I don’t think I gave them much. I think I stood there awkwardly for about two minutes, hopefully they don’t think any less of me."