Setting an alarm at 3am while on holiday would be a frightening idea for most.

But for Lloyd Meek, the anticipation of finding a second home at Hawthorn was something that was worth waking up early for.

In the final minutes of the trade period, Meek’s move to Hawthorn was finalised with the 24-year-old receiving nothing short of the full trade experience.

“It was pretty stressful being in America as it was happening, my partner and I were in New York at the time,” Meek said.

“My manager and I had a few discussions leading into it, but I didn’t really know which way it was going to land.

“I set an alarm for 3am and woke up and it sure enough went to the wire, but I’m stoked with the end result.”

While Meek played 15 games for Fremantle, the lack of opportunity wasn’t due to performance, but rather due to him falling under main ruckman Sean Darcy.

But after landing at Hawthorn following the retirement of longstanding ruckman Ben McEvoy, the prospect of the number one ruck spot being up for grabs is one that excites him.  

“I’ll get to work with Ned Reeves and Max Lynch to see what the best mix for the team is, but I know I’ll be doing everything I can to try and make that happen,” Meek told SEN WA Breakfast this week. 

“The last couple of years I’ve obviously been on the fringe a bit, which has been frustrating at times.

“But there’s always more stuff to work on and now I feel like I can come in and have an impact at AFL level.

“I might not be tearing the house down at the start, but everyone needs experience and I’ve played 15 games, so hopefully with a few more games under my belt it’ll help me get there.”

A dominant year in the WAFL in Western Australia saw Meek take home Peel Thunder's best and fairest award for 2022.

But Meek said he was looking forward to producing some greater consistency while in the brown and gold.

“I feel like my form in the WAFL towards the back of last year was pretty solid,” Meek said.

“So, if I can try and emulate that here and take the next step in the AFL that would be awesome.

“The work that Fremantle were able to put into me I’ll never take for granted – they helped improve me to where I am now, but now I get to explore this new opportunity which is great.”

Meek said the new generation forming under Sam Mitchell was an exciting prospect to be a part of. 

“I’ve heard so many good things about the guys and how eager everyone is to get back stuck into it again,” Meek said.

“It is a really exciting young group on the field and just great people off the field. I’ve been so impressed with the staff, Sam and (Sam’s wife) Lyndall.”

“I had a bit of phone trouble while overseas I couldn’t receive any messages or calls so I was a little bit worried for a bit thinking I was leaving a lot of people hanging.

“But when I was in the club, everyone was so welcoming and I’m just that keen to get in and get stuck into it.”