Hawthorn has finalised its 2023 coaching structure, securing the services of Kade Simpson who will look after the club’s defensive cohort next season.
Simpson possesses an enormous amount of experience at the elite level, having played 342 games with Carlton over 18 seasons to rank third on the Blues’ all-time games list.
Following his playing career, Simpson moved quickly to hone his craft as a coach, mentoring the forwards in Carlton’s AFLW program in the 2020 and 2021 seasons before being appointed as the club’s Head of Development this year.
Hawthorn Head of Football Rob McCartney said he anticipates Simpson making an immense contribution to the club.
“We are really excited to bring Kade into our program,” McCartney said.
“He is renowned around the industry for not only his football IQ and expertise, but also his high level of character.
“We are very confident that, given he is only recently out of the game as a player, he will build some very strong connections – especially with the younger players on our list.
“Kade has an exceptional understanding of the modern game, and we think he will prove a great complement to our existing coaching structure.”
Hawthorn will welcome back its first to fourth-year players for the start of pre-season on Monday 21 November, while the remainder of the playing list will return on Monday 5 December.
