Hawthorn took to the field at GMHBA Stadium for it's first hit-out of the 2023 pre-season on Thursday.

We spoke to each of our assistant coaches to find out which Hawks stood out for them.

JOSH WARD 

"When he came on, I thought Wardy really injected his quality into the game, he was clean and used the ball well. His development is exactly where we thought he would be, he's a quality high pick and plays the game well. He's got some great athletic qualities and is a really good decision maker with the ball. We expect him to go to another level this year. His confidence should build from games like that. As we approach round one he should be confident in his ability at that level to produce some really good football." David Hale - Midfield Coach 

WILL DAY 

"It was Daysy's first time as a midfielder and he was really good. He's got really good qualities in term of being a midfielder with his really quick feet, being clean and is a good decision maker. I liked his game today and I thought he played a really good balance of offence and defence - his ability to still play as a half-back is obviously really good in terms of his versatility. But the more we can use his smarts and quality inside will only benefit us as a team. It was a good step forward for him today and hopefully he will take some confidence from it." David Hale - Midfield Coach 

LACHLAN BRAMBLE 

"I thought Lachy was really solid for four quarters, he won plenty of the footy and gave us a lot of drive out of the backline and used the ball pretty well. It was a good step in the right direction for him. He has been working pretty hard over the summer so it was good to see him get a bit of reward. He's been really eager to learn this pre-season, we've done a lot of work together and I reckon he has taken a bit of a look at other half-back's that we have in Jars (Jarman Impey) and CJ (Changkuoth Jiath) and how they go about it and is just trying to learn as much as he can. I think we saw a little glimpse of it today." Kade Simpson - Backline Coach 

JARMAN IMPEY

"I think Jars' first half was solid - he came off at half-time, only because he had a super pre-season and we just wanted to manage his load. But in that first half we saw him back to his best, breaking the lines with his speed delivering the ball inside 50 and even kicking the first goal of the game. It's pretty exciting to see what he can do. He's one of those guys that just puts a smile on your face. He brings a lot of energy to the group, but also a bit of calmness as well when things get heated." Kade Simpson - Backline Coach 

DENVER GRAINGER-BARRAS

"Denver came in at half-time - it's always tough when you haven't been there from the start - but he came in with a lot of energy, competed really hard and won some good contests. He then played another half with the Box Hill boys in the VFL, but we saw him take another step in the right direction today. He's been a pleasure to work with, he's super eager to learn - he's always watching vision and asking where he can improve. Hopefully he can take that big step this year and show the world what he's capable of." Kade Simpson - Backline Coach 

FERGUS GREENE

"I thought he led up and presented at the ball really well. He's a crafty forward who knows where the goals are. He had a really strong pre-season - his first full pre-season at AFL-level since his Western Bulldog days - I thought he gave us an option forward of the ball. He's working on his craft really well, he is always in the office asking questions trying to develop his game and he also provides a lot of energy to our group and who can't underestimate that for such a young group." Chris Newman - Forward Coach 

DYLAN MOORE

"Moorey was quite lively, he's a small forward but he actually created a lot of aerial contest as well. I think he ended up with three goals, and two behinds. His had a pretty strong pre-season as expected but his ability to force contests and provide goal kicking opportunities was a stand-out today. He'll continue to develop his game and his leadership this year, he's working on his aerial craft - he's one of those smaller forwards who can have aerial presence. So we expect both ground-level contests and aerial contests for him and just to provide himself with opportunities at shots at goal and provide others with some shots too." Chris Newman - Forward Coach