The Hawks have a young line-up across all lines of the ground at the moment, but it's the midfield where the youthfulness is arguably at its peak. 

Last year saw the likes of young guns Jai Newcombe and Josh Ward flourish in the middle of the ground last season, and that breadth of youth has only grown heading into the 2023 season. 

Hawthorn has again reloaded and revamped its midfield list, acquiring a breadth of young and exciting talent over the off-season. 

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Who to watch

Karl Amon

Amon has turned up as advertised since arriving from Port Adelaide, banking a strong pre-season and providing plenty of run from the wing to be one of the strongest performers in Hawthorn's pre-season hit-outs. The 27-year-old joins the brown and gold at the peak of his powers, having topped the Brownlow vote-getters for his old club last year. The silky wingman oozes class, boasting strong pace and slick skills. Look for Amon to be a strong contributor in the Hawthorn midfield this year.

Will Day

Day's 2022 campaign was an arguably frustrating one, shadowed by injuries dating all the way back to an interrupted pre-season, and lack of consistency in his role. So what makes the 21-year-old a player to watch in 2023? Well, a full pre-season is a key part of it, with the youngster stating himself that he has a "lot more confidence" in his body this year. After playing most of his time in defence, Day has also been training as a midfielder – inside and outside – ahead of the 2023 season.

Josh Ward

With an incredible work-rate and an appetite to improve, the sky is the limit for Ward in his second season in the AFL. The 19-year-old showed glimpses of his very best in his debut year, where he averaged 19 disposals from 14 games. This included a Rising Star nomination in Round 18, following sparkling a 34-possession performance that included six clearances and seven marks. Look for him to make the most of further opportunities through Hawthorn’s developing midfield following his first almost full pre-season.

EVERY MIDFIELDERS PRE-SEASON REVIEW

The break-out contender

Cam Mackenzie

A lot like fellow draftee Josh Weddle, Cam Mackenzie has come in and doesn’t look remotely out of place this pre-season. The Pick 7 from last year’s draft was superb in Thursday’s narrow practice match loss to Collingwood, amassing 24 disposals along and game-high 11 score involvements, along with five inside 50s, four clearances and a goal. A consistent ball-winner, Mackenzie is highly touted for his composure and poise, resulting in a player that looks ready-made to play at AFL level. With the considerable lack of experience currently at Hawthorn, opportunities will be plentiful for the young Hawks to seize positions in the senior side and Mackenzie looks like he has both the talent and opportunity to make an impact in his rookie season.

MILESTONE MEN: WHO'S SET FOR A MILESTONE IN 2023?

The returnee

James Worpel

After enduring a frustrating 2022 campaign that featured time at Box Hill followed by a shoulder reconstruction, this is the year for the 24-year-old to get his career back on track. After dominating in his second year in 2019 where he finished as the club's best and fairest winner, Worpel has since struggled to find consistency at that same impressive level. But given he is over the injury concerns that hampered him last season, Worpel looks primed to flourish in Hawthorn's new-look midfield. He collected a whopping 30 disposals in his side's practice game against Collingwood, producing a performance that shows he can be counted on in 2023. Following the departures of Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara through the off-season, Worpel now finds himself as the senior figure in Sam Mitchell's engine room ensemble, an opportunity he looks ready to take with both hands.

From the coach...

Assistant Coach David Hale recently provided his player by player review of each Hawks midfielder's 2023 pre-season. You can read what he had to say HERE.

The big questions…

Can history repeat?

As a top-10 draft pick, there was some pressure on Josh Ward to come in and immediately perform in 2022. The youngster came in and showed he is more than capable at AFL level, impressing across 14 games in his maiden campaign as he adapted to the pace and power of AFL. With another top-10 pick in Cam Mackenzie set to enter the scene in 2023, can we him follow a similar trajectory - and make a Round 1 debut - much like Ward did last year? 

How will the ruck dynamic work?

We’ve seen over the pre-season the ruck combination of new duo Lloyd Meek and Ned Reeves flourish. Both big men have often been working in tandem together in the middle, while also showing their abilities to push forward at times to provide a target inside-50. After overcoming an early-season shoulder injury, Reeves showed he could mix it with the best ruckman in the competition last year. With another off-season under his belt to further his ruck craft, could Reeves be Hawthorn’s candidate to make the leap towards a genuine star in 2023? Meanwhile, Meek has shown a strong upside through 15 games for Fremantle, but battled for opportunities. With exposure at the top level, combined with his ready-made frame, Meek is set up to make an immediate impact for the Hawks when called upon. While it remains unclear how Sam Mitchell will execute his ruck plan in 2023, we're pretty excited to see what this duo can achieve in 2023. 

More 2023 AFL Season Guides: Full season preview  | Forwards | Defenders