Lucy Wales' second season in brown and gold was just as good as her first.
With Tamara Luke back in the fold, it allowed Wales to catch up on her development not just as a ruck but as a ruck/ forward and one who could make an impact all over the ground.
This was evident across the season, with the 20-year-old recording double-digit disposals and five or more tackles in five of her nine appearances in 2023.
Having missed just one game last season, Wales was rewarded for another consistent campaign with her second Rising Star nomination in as many years.
Key stats:
Hit-outs per game: 15.8
Disposals per game: 10.4 (career-high)
Tackles per game: 5 (career-high)
Clearances per game: 2.7 (career-high)
Key achievements:
- Received a Rising Star nomination for her performance against Port Adelaide in Round 9
- Received five coaches votes for her performance against Port Adelaide in Round 9
- Secured a second straight Top 10 finish in Hawthorn's best and fairest
Best game:
Round 9 v Port Adelaide
It is hard to go past this game when thinking of Wales' best performances.
In fact, it may have been one of the best individual performances of any Hawthorn player in 2023.
The 20-year-old was everywhere at Kinetic Stadium, racking up a career-high 20 disposals and six clearances.
She backed that up with 14 hit-outs and six tackles against one of the competition's most promising rucks in Matilda Scholz.
Wales was subsequently rewarded with her second Rising Star nomination in as many seasons, with her first nomination coincidentally also coming against the Power in 2022.
