Following the conclusion of Hawthorn’s AFL season, Backline Coach Kade Simpson sat down to review each defender’s performance. 

Read his thoughts below. 

Jarman Impey

“I think he had an exceptional year, (he was) ultra-consistent, but consistently at a really high level. His ability to generate offence from our back half with his run and carry, I think the fans would have loved it, because it's really exciting. I think the opposition would be really worried about the way he plays, but I think when you add that in with his contest work and his ability to intercept the ball, I thought it was a really, really good year for Jars. And then everything he does off-field, leadership, all that sort of stuff as well, I think he should be really proud of the way he performed this year.”

James Sicily 

“It's an interesting one. He had some challenges early in the year with the opposition putting quite a bit of work into nullifying his impact, which is probably a credit to him and how important he is as a player for us. I think the way he stood up through a lot of adversity with his shoulder, and then I thought he just had some really big moments throughout the season, in front of the ball as well as behind the ball. He just influenced games. Maybe it wasn't the Sicily of last year getting 30 possessions, but his influence on games and the group through big moments throughout the year was amazing. I think his stature among the group and among the AFL community took a big step forward and he just kept rising with the way he performed this year.”

Sam Frost 

“Frosty, similar to Jars, was ultra-consistent, but consistently at that high level and just nullifying usually the opposition's best tall forward. His ability to take them out of the game, and really, I don't think he would have been got a hold of too often throughout the season. He was just really good at halving contests and nullifying their impact. Being really physical and hard to play against is something I try to coach and stress with Frosty. If he's physical and really hard to play against, that goes a long way for him getting his job done, which makes Hawthorn a better team.”

Karl Amon

“Karl had a great year. I think his biggest weapon is his offence and his ball use. I think the opposition would put a lot of work into trying to restrict his influence offensively behind the ball. The other thing he does, which a lot of people might not see, is his organisation of the group and obviously the midfield as well. He plays probably quite high for a defender, so he's able to influence other lines and help our midfielders out, but also get involved in a lot of our offence. His run and carry and his ball use was really good this year, and again, he had a really consistent season, performing at a really high level.”

Jack Scrimshaw 

“I’m really pleased for Scrim, he worked incredibly hard. I think by even his own admission, he was really disappointed with his season last year, so he went away, worked really hard in the off-season and came back in really good shape, which obviously gives him the best chance to perform this year. His offence was great but his defence (was also great) and playing on the key forwards as well with Frosty, I think he had an amazing year. I still see an amazing amount of growth left in Scrim as well. I'm really excited about where he could get to. I think he started to get a bit of recognition amongst the AFL community later in the year after a really good season. We're talking about one of the real gun key defenders that also can impact the game with his offence, his kicking and his ability to intercept the ball. He had a great season.”

Blake Hardwick 

“It was a little bit different for Dimma. He did a lot of the pre-season up forward and that was by design, knowing that if it doesn't eventuate and he has to go behind the ball, we know how good he is there, so we saw glimpses of him up forward. I'm pretty happy when he's behind the ball because he is so reliable and really, really good in the contest. He's one that makes everyone better around him. When he's out there, I think he adds five per cent to every player around him, which, again, makes us a really good defence. He had a great year and was ultra-consistent. The backend of his season was, if I looked at his ratings and stuff, he's rating above average in seven out of the last eight games, like not only nullifying dangerous small forwards but also setting us up offensively and getting his job done.”

Josh Weddle

“I think everyone gets excited when he gets the footy, but as a defensive coach, I really like when he gets his job done defensively, then looks to attack off the back of that. Similar to Scrim, he played on some key forwards, was a little bit undersized and was still only in his second year, but I think he got his job done more often than not. Then we saw his weapons and what he's capable of doing with the footy and even if he gets really high up the ground, he’s hitting the scoreboard as well. I think he had a great year, but he still has a lot of potential to grow and become one of the elite defenders in the game.”

Bodie Ryan 

“He has a really good understanding of the modern game’s defence so I try not to give him too much information because of what he does out on the field, he usually makes the right decision. Towards the backend of the year, he got some really good consistency and really good performances under his belt. He had a few little interruptions with his body, but I'm sure he's on top of that now. I think his growth and his evolution will be playing on guys like Toby Greene. I think he's got the best example in front of him, which is Blake Hardwick. I think that's where his potential lies.”

Will McCabe 

“I was really pleased for Will that he actually did get some games under his belt. Obviously, when you're young, a back injury can be quite serious and you're obviously not going to rush those things, but for him to get back and just play some footy and enjoy performing with his teammates at VFL level, I think it was great. We saw a little glimpse of what the future is going to hold for Will and it's quite exciting. We've got a couple of players in similar frames with Weddle and Scrimshaw, so I think they're good examples for him and how quickly it can happen, like Josh (Weddle) in his second year. I think it’ll be an important off-season and pre-season for Will to get his body right and make sure he doesn't have too many more interruptions through injury. I think he's got some real star qualities.”

Jai Serong 

“I thought Jai had a good year, without getting a lot of opportunity at AFL level and through no fault of his own. He had a really good year and probably played above the level down at VFL, like he was often in the best players and performing well above down there. We didn't have too many injuries in the backline and the boys performed pretty well but he was constantly knocking on the door and he was constantly brought up in match committee. How do we get this guy in the team? He's performing so well at VFL level. I’m pleased he got a couple of games under his belt but the improvement in his game, his all-round game, in the contest, his team ‘d’ understanding and even his ball use at VFL level was really, really pleasing.”

Seamus Mitchell

“I think Seamus was really pleased that he still got 10 games in. For him, a guy who's had quite a few injuries through his first couple of years in the AFL system, to play 20 games, 10 AFL, 10 VFL, I think it’s a really good soundboard to launch into next year. He played a lot of footy early in the year, then I think he missed maybe one with injury and then we just struggled to get him back in. But his VFL form was exceptional, so I think if he can translate a bit of that more into the AFL and we see him run and carry and use his weapons, I think he's got a really bright future.”

Bailey Macdonald 

“Bailey had some unlucky and some strange injuries as well. He had a really good pre-season and then right before the season started, he found a hot spot in his femur. Then again, he got back and started playing some really good VFL footy and then he had another setback with injury. I think it’s disappointing that we didn't get to see him at AFL level but there's still some really good progression in his game and in his performances. He's got some really good role models in front of him with Jars and Karl, the way they sort of play, I think that’s how he would see himself at AFL level.”

Watch Kade Simpson’s full review of the backline below.