THEY’RE a happy team at Hawthorn, and Jon Ceglar couldn’t be happier.
The 24-year-old ruckman has confirmed that by signing a two-year contract extension, which will keep him at the club until the end of 2017.
Ceglar, who has played all 12 matches this year, said re-signing with the Hawks had been an easy decision.
“I wasn’t going anywhere – I’ve got no reason to leave here, it’s a good place to be,” he said.
“There are good people around the club who leave no stone unturned, so I want to hang around and help continue our success.”
Ceglar was originally recruited by Collingwood in the 2010 NAB AFL Draft, before finding his way to Hawthorn in the 2013 AFL Rookie Draft.
He made his AFL debut in Round 14, 2013, was upgraded to the Hawks’ senior list at the end of the season and has now played 29 AFL matches.
Playing consistent football has been his goal this season as he aims to cement a regular berth in the dual reigning premier’s line-up.
“I’m putting together games now, week-in, week-out,” he said.
“You’ve got to keep your form up in this side because there’s some quality people playing in the VFL at the moment – that makes selection tight, which is probably a sign of a good club.
“I still haven’t played a lot of games – and you look at the good players, guys like Sam Mitchell, Jarryd Roughead, Jordan Lewis, and Luke Hodge – the gap between their best and their worst is minimal, so closing that game and being a quality performer week-in, week-out is my goal.”
A qualified electrician by trade – and a keen golfer – Ceglar has plenty to keep him occupied outside of football.
He still considers it a “special” feeling to be playing in a “quality side", and is focused on developing his game to better himself and his influence for the team.
This year he has averaged 12.4 disposals and 23.6 hitouts per game, collecting 20 or more hitouts on nine occasions.
The 204-centimetre Hawk has moved on from the disappointment of missing out on selection for last year’s grand final and is concentrating on adding different dimensions to his game.
“You have to now, you can’t just be a ruckman… you can’t just be one dimensional in this age,” Ceglar said.
“My mobility, fitness level and ruck work is my strength, my aerial marking contests are an area I’m still looking to improve.”
Hawthorn Recruiting and List Manager Graham Wright said Ceglar had exceeded all expectations since joining the club – and extending his contract had been a simple decision.
“He’s been with us a couple of years now, and he’s performed really well,” Wright said.
“We think going forward that Jon and Ben McEvoy are going to be really important to us over the next four, five, six years, and certainly over the next couple of years.
“We’ve been rapt with his development.”
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