Hawthorn named Ben Stratton as the man to lead the club into the future on Thursday, but the club came very close to losing its star defender only a few years back.
Having reached the pinnacle of the game three seasons in a row before watching as some of his best mates departed the club, Stratton was faced with the unfamiliar feeling of a lack of motivation and enjoyment towards his craft.
“I actually wasn’t enjoying footy - I was just getting to the club, ticking the boxes and then going home,” the 30-year-old told SEN on Friday morning.
“The fun and excitement had gone out of it for me, I’d lost a lot of close mates at the club and it became a job rather than a fun career.
“So, something had to change – I either had to leave the game or do something about it.”
It was that realisation that led the West Australian to look to people “high up” in the club for their opinion and their advice.
Amongst these conversations, Stratton was told he was seen as a leader around the club more than he probably acknowledged.
Leadership had never been something he had given a huge amount of thought to but suddenly the stimulation of this new challenge had the defender re-engaged.
“When you first get to a club, you just want to play footy and have fun,” Stratton said.
“I suppose it wasn’t until about three years ago when I actually made a conscious decision to work on my leadership that it became a possibility in my head.
“But even then, I never had a burning desire to be captain, I was just going to be the best leader I could be - in the end, that’s got me into this position.”
Upon the announcement of Stratton’s captaincy on Thursday, Hawthorn Coach Alastair Clarkson described the appointment as “unanimously” backed across the club.
“There was a bit of surprise from my end - it still hasn’t really sunk in I suppose,” Stratton said.
“This is the year I’ve probably been most excited to play footy since I got drafted, which is pretty cool to think given I’m 30 today.
“I’ve got that spark back.”
