Though the Hawks had to wait until midway through the second session to enter the draft, they sure made some moves when their turn came.
At Pick 38 when the Bombers selected Next Generation Academy prospect Irving Mosquito, Hawthorn surprised some by choosing not the match the bid for the youngster.
Instead, they bided their time until Pick 52, picking up promising key defender Jacob Koschitzke.
Read: Koschitzke joins the Hawks
The Hawks then engaged in a bold pick swap with Collingwood, parting with a future fifth round selection to jump up the order to Pick 63.
This appeared to be an effort to secure Mathew Walker’s name, a talented young forward and a member of the GWS’ academy.
After the Giants opted not to match the bid, Hawthorn’s 2018 National Draft haul was confirmed; two promising products of the Murray Bushrangers.
Coincidentally, the pair are not only teammates, but also good mates. Koschitzke is an Albury boy and played his juniors with the Albury Tigers, while Walker currently lives just 40 minutes up the road (a short distance, by country NSW standards) in Corowa.
Hawthorn now awaits tonight’s Rookie Draft to meet its next crop of young talent.
