The stats

AFL games: 2

Disposals per game: 14.5

Marks: 2

Kicks: 8

Tackles: 0.5

Goals: 0

Review

He may be small in stature, but Kieran Lovell is already drawing impressive comparisons after his first year at the Hawks.

Taken at pick 22 in last year’s NAB AFL Draft, it was his ball-winning ability in contested situations which convinced Hawthorn to draft the Tasmanian, who is very much in the mould of champion Hawk Sam Mitchell.

His debut game against Greater Western Sydney was perhaps one to forget given Hawthorn was badly beaten, but his second game - where he collected 18 disposals in a winning effort against Richmond – was promising.

He was influential for Box Hill in his VFL appearances this year and certainly started to form good combinations with players like Jonathan O’Rourke and Alex Woodward.

Two AFL games from a first-year player is an impressive return, and if he can continue to build his fitness and work closely with Hawthorn’s star midfielders, Lovell will be an important part of the Hawks’ plans going forward.

A word from: Chris Newman

“Kieran is continuing to grow and learn with every game he plays.

“His stoppage work is quite good; he’s still got a lot of room for improvement in that area however.

“He’s another exciting player who can break a line for us and can break a tackle really easily as he’s got a quick side-step and he uses those assets every week.”