It’s 2011 - the 24th of November to be exact.
Jonathon Patton is the talk of the football world.
The young key forward from the Eastern Ranges has just been taken by GWS with Pick 1, their first of 12 picks in a landmark night for the fledgling club.
Five selections later, Chad Wingard instantly becomes Port Adelaide’s new poster boy as the talented South Australian remains in his home state.
As was confirmed some six week earlier, Tom Mitchell makes his way to the Swans via the father/son rule with his dad Barry having played 170 games as a Swan from 1984 to 1992.
Fast forward three weeks later and Sam Frost’s time arrives, with the Sandringham Dragon heading to the Giants after being taken with Pick 1 in rookie draft.
Back in the time machine and head to 2019 – all four now represent the brown and gold.
As for the Hawks’ take in the 2011 national and rookie drafts, seven players were taken, three in the national and four in the rookie, but none remain at Waverley.
West Australian speedster Bradley Hill was nabbed with Pick 33, followed by Jordan Kelly (Pick 38), Alex Woodward (Pick 53) and then Broc McCauley, Amos Frank, Andrew Boseley and Adam Pattison in the rookie draft.
Naturally, the Hawks’ list management brigade was compelled to fill this age gap in its list make-up.
Mitchell arrived at Hawthorn in the 2016 trade period, followed by Wingard two years later before the key position pair of Patton and Frost joined their contemporaries in the latest exchange period.
With this quartet now entering their ninth seasons, this group combines for 452 senior games, representing a key component of the Hawks’ 2020 campaign.
