Kara Henderson has been a Hawk her whole life.
She grew up supporting Hawthorn and now, at the age of 22, will enter her fourth season playing in the brown and gold.
Henderson, who was named as the 2019 VFLW Best Club person, said it was a no-brainer coming back in 2020.
“Honestly, I just love the club,” she said of her return to the Hawks.
“Even when the people change, the culture stays the same. They not only want to play well, but they also have fun and that is the culture that keeps me coming back.
“It’s very much a family club, it’s almost the feeling you get at a local club, of everyone being so close.”
READ: 2020 VFLW fixture released
As an inaugural Hawthorn VFLW player, Henderson spent the past three years playing under the guidance of former Head Coach Paddy Hill.
But with AFLW premiership-winning coach Bec Goddard taking the reins in 2020, Henderson said it has been a refreshing change of pace.
“It’s definitely different. I loved Paddy as coach because he was fantastic, but I think Bec is going to bring an exciting new style of game.
“I haven’t had many sessions with her yet, but I can already see that she really knows what she’s talking about.
“She’s brought in new drills and she knows how to get us working together and improving our skills.”
2020 has not only seen the introduction of a new head coach but an influx of new recruits.
“There are a lot of new, young girls this year.
“A lot of them are from different levels of footy and different sporting backgrounds, so they’re all really promising players.”
It may be her fourth season playing in the VFLW, but Henderson said she is determined to continue to develop and improve.
“Personally, my goal is to be cleaner with the ball, especially at ground level.
“I’ve been following a program during the off season to improve my strength, which is something that I’ve been working on in previous seasons.”
Hawthorn’s VFLW side had a heartbreaking end to 2019, narrowly missing out on finals. With fresh faces and a new head coach, this year the team is looking to improve on their sixth-place finish.
“The aim is to get everyone focused on the same goals and working together.
“Especially with the new girls who have come from many different places, I think it’s important to get everyone focused on the same thing and I think that will give us the best chance of winning a flag.”
