Hawks get position, talent depth
Recruiting and List Manager Graham Wright believes you can never have enough ruckmen on your list after selection Jonathon Ceglar in the Rookie Draft on Tuesday.
Ceglar, a 204cm ruckman who has spent time on Collingwood’s senior list adds depth to the Club’s ruck position which already boasts a number of talented options.
With Max Bailey, David Hale, Luke Lowden and Sam Grimley all on the senior list, Wright secured the Club’s depth in a position that has, in years previous, struggled with injury.
“It gives us depth in that position,” Wright said of the selection of Ceglar.
“Max has had a lot of injuries across the last seven or eight years and Luke Lowden has also battled with his body at times, he’s just overcome a broken thumb and had stress fractures in his back previously.
“We think Lowden is just about ready to play but with those guys having that history of not playing, we felt like we needed the depth in case we have an injury.”
“We also felt too that Jonathon has a chance to push forward in relation to potentially playing AFL footy in the next year or two.
“From that perspective, he gives us depth but also think he’s a decent enough player too.”
Despite standing at 204cm, one of Ceglar’s biggest strengths is his athletisicm, ability to cover the ground and versatility that made him an attractive prospect for the Club.
“When he did play genuine ruck (for Collingwood’s VFL side), we thought his ruck work was really good, he was able to get around the ground and compete really well,” Wright said.
“He can also push forward and take marks, he’s a genuine ruckman size at 204cm and turning 22 in February, we felt he has some upside and can potentially fill that role for a few years.”
Despite earning a spot on the Rookie list, Wright wouldn’t rule out a possible debut for Ceglar in 2013.
“If we have a long term injury he can come onto the list and we certainly think he can play next year,” he said.
“In a perfect world that doesn’t happen because Max stands up and Hale is okay and Luke Lowden plays some games and they all get through but ruckman have a history of getting injuries and that’s why you need a number of them on your list.”
The acquisition of Ceglar completes Hawthorn’s playing list for the 2013 season.
Wright and his recruiting team believe the Club is in a good position heading into next season, with a talented list and depth in each position.
“We’re really happy, we think we’ve got good coverage in most positions, we think we’ve got good depth in relation to talent in positions as well,” he said.
“When we put our best team up on the whiteboard it looks really good but we understand we have injuries and that’s part of life.
“We’ll have to deal with those and make sure we have enough players to cover the guys who may not be able to get up week in, week out or might have long term injuries.
“From a depth and talent point of view we’re really comfortable, we’ll just hope we have a bit of luck now (with injuries).”