What Clarko says

8. Xavier Ellis

Today, in my countdown to the week leading up to our first pre-season match, I'm highlighting number 8, Xavier Ellis.

Xavier was recruited as a first round draft pick at the end of 2005, he spent his first season at the football Club balancing commitments between playing for Hawthorn and completing high school which also included playing football for Melbourne Grammar. It wasn't until 2007 that X was able to fully focus and play some footy for the Hawks. 

Through 2007 to 2008 Xavier played some really good footy and consolidated his spot in the side. The culmination of this senior consistency saw him play in our Premiership side at the end of '08.

Unfortunately since that time X has had a fair amount of injury that has affected his capacity to continue to progress as a player.

He's in a good place now, two-thirds through a solid pre-season training campaign including an arduous trek of the Kokoda Track in November.

We're really confident that some of Xavier's best footy is going to be seen again in 2012, his body is coping with the rigors of the pre-season really well.

We recruited Xavier as a player that had an enormous amount of talent in the way he could win the footy and then find the time and space to deliver it to his teammates. It's that run and carry and subsequent link-up that has been the greatest feature of his football - he's got good speed and a good tank.

It's been his body strength and body's ability to cope with the rigors of the game that's made it so difficult for him to get back-to-back games on a regular basis.

With that said, his really solid summer with no interruption from injury makes us really confident that he'll enter the senior side and play some consistent footy for us in 2012.

Tomorrow I'll feature Michael Osborne, I hope you'll return to the site to discuss Ossie's upcoming 2012 season with me.

Cheers for now. 

What are your thoughts?