Hawthorn CEO Justin Reeves has penned the following letter to members...
Dear members,
I hope you are well and looking after yourself as best you can in the current climate.
I hope football has provided some comfort and consistency, in a time of such uncertainty. While our performances have not been to the standard we would wish, I hope you still feel a sense of enjoyment and pride being able to watching the brown and gold take to the field.
Our players, staff and coaches in the hub have just a few days left in Perth now, culminating in our game against West Coast on Sunday. A significant challenge no doubt, but one we are up to if we can harness that playing style we saw in our game against Carlton and find some of that spark we saw when we faced the Eagles late last year.
On Monday we will head to South Australia to play Port Adelaide in Round 13. Today’s fixture announcement from the AFL, have also confirmed our matchups until the end of the season. We will play Essendon in Round 14, Adelaide in Round 15, St Kilda in Round 16, the Bulldogs in Round 17 and Gold Coast in Round 18. We will fly in and out of QLD for our clash with the Saints, while all our other games have been fixtured at Adelaide Oval. Should Tasmania open its borders at some stage post September 1, we will relocate to Tasmania for the remainder of the season and our Round 15, 17 and 18 matches will be moved to UTAS stadium. Unfortunately, with borders currently closed these games cannot be fixtured there at this point.
Read: Remaining fixture revealed
Our partnership with Tasmania is incredibly important to the club and we would love for the Tassie community to have the opportunity to watch the Hawks play in 2020. That said, Tasmania has done an incredible job of managing the virus to date and we completely understand that circumstances may not allow the borders to reopen. We will work with our partners in the Tasmanian government if that opportunity presents itself.
If we are unable to land in our second home, Launceston, then the silver lining is that we will remain in a hub in South Australia for the remainder of the 2020 season. This provides us with stability and routine, two things which have been hard to come by this season.
With our football department currently residing on the other side of the country to the majority of our members, it is easy for external voices to impact the narrative surrounding our club. It is of vital importance to use, that our members hear directly from Hawthorn when issues arise. One of the key points of discussion in the media this week is the need to inject more young talent into our side.
I want to confirm to our members that we are united and have a clear direction on our path forward. We will be measured and considered in ensuring that direction is leading us to our next premiership. This may take time, but we accept the challenge to see Hawthorn achieve success sooner rather than later. With that in mind, we will always look at our list and make considered changes to reposition for our next premiership. Development of young players sits very high on our football department’s list of priorities. We absolutely believe in the injection of youth into our side and we believe in the enthusiasm and spark they bring to the game. In 2020 we have and will continue to give young players opportunities at the senior level.
Our senior players play a huge role in this too. It is their leadership and guidance that these younger players thrive on, learn from and embrace. Rest assured they too are doing everything possible to return our club to the on-field standards we have come to know and expect. The one thing I can hand on heart say, is that every player on the list, regardless of their age, is putting in the hard work and the effort required to turn our 2020 season around. We are a proud club at Hawthorn, with strong values and a wealth of history behind us. It is our job to ensure this remains the case. Out of respect for those that have come before us and for the benefit of those who will follow us in the future.
We always need to keep an eye on the big picture and the long-term future of our club. There is still so much that is unknown about the remainder of this season, let alone next season, but we must do our best to lay plans for the future with the information we have. In looking to the future, I want to assure you that our commitment to securing an AFLW license has not waivered. The AFL is still very aware of our desire to join the women’s competition as early as 2021 and we continue to lobby this point. I will continue to keep you updated on all developments in the women’s football space as information becomes available.
To our Victorian members, you are facing extreme challenges, and this is never far from our minds. Many of our staff remain in Victoria with you, and these incredible people are doing their best to make sure the club continues to run as smoothly as possible. They have remained adaptable and creative in their approach; they are a big part of what makes our club great and I want to pass on my thanks to them. I would also like to extend this thanks to our members. Your support is undoubtedly what is getting us all through the challenges of season 2020.
With Round 12 just days away it is time to look ahead, I am confident that our football department will deliver.
Go Hawks!
