Goodbye 2020, hello 2021!
A new year brings a new range of exciting possibilities and, to that, we say bring it on!
Here is a list of 21 wishes we have for 2021!
- The most important thing to us has always been and will always be our fans. Here’s hoping we can pack every venue to the rafters with the brown and gold faithful in 202 To have our Hawks army by our side again is undoubtedly the number one wish.
- Well, let’s be honest. As far as the Hawks’ on-field production goes, we’d love a few more wins in 2021. Here’s hoping that spark from the last time the boys were out there against the Suns carries on into the new year.
- With Stratts’ departure at the end of 2020, a new captain is on the horizon. Who it will be remains a mystery but, whoever it is, we can’t wait to see how they guide the club into its next chapter.
- With the club taking its highest draft pick in over a decade a month ago, the excitement around potentially seeing Denver Grainger-Barras pull on a jumper this year is undeniable. DGB headlines a host of draftees the club has brought in who all possesses speed and excitement in spades. The future is bright and we’re hoping to get a glimpse of it ASAP.
- A storyline that is going to dominate footy commentary in season 2021 will be Shaun Burgoyne’s 400 watch. The superstar Hawk sits just 11 games shy of becoming just the fifth player in the game’s history to reach the remarkable milestone.
- Speaking of 400, Jack Gunston is within just two goals of booting the 400th major of his career. His good mate Luke Breust did it in Round 9 2020 against the Blues so you know that Gunners is very keen to match his mark!
- Speaking of Punky, 20 more goals for the small forward this year would see him overtake Dermott Brereton in the club’s all-time goal kicking records and move into eighth spot. It would cement Breust’s claim as one of the greatest goal kickers the club has seen and we’d love to see it!
- Over at the VFLW side of things, our recently announced all-female VFLW coaching panel is another source of extreme excitement for brown and gold hearts. It’s breaking new ground and we are proud to be a part of what’s to come.
- On the topic of women’s football, the club will be heavily pursuing an AFLW license this year. We want to begin preparations for this new chapter with our club and here’s hoping a green light comes soon!
- The shining light of 2020 for many Hawks supporters was seeing the development of Will Day. The South Australian barely put a foot wrong in his debut campaign, warming brown and gold hearts around the country with his skill and composure at the elite level. Day has said he’s determined to take the next step next season and we would love to see it!
- Now we love beating Geelong. It’s in our DNA! But there’s an extra little bit of drive to beat the Cats in 2021 with a familiar face swapping the stripes for hoops. We’re sure you can fill in the blanks!
- With the news of quarter lengths returning to 20 minutes plus time on this year, there’s an opportunity to see some high-scoring footy return to our fields. When it comes to goals, we say the more the merrier!
- The extended quarter lengths will also figure as a boost for the mass accumulators of our game… and there is no greater accumulator than our Tom Mitchell. He still managed to amass his fair share of 30-plus games in 2020, but we love ourselves the odd half-ton from time to time!
- He threatened a couple of times in his first season as a Hawk, but couldn’t quite complete the deal. Could 2021 be the year we see Sam Frost run from defensive 50 into the forward 50 with his blistering speed and kick his first goal in the brown and gold?
- Another one Hawks fans will be keeping a keen eye on this year is James Sicily and his recovery from the ACL injury he suffered in mid-August. Whether Sicily will be sighted in 2021 remains to be seen, but we, along with every Hawks supporter have our fingers crossed he will have a strong recovery.
- A man that sadly knows all too much about what Sis is going through is Jonny Patton. In his first year at the Hawks, Patton wasn’t quite able to shake the injury struggles that have hampered his career to date. But the talent is there, the desire is there and the support of coaches, teammates and the Hawthorn family will hopeful springboard big Patto into a bumper 2021 campaign.
- In what will be a new-look reserves competition this year, we can’t wait to see how Box Hill fare. It’s fresh, it’s historic and it’s exciting, here’s hoping for some success for our affiliate side in this new age.
- And if the idea of a multi-state reserves competition doesn’t have you interested, perhaps the fact that our very own Sam Mitchell will be taking the reins in his very first head coaching role might? With another former club great Andy Collins riding shotgun, we’re wishing for a fruitful year for Box Hill!
- A lot of things were interrupted in 2020, but one event that deserves great celebration in 2021 will be our Emergency Services match. A time to say thank you to those that do so much in the community. We can’t wait for that opportunity this year.
- Our AFL Blind team wasn’t quite able to win back-to-back premierships in December. But 2020’s near miss will undoubtedly fuel the fire in our team to return to the heights of 2019 and we can’t wait to experience it with them again.
- Our Wheelchair team was also gallant last season led by competition superstar Jaylen Brown. Imagine if we could pull off the double, with a premiership in AFL Blind as well as Wheelchair.
