There were seven 30-year-olds on Hawthorn’s list in 2020.

Paul Puopolo, Ricky Henderson, James Frawley, Isaac Smith, Ben Stratton, Ben McEvoy and Shaun Burgoyne.

Only two of these remain in 2021.

Between these five departees that the Hawks farewelled were 10 premiership medallions and 1,006 senior games.

Naturally, this has created an exciting opportunity for the Hawks youngsters waiting in the wings – there are spots up for grabs.With just over two and a half weeks until Round 1, we’ve taken a look at the young candidates who are setting their sights on these vacated roles.

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Isaac Smith – Wing

Leading candidates: Tom Phillips, Connor Downie

 

With his move down the highway, Smith relinquished the wing position that he held for over a decade with the Hawks. But within a month, the Hawks list management committee had managed to find a pair of capable replacements.

Phillips arrived first through the trade period at the cost of pick 65. Having played 89 games with Collingwood over five seasons, the 24-year-old has a proven record at AFL level. He has been impressive in his first summer in the brown and gold, figuring as an obvious selection at the wing position come Round 1.
 
A graduate of the club’s Next Generation Academy, Downie was nabbed at Pick 35 in last year’s national draft. The well-built youngster has made an immediate impression in his first pre-season, proving a stand-out in last week’s scratch match against the Western Bulldogs. An endurance runner who craves the contest, Downie also appears a strong chance to be granted a senior opportunity early in the season.
 

Paul Puopolo – Small forward

Leading candidates: Dylan Moore, Oliver Hanrahan, Tyler Brockman

 

The trio of Moore, Hanrahan and Brockman have all been looking to stake their claim for a season opener call-up over the summer – and it has been great to watch!

Fuelled by the confidence of his form in the closing stages of the 2020 season, Moore has picked up from where he left off as he prepares for his fourth year in the system. Possessing incredible running ability, the 21-year-old has not only proved dangerous around goal this pre-season but also capable of impacting the game when playing higher up the ground.

The first three Hawks goals in the hit-out with the Bulldogs all came off the boot of Hanrahan. As the Dogs defenders quickly learned, the 22-year-old is difficult to stop when up and running with elite agility and goal kicking nous. The performance suggested Hanrahan is ready to take the next step in 2021.

Brockman has had his teammates and coaches abuzz in recent weeks, with his ‘moments’ in training continuing to turn heads. The quietly-spoken West Australian allows his skills to do the talking and, despite standing at just 181cm, Brockman has shown he is not intimidated by the prospect of stepping up to the rigours of senior footy.

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Ricky Henderson – Wing/half-back

Leading candidates: Will Day, Jarman Impey

Hawthorn’s wing/half-back position looks to be in safe hands for the next decade if Will Day’s debut season is anything to go by. Day took little time acclimatising to AFL level, featuring in 11 games across the 2020 season. Composed as the most seasoned veterans around the league, Day’s cool head and high skill level will be a key brown and gold building block moving forward.

Returning from a knee reconstruction last year, Impey managed just five games for the season. One of the Hawks most talented and creative players off the half-back line, his absence clearly hurt the side’s ability to move the ball offensively. Development Coach Sam Mitchell recently said: "His run and carry and his ability to break a line off half-back, we really missed that last year. We expect Jarzy to be a really strong contingent of our back end at the start of the season.” Having enjoyed a full pre-season ahead of the 2021 campaign, expect Impey to be back to his best this year.

James Frawley – Key defender

Leading candidates: Denver Grainger-Barras

The Hawks’ first top 10 draft pick since 2006, Denver Grainger-Barras is touted as the obvious insert into the full-back position this year. Standing at 195cm, the talented youngster’s strengths are his intercept marking and his ability to read the play. Slotting straight into a key defensive post as a teenager has never been an easy task - so Hawks fans may have to temper their expectations somewhat - but they can expect Denver to display great promise in the upcoming campaign.

Ben Stratton – Medium defender

Leading candidates: Blake Hardwick, Jack Scrimshaw

It might take you by surprise to learn that Blake Hardwick is still just 24 years of age. With a second-place best and fairest finish and 82 senior games already under his belt, Hardwick is more than ready to step up into a role as one of the leaders within the Hawks defence. As hard as a cat’s head and with a pinpoint kick, Hardwick will be an important cog in building this new era of brown and gold defence.

Fresh off a year in which he earned the club’s Most Improved Player award, Scrimshaw will be looking to take another step again in 2021. He has earned the right to feel confident at the level now and he too represents a significant piece in the puzzle of rebuilding the club’s back six.