Ah yes… the Hawks.
For a period of 2024, they were everybody’s darling. And then, suddenly, they weren’t.
The Hawthorn Football Club is the most successful of the modern era, with flags in each of the last six decades, but halfway through the 2020s, they’re searching for the premiership to keep that streak alive. After a mediocre start to the 2024 season, the Hawthorn Football Club burst to life in the back half of the season, embracing a run-and-gun style, and an attitude that combined to create Hok Ball.
It was with this exuberant, devil-may-care attitude that they swept into the finals, swept past the Bulldogs, and threatened to sweep their way to a flag.
Alas, they ran into Port Adelaide, and in a heartbreaking loss, they finished their 2024 campaign on a sour note. Do they have what’s required to go again? Or was 2024 a flash-in-the-pan type of season?
It’s that time of year, already.
The break after Christmas and New Year is over and January is almost gone. The holidays are finished for AFL players, and we’re right in the midst of hard stuff, now. Yes, the teams had been training for well over a month prior to Christmas, but as we head deeper into 2025, the stakes are raised, and the intensity increases.
This is where premierships are won and lost. This is where improvements are made and lists come together. This is where the kids show if they’re serious or not. New faces, new colours, old heads with renewed passion… so much feeds into the making of a contender. And as the days tick down toward the intra-club clashes, practice games, and eventually the real stuff, questions are raised about each team and how they’re going to perform in this new season.
And that’s where HB and The Mongrel come in.
We don’t do things by halves here, at The Mongrel Punt. When we do a season preview, we go all out to make sure it is the best, most comprehensive coverage you’ll receive. We pride ourselves on it. If you are going to read one season preview for your team, or any team, this series will provide it.
The way it works is as follows.
Each club has a minimum of 15 questions asked about the upcoming season, their coaches, their players, and their expectations. The answers are not glossed over. We dive deep on each and every one of them – some singular answers would normally be long enough for an entire column. The first five questions/answers are free for you to consume. The next 10-14 for each club are for our members, including a special appearance from Mrs Mongrel to throw her two cents in the mix.
Isn’t it a bit early for a season preview? Well, I suppose, but do you know how long it takes to write seven-to-nine thousand words? That’s 18 x 8,000… gets out the calculator… that’s 144,000 words. The average novel is about 85,000 words, so buckle the hell up with these previews; we’re going deeper than ever.
Also, if there are any issues that arise after the publication of the preview for any team, they will be covered in standalone articles to act as additions to this preview.
You will not read a deeper season preview than this – I guarantee it. This is where we start the run to the new season, and believe me – nobody does it better than The Mongrel.
And now we turn our attention to the boys from Glenferrie (traditionally, anyway). Let’s have a deep dive into the Hawks.
Please note – Hawthorn is the team I support. I attempt to be as impartial as possible in this preview, but I fear I may have tried too hard, and can come across as a little negative in parts. That was not my intention, but what I was trying to do is be as balanced as possible. And if I am a little too harsh, just imagine how much fun you’ll have rubbing it in my face if the Hawks lift the flag. 🙂
1 – DOES HOK-BALL HAVE LEGS?
Ever tried to catch lightning in a bottle?
No?
Me either, but from all reports, it is pretty bloody hard! Imagine trying to do it twice?
In the back half of 2024, the Hawks caught fire. Things finally started to click under Sam Mitchell, and the team embraced a style that would become known as Hok-Ball.
Now, I have to be honest; I still don’t really understand what the hell Hok-Ball is. It kind of sounds like something a cat would vomit up, but whatever it equated to, it resulted in a run of games where Hawks were one of the hottest teams in the game, and they were really able to capture the hearts of footy supporters, not just their own.
At least, they did up until the Semi-Final aftermath. I’ll get to that later.
A funny thing happens during an off-season. Opposition coaches get to work. They start to pore over game plans, running patterns, and the style that certain teams like to play. And it is up to them to shut those teams the hell down.
What the Hawks were able to do in 2024 was to commence playing in such a manner that it caught teams by surprise. They broke lines, took the game on, ran in waves, and created chaos – they thrived on it. But will that style be countered in 2025? Have coaches done enough homework to put the brakes on Hawthorn when they get on a roll? Or will Sam Mitchell be able to make his own adjustments to keep this style fresh and keep the opposition guessing?
Like most things, there are two ways this will go.
Either the Hawks have clicked and found their own winning formula that is sustainable.
Or… and this is my fear… they did catch lightning in a bottle in 2024, and will struggle to do so again in 2025. I fluctuate on the two options, wildly. I am worried about the key forward setup. I look at the bolstered defence and what that means. And I see what could be an elite-level midfield coming together. There are so many moving parts to this team, but until I see two successful seasons in a row, I am reserving judgement.
St Kilda jumped up into finals in 2023 and fell back to the pack in 2024. Freo made a run in 2022, and vanished in 2023. It happens. The most logical step for the Hawks is to make sure they’re not in the mix with those teams. They don’t have to have lightning in a bottle in 2025 – but they do need enough power to keep the lights on, at the very least.
A better start, and a steady run through the season and into finals is what I’m looking for. And if anything comes from that, I’ll be absolutely delighted. Surprised, but delighted.
2 – DO THE DEFENSIVE ACQUISITIONS FREE UP JAMES SICILY?
Look, it could, but taking a player away from his dominant position – and Sic is dominant as a half-back – is a risk.
Sadly, with Mitch Lewis nowhere near it, it might just be a risk the club has to take.
Sicily has had a restricted start to his pre-season, following off-season shoulder surgery. For this reason, I don’t want to see him starting up forward, with blokes intentionally crashing into him, chopping his arms, annd basically making marking contests very difficult for him, unless it is absolutely necessary. Unless he is 100% recovered, I would much prefer to see him used as the primary interceptor (played as a loose man as much as possible) across half-back. I know that isn’t as exciting as seeing him clunk a couple of grabs from 50-60 out and having a ping at goal, but Sic should be used sparingly early, if it means he will be cherry ripe to play forward when needed in the latter parts of the season.
Amazingly, the Hawks have gone from being have-nots to haves in terms of their defensive stocks. Last season, the club was forced to play Sicily as a key position defender, and whilst he can fill that role well, it was basically him and Sam Frost left to hold the fort, with James Blanck injured for a long period.
With Tom Barrass now on board, and Josh Battle making the back six that little bit stronger, the Hawks now have options, and it gives Sicily every chance to perform in the role he plays best in.
However, it is the lack of options at the other end that may see him moved to bolster the attack.
I’ll get into individuals a little later, but with Lewis out, Calsher Dear a worry with bone stress issues in his back, that leaves a forward line of Mabior Chol, Luke Breust, Jack Gunston, Jack Ginnivan, and Dylan Moore – not really an aerially gifted bunch, are they?
Track watchers have suggested that Ned Reeves could plonk himself in the goal square as a long target, and at 210 centimetres, he’d be someone that could straighten the team up, but he is not a renowned goalkicker, with just 11 coming from his 42 career games, to date.
That he is even being floated as an option should give you reason to consider that Sicily will be thrust into the role.
What I think we’ll see is a hybrid role for the captain this season, at least until the cavalry arrives, up forward. If he splits time between half-back and inside 50, dependent on need in any given game, he becomes the Mr Fit-It for the Hawks again in 2025. It makes it difficult to put expectant numbers near his name, as the roles are so different, so his season will have to be assessed on impact.
Does he snag or create goals when up forward? Does he intercept and counter-attack when in defence? Where does the team need him most, and how much does the result vary when he is at either end of the ground?
Sicily will be asked to wear a few hats in 2025. Let’s hope the Hawks are not stretching him too thin.
3 – DID WE FIND OUT MORE ABOUT THE PLAYER MABIOR CHOL IS IN THE FINALS?
Told you we’d get into individual cases, in the section above. Let’s go.
I know most people reading this will be Hawthorn supporters, so I’ll try to be kind.
There are two incarnations of Mabior Chol. The first is the one that does the meat and potatoes stuff. He runs hard, contests, chases, and luck finds him as a result. The other incarnation is what we saw in the finals, and it is not the first time we’ve seen it. That version provides a stark contrast to the first one – the same player whose best and worst are miles upon miles apart.
What we saw in the finals was Mabior Chol trying to provide the spectacular, whilst almost completely forgetting about what made his 2024 season a year of redemption.
The Gold Coast Suns loved what they got from Chol in 2022. They hated what they got from him in 2023.
The Hawks got a bit of both in 2024, and they got the worst bit at the worst possible time.
When I’ve watched Chol in the past, he struck me as a player who needs a bit of luck to succeed. Playing at Gold Coast, the number of times I saw the ball somehow bounce out the back to open up the goal for Chol had me scratching my head. It was like the ball was a cake of soap and would slip and slide its way through fur sets of hands, only to end up in Chol’s grasp and a goal would ensue.
But it happened too often to be luck!
It had to be by design.
And that was part of the problem.
If Mabs was playing like that, it was going to pay off at times, but was it what the club needed? The fact he spent the majority of 2023 playing VFL gives us the answer. No… no, it was not.
When the Hawks recruited Chol, myself and our fellow Hawks-supporting Mongrel, Trent Adam Shileds, had brief exchange of ideas… just like the German Nuclear Power Plant manager and Homer Simpson. I won’t go into who played which role.
Anyway, Trent summed up that he thought that Chol was not Mr Right for the Hawks, long term, but he might be Mr Right-Now.
And that was the case all the way through the 2024 season, right up until the heat was on in September. At that point, he became Mr Wrong.
Chol needs to learn from his 2024 finals. The Hawks have signed him until the end of 2027 – this was an enormous leap of faith for a club to offer a deal like that to a bloke that had just spent a season in the seconds. It is now time for Chol to repay the faith.
2024 was a nice start, a solid middle, and a terrible ending. In 2025, he needs to work until the final siren on the final day. Anything else is not good enough.
4 – IS MITCH LEWIS THE PLAYER TO GET THE HAWKS INTO THE TOP FOUR?
No, sadly, he’s not. And Hawthorn fans probably need to come to terms with that.
As much as I hate to say it, Lewis’ body has betrayed him to the point where, at 26 years of age, I am starting to wonder whether we’ll ever see him play a full season. As he is recovering from an ACL injury, it damn sure won’t be in 2025.
To illustrate this point further, he has never once played more than 15 games in his seven seasons in the league, averaging just ten per season. If you’re betting on Lewis being the man to carry the Hawks into September, I’ll gladly take your money.
It will likely be around the bye rounds before Lewis is ready to go again – assuming there is no further issues with his injured knee. Both he and James Blanck have headed overseas to get further rehabilitation on their reconstructed knees, which will hopefully aid in the recovery, but I would say that when the Hawks do get him back, placing any lofty expectations on him to do a hell of a lot, would be foolish.
As a key forward, Lewis’ main weapon is to run, leap at the footy, attack it hard in the air, and bring down big grabs. As someone who has experience with ACL injuries, it is that last part of his game that will likely suffer until he gets complete confidence back in his body. At the moment, how could he possibly have confidence in it?
When you have an ACL injury, you have this nagging little voice in your head that tells you to be careful. It is warning you that, with every leap, every landing, or every change of direction, you may be about to re-injure that joint. It takes a while for that voice to shut the hell up, but I would not be surprised if it is not silenced in Lewis’ head until the 2026 season.
As such, the Hawks will be more reliant on Mabs Chol, Calsher Dear, and perhaps James Sicily to provide tall avenues to goal in 2025. Lewis may come back, and may have some really good moments – I sincerely hope he does – but I am not here to blow smoke up your backside, and if he is back in the side after the bye rounds, temper your expectations for him.
The road back from an ACL injury is a long one. For fans of Mitch Lewis, I have to preach patience.
5 – WHERE DO YOU WANT TO SEE JOSH WEDDLE PLAY?
Anywhere the side can fit him – as long as he is in brown and gold, all is well, with me.
I love watching Weddle play footy. He has that type of run and dare about him that makes the game exciting, and when he gets two or three steps into his run, you just know nobody is going to catch him.
There are a few blokes in the league that take off, and the crowd immediately gets to their feet. Nick Blakey does it at Sydney. Adam Saad does it at Carlton. However, Josh Weddle has the capacity to be the best of them, and that’s saying a bit, as both of those mentioned have made the All-Australian team in recent seasons.
Weddle is a freak. He is almost big enough to play key position, but when he tucks that footy under his arm and takes off, I am not really sure is anyone that can stop him. He is powerful enough that he could run over them like a train!
Seeing him coming off half-back last season was a treat, but with Josh Battle in the team (who is an elite runner, if you weren’t already aware), part of me wonders whether it is time to move Weddle up onto the wing to play on the opposite side to D’Ambrosio.
Massimo is largely a defensive wingman. When I stated this at aroun the halfway point of 2024, a couple of Hawks supporters mocked me. “He’s just a wingman,” they told me. “Defensive, my arse,” said another.
Yes, thanks for that, but your summation lacked nuance. Massimo drifts back and provides run from defence. That is his strength. He was ranked 13th on the team for inside 50s. What does that tell you?
It tells me those supporters need to apologise to me, for starters. Having Massimo out there is like having an additional half-back flanker playing. I’m not saying that’s a bad thing, but he doesn’t provide the attacking side of the wing position as often as others do.
An important facet of wing duos is how they play in concert. When one defends, the other moves to an attacking position. As such, playing with Massimo would give Weddle plenty of opportunities to get on his bike and power forward. Call me a fanboy if you like, but the thought of that gets me excited!
Also, I am a fanboy for Weddle.
The Hawks have thrown a few players at the wing in recent years. Karl Amon (a former Robbie Flower Wingman of the Year in his time at Port Adelaide) started there, but is now a defender. Josh Ward, and Harry Morrison have split time there, as well. None of them have the upside that Weddle can provide in the role. He is a walking mismatch, with power in the air, and just as much at ground level, as well – a nightmare to contain,a nd anightmare to beat in a one-on-one. And given he started in defence, he is not the type to neglect that aspect of the game, either.
Many aspects of the game are about creating and exploiting mismatches, and in playing Josh Weddle as the big, attacking wingman, Sam Mitchell would have one up on just about every team in the competition.
The next 13 questions are for our members. Option to join below.
This is just under a third of our preview. The rest is available exclusively to our members. People, we give value. No same old gabage you’re going to hear from ten others, taking turns in mimicking each other. No played out opinions. Thoughtful and comprehensive – that’s what we aspire to provide in these previews, and your support makes them bigger and better every year. Jump on board.
