From former number one draft pick Luke Hodge to an outside top-30 selection with Sam Mitchell, Hawthorn has had plenty of wins come draft night.
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With this year’s NAB AFL Draft marking the first of a new decade, we’ve taken a look back at the Hawks who went on to forge successful careers after being selected by the club.
Here are the draftees that arrived at the Hawks during the 2000s and went on to play 100 games or more in the brown and gold.
Mark Williams
Pick 43 (2000), 111 games, 1 premiership
Williams made his debut in 2002 after being drafted by the Hawks at Pick 43 in the 2000 national draft.
He finished as the club's leading goalkicker in back-to-back years of 2005 and 2006.
In the 2008 Grand Final, Williams and teammate Stuart Dew kicked three goals between them in three minutes to put Hawthorn in a winning position late in the third quarter.
He was traded to Essendon during the 2009 trade period before retiring from the league in 2011.
Rick Ladson
Pick 16 (2001), 125 games, 1 premiership
Ladson was selected at Pick 16 in the 2001 national draft from the Bendigo Pioneers.
He debuted in 2003, but battled several injuries during his nine seasons with the club.
In 2008 he became part of Hawthorn's premiership winning side and kicked the goal that was widely regarded as having sealed the game for the Hawks.
Luke Hodge
Pick 1 (2001), 305 games, 4 premierships
Taken at Pick 1 in the 2001 national draft, Hodge went on to forge a decorated career in the brown and gold.
He played in four premierships - captaining the Hawks in three of them - and became one of just four people to have won dual Norm Smith Medals.
Hodge recorded 305 games across 16 seasons with the Hawks and finished with three All Australian selections and two Peter Crimmins Medals.
After a short-lived retirement in 2017, he continued his career for a further two seasons with the Lions before retiring again.
Campbell Brown
Pick 32 (2001), 159 games, 1 premiership
Drafted by Hawthorn at the 2001 national draft with Pick 32, Brown lined up for the Hawks for the first time the following year and quickly became a regular member of the Hawks back six.
His form peaked in 2007 when he was rewarded with an All Australian selection.
The following year he kicked a goal in the Grand Final as Hawthorn broke a 17-year premiership drought to overcome Geelong in an upset win.
At the end of the 2010 season, Brown made the move to the Gold Coast Suns, where he was influential in the club's inaugural season.
Sam Mitchell
Pick 36 (2001), 307 games, 4 premierships
After arriving at the club following the 2001 national draft, Mitchell went on to play 307 games and won four premierships while wearing the brown and gold, before finishing his career at West Coast.
He retired from the game with three All Australian selections to his name, a Brownlow and five Peter Crimmins Medals.
Upon retirement at the end of 2017, he joined West Coast’s ranks as an assistant before returning home to Hawthorn's coaching panel.
At the end of the 2021 season, Mitchell took over as the club's new senior coach.
Jarryd Roughead
Pick 2 (2004), 283 games, 4 premierships
After 15 years and 283 games in the brown and gold, Roughead called time on his impressive AFL career at the end of the 2019 season.
A Coleman Medallist, dual All Australian, former captain, and four-time premiership player, Roughead was one of the most decorated players of the modern era.
Selected as one of three top 10 picks by the Hawks in the 2004 national draft alongside Lance Franklin (Pick 5) and Jordan Lewis (Pick 7), Roughead went on to make his debut in 2005 where he quickly cemented his place in Hawthorn’s starting line-up.
In 2008, he won his first premiership of an eventual four – before going on to play an integral role in the Hawks famous 2013 to 2015 three-peat.
Lance Franklin
Pick 5 (2004), 182 games, 2 premierships
Taken as Pick 5 in the 2004 national draft, Franklin played 182 games for Hawthorn and was part of the 2008 and 2013 premiership teams.
He became the club's Peter Crimmins Medalist in 2008 and was the Hawks leading goal kicker for six straight seasons between 2007 and 2012.
He is the seventh-greatest goal kicker in VFL/AFL history, is one of just five men with eight All Australian blazers and is the most recent player to have kicked 100 goals in a season.
After moving across to the Sydney Swans in 2014, the star forward has since played a further 136 games, bringing his current total to 318.
Jordan Lewis
Pick 7 (2004), 264 games, 4 premierships
Lewis notched up 264 games for Hawthorn in a golden era for the club that included playing in the 2008, 2013, 2014 and 2015 flags.
He won the Peter Crimmins Medal and was an All Australian in 2014, before crossing to Melbourne in the 2016 trade period.
Lewis went on to play 55 more matches for the Demons, giving him 319 in total.
The four-time premiership star announced his retirement in 2019 after his decorated career.
Grant Birchall
Pick 14 (2005), 248 games, 4 premierships
Taken by the Hawks with Pick 14 in the 2005 national draft, Birchall went on to play 248 games in the brown and gold and prove a vital cog in one of the club's most successful eras.
At the end of the 2019 season, his 14th campaign with the Hawks, Birchall made the move north to continue his career with the Brisbane Lions.
The four-time premiership Hawk announced his retirement this year finishing his career with a list of achievements rarely matched by others that have gone before him, with four premierships, an All Australian honour and a place in the Tasmanian Football Hall of Fame.
Cyril Rioli
Pick 12 (2007), 189 games, 4 premierships
Arriving to the club as an 18-year-old, Rioli debuted in Round 1 in 2008 after being selected with Pick 12 in the 2007 national draft.
He went on to win four premierships and play a total of 189 games in the brown and gold, becoming one of the most influential players the game has ever seen.
He earned All Australian selections in 2012, 2015 and 2016 and also in 2015 was awarded the Norm Smith Medal.
In 2018, Rioli declared his decision to retire from the game after a stellar 11-year career with Hawthorn.
Matt Suckling
Pick 22 (2007), 102 games, 2 premierships
Suckling was drafted as a rookie by Hawthorn in 2007 at Pick 22, elevated to the senior list in 2009 and debuted Round 1 in 2009.
The damaging left footer struggled with injury in the early part of his career before earning a regular place in the team in the 2011 and 2012 seasons.
Suckling missed the club’s premiership in 2013 having ruptured his ACL in a pre-season game, but returned to the side to play an important role in the 2014 and 2015 premierships.
Following the 2015 season, the 33-year-old made a move to the Western Bulldogs under free agency rules before retiring at the end of the 2020 season.
Brendan Whitecross
Pick 29 (2007), 111 games
After being selected with Pick 29 in the 2007 national draft, Whitecross toiled away with Box Hill throughout his first season in the brown and gold before making his senior debut in 2009.
Over the next 11 years, the Queenslander raced away to play 111 games for the club, and became a Hawthorn life member.
But the 31-year-old was unlucky to have not finished with a Hawthorn premiership to his name after missing the chance to play in the Hawks grand final wins in 2013, 2014 and 2015 due to injuries.
Ryan Schoenmakers
Pick 16 (2008), 121 games, 1 premiership
After being drafted with Pick 16 in the 2008 national draft, Schoenmakers played 121 games for the Hawks, culminating in the 2015 premiership.
He was awarded life membership in 2018 in recognition of 10 years of service.
He called time on his career at the end of the 2019 season, retiring as a one-club player.
Liam Shiels
Pick 34 (2008), 242 games, 3 premierships
Shiels has become one of the Hawks most reliable and durable players since arriving at the club following the 2008 national draft.
The triple premiership player is now the longest serving Hawthorn player, which is evidenced by his fantastic leadership.
The 30-year-old, who remains an integral part of the Hawks playing group, will be eyeing his 250th game milestone in season 2022.
Taylor Duryea
Pick 69 (2009), 118 games, 2 premierships
A two-time premiership player at the Hawks, Duryea played 118 games across nine seasons after being taken with Pick 69 in the 2009 national draft.
Debuting in 2013, he went on to secure his spot in the side as a defender and was awarded the Best First Year player that year.
Duryea then moved to the Western Bulldogs during the 2018 trade period, and has since notched up a further 41 games.
Ben Stratton
Pick 46 (2009), 202 games, 3 premierships
Selected as a mature-age recruit at Pick 46 in the 2009 national draft, Stratton debuted in his first year at the club and went on to play 202 games.
The former captain made the decision to retire from AFL football at the end of the 2020 season.
After 11 years, three premierships and two years of captaincy, Stratton left the game a well-respected and decorated warrior of Hawthorn, and a life member of the club.
Luke Breust
Pick 47 (2009), 239 games, 3 premierships
After being taken as Pick 77 in the 2009 national draft following his rookie elevation, Breust has since gone on to become one of the most durable players in the competition over the past decade.
In 2013, he kicked a goal in the last quarter of the Grand Final against Fremantle to win his first premiership.
The three-time premiership player has been selected in the All Australian team twice, and finished as Hawthorn's leading goalkicker for three seasons, including 2021.
Now set to enter his 12th season in the brown and gold, the 30-year-old will be eying his 250th game milestone in 2022.
Paul Puopolo
Pick 66 (2010), 196 games, 3 premierships
Puopolo made his debut for the Hawks in 2011 and was awarded Hawthorn's Best First Year Player Award after finishing the season with 20 games and eight goals.
After 10 seasons with the Hawks, he announced his retirement at the end of 2020, in which he was awarded Hawthorn’s best clubman in the same year.
Puopolo finished his career as three-time premiership player having played in Hawthorn's back-to-back-to-back Grand Final triumphs in 2013, 2014 and 2015.
Isaac Smith
Pick 19 (2010), 2010 games, 3 premierships
Taken at Pick 19 as a mature age recruit in the 2010 national draft, Smith debuted in Round 7 of the following year and went on to play 210 games in the brown and gold.
He departed the Hawks at the end of the 2020 season to continue his career at Geelong.
Smith left the brown and gold with three premierships under his belt, having played a pivotal role in Hawthorn’s three-peat success.
Blake Hardwick
Pick 44 (2015), 102 games
Joining the club via Pick 44 in the 2015 national draft, Hardwick made his debut in 2016 and has since become one of Hawthorn’s most reliable and consistent defenders.
The 24-year-old celebrated his 100th game this year, having only missed three senior appearances across the last four seasons.
His breakout season came in 2018, with his consistency and efficiency leading him to his first podium finish in the Peter Crimmins Medal count – runner-up behind winner Tom Mitchell.
Earlier this year, the young defender signed a new long-term deal that will see him in the brown and gold until at least the end of 2024.
