First-round picks Cam Mackenzie and Josh Weddle are on track for round one debuts against Essendon after impressive maiden pre-seasons at Hawthorn. 

The Hawks selected Mackenzie with Pick 7 in last November's AFL draft, before trading up the board to grab Weddle at Pick 18 after making a deal with Sydney. 

Since then, the teenagers have completed most of the pre-season program under new High Performance Manager Peter Burge, impressing on the track to the point where they have put themselves firmly in the mix ahead of the final phase of the summer. 

Midfield spots are up for grabs heading into 2023, with the picture to become clearer across the next three weeks, starting with Hawthorn's intra-club next Wednesday night, following by practice matches against Geelong (February 23) and Collingwood (March 2).

Mackenzie grew up as a Hawthorn supporter and has quickly won the trust of senior players, who can see the 19-year-old playing plenty of AFL football in 2023. 

With Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell and experienced star Jaeger O'Meara departing during the trade period, McKenzie is part of a group of younger options set to receive greater opportunity this year as Sam Mitchell embarks on a rebuild. 

Jai Newcombe is set to lead the midfield after finishing second in the Peter Crimmins Medal and third in the Rising Star award, while 2019 best and fairest winner James Worpel is also expected to earn his spot back in the engine room and Conor Nash is rated highly internally. 

From there, the Hawks are set to reward Mackenzie and Josh Ward – who was taken at Pick 7 at the end of 2021 – and expose the pair to midfield time this year, while former first-round pick Cooper Stephens is also pressing his case for a spot in the round one team after moving from Geelong last October. 

Mackenzie's class and poise around stoppages has attracted praise internally over the past month as the Hawks have increased match simulation minutes at training. Not much fazes the kid they call 'Frenchie', who has calmly gone about his business in his first pre-season. 

But when it comes to draftees around the competition, not many have made the immediate impact Weddle has had in his first three months in the system. 

The 18-year-old has blown many away inside the club with his running capacity and competitiveness out of the gate. He won all four of Hawthorn's 1km time trials earlier this year in a performance that dazzled those inside the football department, following it up by pushing Changkuoth Jiath and Finn Maginness in the running across the pre-season. 

Weddle was recruited as a defender and has a frame ready to go for senior level – the general consensus at Hawthorn is he has the body of a third- or fourth-year player – but has trained predominantly as a wingman across the summer. 

While free agent signing Karl Amon will play on one wing, Weddle will be considered as one of a handful of options on the other wing – Ward, Jiath, Will Day and Harry Morrison, who is currently working his way back from a hamstring strain, will all spend some time there. 

The Hawks may be in for some short-term pain, but are bullish about the development of Mackenzie and Weddle, as well as the ongoing progress of Ward, Sam Butler and Connor Macdonald in season two.