Assistant Coach David Hale gives his player by player review of every Hawks midfielder's 2023 pre-season so far.

Harry Morrison

“Harry has had a little interrupted pre-season in terms of injury niggles here and there, he’s currently working his way back from a hammy. So hopefully he'll be touch and go for Round 1. I think with Harry we’ve realised that he’s a really important part of our line-up. His composure and experience on that wing role, obviously now combining with Karl Amon - the more we can get those two playing together - adds a really good level of experience that we probably haven’t had for a couple of years. He’s one we’re looking forward to getting back pretty soon.”

Jai Newcombe

“Jai has been very good, he’s done the majority of pre-season. As we all know he had an impressive season last year, and we expect him to go to another level again. I think this is his third year now – he’s young, so he’ll still learn a lot. Having played week in week out last year, he’s one that can start to provide some leadership and direction and we expect him to drive the standards of that midfield group.” 

James Worpel

“Worps has been good, he did a little bit more managed loads pre-Christmas, but he’s been pretty much full go since then. He’s had a good summer and he should be full of confidence that he has given himself a really good base to work on for the rest of the year. During the year he can now set his on bar I suppose in a way. His exposure to the midfield will be there, he's just got to grab the bull by the horns and take every opportunity. We expect him to play a big role as well."

Ned Reeves

"Similar to Worps, Ned had a little bit of management before Christmas, and has done a majority of work post-Christmas. He is similar to Jai I suppose in the sense that he's now two or three years in the system now - he's a really important player for us in our structure. The way he plays in the ruck role combining with Lloyd Meek will be a good partnership for us going forward. He's another one that I expect to develop pretty quickly and get to a consistent AFL level from the start and then be able to elevate his status as well in terms of ruckmen in the league."

Karl Amon

"Karl's come in and been a professional from the start, which is what we expected. He's played a lot of footy and some really consistent footy at Port Adelaide. He's going to add a little bit of experience which is an area we targeted in terms of him. Also, in that role on the wing with Harry Morrison, it's been able to give us a bit more structure and strength in that part of the ground. He's been impressive, he's done the bulk of the summer. Once the footy comes around we expect him to have a good impact."

Will Day

"Daysy's been really good. His football IQ, his attributes as a midfielder with his quick feet and being clean with his ball use is something that has stood out in terms of at our match simulation and even our intraclub hit-out. Hopefully with more experience and exposure that he'll get as an inside midfielder, he can continue to develop into someone that is not only good for our midfield, but good across the competition. His versatility - to be able to play across wing and half-back is also an element that is good for him. But hopefully in 2023 he can spend a far bit of time inside."

Conor Nash

"Nashy is another senior statesmen now, he's had a really good summer as well. He's done the bulk of the work and now I think it's time for Nashy to elevate his game as an inside and outside midfielder. The more exposure he can get with his physicality inside - he's still got a little bit to learn in terms of midfield craft - but that will come with more experience. Hopefully he can continue to lead and be a real presence in that midfield group."

Lloyd Meek

"Meeky was someone I worked with at Fremantle, so it was good to get him across. He's in that prime phase of his career as a ruckman - 24 to 30. He had a really good apprenticeship at Freo learnt from a lot of people - not just myself - but some really good midfield and ruck coaches over there. He's ready to go, he had to buy his time over there, but now we're hoping he can grab the opportunity that Hawthorn have given him."

Max Lynch

"Lynchy has had a pretty good summer. He had a little bit of stuff pre-Christmas, but he's done the bulk of the work since. We're really encouraging Lynchy to use his weapons - he's a really good runner for a ruckman. He's a little bit undersized, but his desire to compete is pretty strong. We're just getting Lynchy to enjoy his footy, the more he can get back to enjoying those two hours on the weekend and showing his wares, is good for us. Hopefully Lynchy gets into a really good space where he can stack some consistent footy together and get back to what we know he can do." 

Josh Ward

"Josh had a little injury niggle at the start, but he's back now to full health. He's another one that looks really sharp. He's got some really good attributes as an inside midfielder. He can cover the ground well, he's clean and he's got a really good footy IQ. We expect his trajectory to continue to go upwards. Last year was his first year in the system and it was a good year for him to find his feet, but now second year in with the midfield we've got, we expect him to start taking another step this year as well."

Ned Long

"Longy loves the pre-season period. He's done the bulk of the work and he's another one who has set himself up for an opportunity going forward. He'll never die wondering, Longy. He's learned a lot of his craft stuff and he's another one that we expect to push for selection."

Henry Hustwaite

"Hus has delivered what we expected him to deliver when we watched him in the recruiting phase, he was a really clean inside midfielder who controlled the corridor well. In the games we've played with intraclub and our match simulation against Geelong, it's similar to what we saw. He'll learn a lot this year playing against bigger bodies and faster midfielders. But we really want his qualities to keep standing out, so he's made a good start."

Cam Mackenzie

"Cam's a high draft pick, he's done the bulk of the work - he looks really composed, he's a driven player inside and he's got really good power to get inside to out and he's great with his skillset. The forwards are looking forward to seeing Cam kicking the ball inside-50, he's a beautiful kick and he'll continue to develop as his experience goes up. So similar to Wardy (Josh Ward) last year, hopefully he can use his first year in the system as a stepping stone to become a really good AFL midfielder."

Finn Maginness

"Finn, similar to Longy (Ned Long) loves the pre-season. He's a good runner, he's done the bulk of the work and now he'll continue to develop his role within the team - whether that's tagging or being able to use another skillset inside. But he's an important attribute for us in terms of being able to negate other midfield opponents. He's had another really solid summer and we expect him to keep developing in 2023." 

Max Ramsden

"Rama has done the most of the summer, he's pretty much starting as a first year as he came mid-way through the season last year. He's developing his forward and ruck craft and he's really developed his body too - I think he's close to 100kgs now. Hopefully we can see him balance a bit of a ratio playing as a forward and playing in the ruck and keep developing that and hopefully push for a debut this year."

Cooper Stephens

"Cooper had a strong pre-season up until he got concussed in the intraclub game. He's a strong inside midfielder who has now been in the system for four or five years. He's got some good craft that he's learnt from his time at Geelong with some good players down there. He'll add some grunt to our midfield, hopefully he can get going and work with the likes of Jai and Worps inside and give us some contested possessions." 

Josh Weddle  

"Similar to Longy, Josh loves running so he has been loving pre-season. We've all been impressed with his physical attributes. It's just about combining that now playing, being able to utilise his strengths when it comes to playing against the big boys. So understanding structure and running patterns, and all the things that come into it when playing on the wing will be important for him as he goes forward. But he's been doing a lot of work with Dave Mackay (Hawthorn's Development Coach) in terms of understanding what that looks like for him. But I'm sure he'll be one that will be pushing during the year to be able debut as well."