Always believe in your Chol. Four to the floor with Mabior. The Chols Royce. Naughton or Chol?

Mabior Chol has heard them all.

In an entertainment business, the enigmatic cult figure has become one of the most entertaining players in the business.

Chol can't control what people say about him, write about him or sing about him. But after playing 61 games across seven seasons with Richmond and then Gold Coast, the narrative has changed at Hawthorn.

The 28-year-old has played 45 of 49 games since he moved from the Suns on a chaotic deadline day in 2023 that also netted the club Jack Ginnivan, Jack Gunston and Massimo D'Ambrosio.

Chol returned to his 2022 form last year, booting 37 goals. But this year is different. He has backed it up, kicking 41.17 ahead of Friday night's semi-final against Adelaide at Adelaide Oval.

That edge-of-your seat, get-on-your-feet form has mesmerised Hawthorn supporters, many who didn't know what they were getting with the former maligned Sun and Tiger, but now genuflect when the 200cm spearhead puts on a show.

"Yeah, I've heard them all. I think it's quite funny," Chol tells AFL.com.au at Waverley Park, while wearing royal blue Crocs and a bucket hat.

"I was at the MCG, and I remember going for goal and I could hear the song and it was about me ... 'believe in yourself, you are Chol'. That's the first time I heard it. It's pretty cool, to be honest.

"'The Chols Royce' I find quite funny; all the boys at the footy club call me that now, even my little brothers as well."

Chol (Chol)
Always believe in your Chol
You've got the power to know
You're indestructible, always believing
You are Chol (Chol)

The small lyrical tweak to Gold, the 1983 hit by English new wave band Spandau Ballet, is stuck in the heads of diehard Hawthorn supporters, although, it hasn't cut quite through the wider footy public - unlike the debate involving Western Bulldogs key forward Aaron Naughton.

Port Adelaide great Kane Cornes has driven the conversation all year on his SEN radio show, alongside dual North Melbourne premiership star David King. Chol is aware of the discourse. He smiles, then chuckles, before stating that Naughton has had the better season.

"I think there is a bit of gag about it, people have their own opinion," he says. "For me, I try and focus on what I can do for my team. Credit to Naughton, I think he'd had a f***ing terrific year. If you ask me who had the better year, I would definitely say him. He has had a great year and has played some great footy for a long time now."

Chol played more than 11 games only once in his first seven seasons in the AFL, and booted a career high 44 goals from 22 appearances in 2022. The following year he managed only eight senior appearances, withering on the vine, while playing 16 games in the VFL. With Damien Hardwick taking over the Suns, he needed a fresh start again.

Hawthorn has got more out of Chol than anyone else. The culture has helped, especially the DNA established by Ginni and the Wizard (Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson, for those living under a rock) but so has the coach. Sam Mitchell has made the key forward believe in himself and feel comfortable being himself.

"He is more like a player than a coach, if you know what I mean? He is our head coach, but he comes into the locker room, chats a bit of shit, gets around the boys. Then every time we're out here training, he is involved in drills," Chol explains.

"I feel the bond he has with us players makes it a lot easier to be who you are. I feel like I'm getting a lot out of myself from having that great relationship with him. I feel that's why my footy has been pretty good the last couple of years.

"I'm confident here; I'm really starting to believe in my ability that I can play out there and belong. For me, the support I get from my coaches, from my playing group, they really do value my strengths and what I bring to the footy club. I do feel that I owe them. They give me a lot of trust to go out there and perform."

Many inside Waverley Park have helped Chol establish himself as a permanent fixture at AFL level. He played 63 games for Richmond's reserves around 31 senior appearances during his time at Punt Road. He was there during the 'Dimma-sty', but didn't feature in any of the Grand Finals. Instead, he played in the 2019 VFL premiership, then another at Gold Coast in 2023. He is yet to represent Box Hill.

Chol has become stronger mentally, working closely with head of leadership and development, Jenni Screen, the former Olympic basketballer who has helped many at Hawthorn. Ex-Sydney and Western Bulldogs utility Ed Barlow has also made an impact as the club's psychologist, while forwards coach Adrian Hickmott knows the right reins to pull at the right time.

"Jenni Screen, Ed Barlow, even Hick, they have all helped me to control my inner thoughts when things aren't going my way or I'm not impacting how I want," he says.

"The mental battle gets the best out of me. In the past I've dealt with that worse, but I'm quite proud of myself that I've come a long way with that. It's funny that the mind does get you to think in a certain way."

Chol's life journey has been well documented. He was born in South Sudan during the civil war, fled with his family to Egypt at the age of two, before arriving in Australia as a refugee six years later. Playing high pressure finals are stressful, but pale into insignificance when he remembers what his parents endured for him and his siblings.

"I feel like it's been one heck of a journey,” he says. "Obviously when we moved away from South Sudan I don't remember much, and living in Egypt I was still quite young as well. For me, it's having more reflection on my parents and what they went through to shape me to the person that I've become now.

"People might say you went through a lot, but you don't remember much other than what your parents told you. All I can say is credit to my parents about how much they sacrificed for me and my siblings to put me in this position that we are able to live out my childhood dream. I'm just so grateful for what my parents have done for me and my siblings."

Hawthorn - and thousands of its supporters - heads to Adelaide in the second week of September for the second season in a row.

If they reach the penultimate weekend of the season for the first time in a decade, Hawks fans will be chanting Always believe in your Chol all the way back to Melbourne.