Hawthorn Executive General Manager of Football Rob McCartney says the club is executing its clear strategic list-building priorities heading into the final days of the 2026 Continental Tyres AFL Trade Period and the upcoming draft period in November.

Speaking to AFL Trade Radio, McCartney said the Hawks were focused on bringing in high-end talent to address a positional need and protecting the club's future draft hand. 

McCartney also spoke about how the club plans to improve following their preliminary final loss to Brisbane, and the confidence he has in Sam Mitchell and his coaching group to balance the incredible mix of talent the club has at its disposal. 

We summarised the key points from his interview below. 

On the club's trade and draft strategy 

"I'll be honest, we entered the trade period with two clear priorities, and that was one: bring in high-end talent of a positional need for us. We've been able to do that, but importantly, although it wasn't going to be always easy, to also protect our future draft hand so that we could do the things that you're talking about, like having the ability to look at players that might be NGA both this year and next year and try and keep picks at the higher end in terms of maintaining first-rounders for the future. We've done those types of things to this point with the trades that have happened. We're in a strong position in terms of the high-end talent, and I would argue, if you put the numbers down on paper, we've actually got a stronger future draft hand. So, the Keenan Boi discussions can take place, and also we have some players in the future that are NGA and connected to us in 2027 as well."

On the club's list build 

"I think the bit about every club is that they're always trying to improve. We're always trying to get better, whether it's in that list space or in any other part of our program, because getting better gets you closer to where you want to be. We got close in a prelim, but we weren't quite good enough to progress to a grand final, so you've always got to find that edge that takes you to that next step. What I would say is that the landscape tells you where the environment is, and you've got to use that information to position yourself for what you do next. It does feel like, at the moment, in this space and trade space, that contracted players are exercising a bit of a right to look at what is out there for them. It still makes it quite difficult to get those deals done, but I think what we're seeing is that there has been a shift in that space, and if you don't shift with it, you get left behind. And, you know, stand still in our game, whether it's how we play the game, and we're really lucky because we've got a coach that's, I think, at the front of the pack in terms of game plan and what wins games, both today and into the future, but we've got to do the same in the list space. You've got to be in a position where you're a strength player in that space. And we don't ever apologise for the fact that we want to be strong in this space, and the way to get better is to build your list within, but also to be open-minded to what can actually make it better from the outside as well." 

On Hawthorn's new-look forward line 

"I have a lot of trust in Sam Mitchell and our coaching group around a game plan and a way that our forward structure works. Now, last year it was Adrian Hickmott, who was the forwards coach, who looked at the strategy and how we could score as many goals as we possibly could, and that'll happen again. But we've had obviously some significant talks about how that can play out if we were to bring in a Ben King. I'm really comfortable and confident that I've got a coaching group that has proven themselves to be able to get the best out of all their players, and with whatever mix, find a way that will give us the best outcome. I'm not going to say what the mix will be, but we obviously have some flexibility in how that might look."

On Finn Maginness departing the club

"Finn was really open with us in his exit meeting that he was keen to find some more opportunities to play regular senior footy, and can I say, even before I start going any further with that, he is one of the strongest culture providers and adders to our environment. He's outstanding, not just because he's a father-son, although that is a special bond that he has with the Hawks. He's just a really strong and good human who comes to work every day trying to be better, but also trying to help others be better as well. I got an amazing text from Finn on Friday, just saying how appreciative he was of his time and how much he loved the club, and he just wanted the chance to see if he could make another chapter, one that could see him playing more regularly. Then that meant that we were just really open to that. We were sort of saying to him, "You see what it's about, and we'll be open-minded to a trade if it comes forward."

On farewelling Aidan Schubert and Sam Butler 

"We've had a reasonable amount of conversation around that towards the end of last week, and obviously things were finalised this morning. At this stage, I suppose, for us, when you bring in players like Zach Merrett and Ben King, quite naturally that leads to conversations about our depth and players maybe wanting greater opportunity, and I think both players sort of sit in that boat."