It’s official; the decade in which the Hawks lifted three cups aloft is now behind us.

2020 is here, and the brown and gold army will be back with a point to prove.

So, what are we – the fans – hoping to witness in the year ahead?

To celebrate the new year, we’re sharing our (sometimes wacky, sometimes farfetched) 20 wishes for the 2020 season – in no particular order.

Here we go….

 

  1. A Tom Mitchell Round 1 return: While it remains unclear as to when we’ll be graced with Tom Mitchell’s on-field presence, the entire Hawthorn fan base will be hoping to witness the Brownlow Medallist’s return when we face the Lions in Round 1.

  2. A fit and firing Chad Wingard: Despite only playing 14 games in 2019, when Wings was on, boy was he on. We’re crossing our fingers and toes that the injury niggles are behind him and we get to witness more magic from Wingard in 2020.

  3. Back-to-back AFL Blind premierships: Can Cebby and the team defy the odds and remain the only AFL Blind premiers in history? We’re certainly hoping so!

  4. An end to the Lions’ streak: Unfortunately in our last four meetings, Fages and his men have had the wood over us. We’ll have the earliest of opportunities to end this streak – let’s silence the Lions’ roar in Round 1.

  5. Lewis cementing his post up forward: We loved what we saw of Mitch Lewis in late 2019. With the famous number two now emblazoned across his back, we can’t wait to see what Lewis can produce in the Hawks’ forward line in 2020. No pressure, Mitch!

  6. Early consecutive wins: It took until Round 17 last year for the Hawks to post back-to-back wins. Ideally, we’d prefer not to wait as long in 2020; Round 2 against Freo will do just fine!

  7. Frost and Patton make their mark: How good will it be to see Hawthorn’s two big recruits guarding their posts at either end of the ground?

  8. A speedy Jarman recovery: The hearts of 80,000+ Hawthorn members simultaneously broke when Jarman Impey went down with an ACL in Round 18, 2019. We’ll all be behind him as he continues his recovery into 2020, and will be hoping and praying for a quick and seamless return.

  9. A wheelchair first: 2019 saw Hawthorn’s wheelchair team celebrate its inaugural win. In 2020, we’re aiming even bigger – silverware is in our sights! 
  1. Ricky rampage: At 31 years old, Ricky Henderson’s 11th season in the AFL became his best one to date. We don’t see any reason 32 and 12 can’t pinch that mantle.

 

  1. Debutants galore: It’s been well documented that Hawthorn has long averaged one of the oldest lists in the league (thanks Shaun Burgoyne!). But, there are no longer any questions surrounding the fact that we’ve got incredible young talent on our list. From Matt Walker, to Jackson Ross, to Finn Maginness – we’ll be hoping to witness the debuts of several exciting youngsters in the year ahead.

  2. The road to 400: Speaking of Shaun Burgoyne, our superstar veteran 37-year-old is currently sitting on 376 games. 22 home and away games plus at least two finals… It’s not outside the realm of possibility, is it?!

  3. VFL/VFLW double whammy: We did it in 2018 – there’s no reason it couldn’t happen again! Premierships for our Box Hill men and Hawthorn women will be the perfect way to finish the year, thank you.

  4. Worpel making waves: We already know he’s a star. But how far can the Worpedo go? The football world will be looking on with keen interest to see what James Worpel can produce in just his third AFL season.

  5. Clarko: No explanation needed. We just love witnessing any of the madness/genius our four-time premiership coach comes up with.

  6. A very happy Easter: Complete the sequence: 2017 - Cats win. 2018 - Hawks win. 2019 - Cats win. 2020 - _____. Logic is on our side. Bring on another instalment of ‘The Greatest Show’ in modern Aussie football.

  7. An emergency celebration: Our inaugural Emergency Services match was an incredible moment to celebrate Victoria’s Emergency Services. In 2020, we want to go bigger. When the day arrives, make sure you flock to the MCG, pay homage to those who keep us safe, and enjoy a great day at the football with the family.

  8. Sizzling Sis: His standout season in 2019 landed James Sicily his first selection in the extended all Australian squad. This season, he’s going one step further. #OperationGetSisAnAllAustralianBlazer

  9. More snow: We had an absolute ball in Round 21 as the snow sprinkled down on us in Canberra. While our fixture looks unlikely to bring such unique weather conditions in 2020, we’re holding out hope (can someone give us a weather forecast for Gold Coast in June?!)  

  10. An AFL premiership: Come on, we haven’t won a flag this decade! It’s about time we had another turn to lift some silverware, right?