Freshly appointed as Head of Football at Hawthorn, Rob McCartney has a clear vision of what he wants to achieve in his new role. 

McCartney said his job will be focussed on building towards the club's next premiership opportunity.

"To get the news that I was the preferred applicant, I was super excited," he said. 

"It's an honour and a privilege to lead this football department, there are some great people who work within it.

"I'm looking forward to working with them as we pave the foundations for the next wave of success."

McCartney spent 25 years working in education as a teacher and then school principal before arriving at Hawthorn at the end of the 2014 season.

Initially taking up a development role, he soon moved into football operations which enabled him to gain the experience necessary for his new position. 

The Head of Football said he has a strong belief in the current crop of young Hawks being able to transition the club into a new era. 

"We're going to look to develop the players that are currently on our list, particularly our younger players, and try to fast track that.

"Sam Mitchell, going into that development role and coaching Box Hill, will assist that, but everyone in our football department needs to work diligently towards giving our players every chance to become good footballers at AFL level and help to propel us towards our next chance at success."