Hawthorn has re-signed a promising young duo, with Jai Serong and Josh Bennetts both extending their time in the brown and gold.

The contract extensions will see Serong locked in until the end of the 2025 and Bennetts until 2024 as the club continues to solidify its list.

20-year-old Serong fought back from a health condition to finish 2023 in the senior side, as the versatile tall made the transition from forward to defence as part of his ongoing development.

Having been originally selected by the Hawks with Pick 53 in the 2021 national draft, Serong has continued to show strong signs for the future with a total five appearances at AFL level across two seasons.

Meanwhile, despite not yet making his AFL debut, Bennetts is among the Hawks' most exciting prospects, after recently taking home Box Hill's Best First Year Player and finishing 6^th in the Box Hill best and fairest award in his first season at the club.

The Hawthorn Next Generation Academy graduate, who joined the club as a Category B Rookie last year, has been lively up forward across his 20 VFL games, booting 19 goals for the season while averaging 13.3 disposals.

Praised by his coaches as a reliable teammate, the 19-year-old has impressed with his clean hands, class and decision making. 

Hawthorn National List and Recruiting Manager Mark McKenzie said he was pleased the duo were eager to continue their journey with the brown and gold.

"Along with his obvious talent, Jai showed great resilience to return to the top level this year after overcoming his early season health challenges," McKenzie said.

“Boasting an impressive work rate and strong overhead marking ability, Jai is a real competitor and exhibits an excellent willingness to learn and get better.

“Meanwhile, Josh is an incredibly gifted player who we are really excited about investing further time and development in.

"He's shown plenty of promise during his short time at club, with his footy smarts and agility creating regular scoring opportunities.

“We’re really pleased with both Jai and Josh's progress so far and look forward to seeing what they can deliver in the future.”

The pair of contract extensions add to a growing list of off-season re-signings, after forwards Chad Wingard and Brandon Ryan both put pen to paper.