Inside Hawthorn masterplan, set to land Zach Merrett and Ben King, best 23 for 2027, Jack Ginnivan and Will Day new contract, Hawks sponsorship win

Hawthorn is humming ahead of another finals campaign. But it feels like the Hawks’ surge is only just beginning.

On Fox Footy’s Midweek Tackle, CODE Sports reporter Glenn McFarlane broke down Hawthorn’s shrewd list and salary cap decisions, how two new A-grade players will fit in next season, significant contract extensions on the horizon and a big sponsorship win.

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SHREWD CAP AND LIST CALLS

Hawthorn (13-5-1) is flying towards a top-four ladder finish with a stable senior side and reasonably healthy injury list.

But an underrated aspect of their 2026 rise has been their even spread of contributors.

Speaking on Midweek Tackle, McFarlane said the Hawks had produced some of “the smartest” list management and salary cap decisions in the AFL over recent years.

“If you look at the CODE Sports ‘Rich List’ in recent years, there haven’t been many Hawthorn players up at the top. It’s been very limited in that sense.

“They’ve paid what they’ve had to. They haven’t overpaid – they haven’t underpaid in that sense – but they haven’t had a $2 million player like a Nasiah Wanganeen-Milera or a Harley Reid out at West Coast.

“The players they’ve actually put in contracts in recent times – (Tom) Barrass and (Josh) Battle, (Jai) Newcombe to 2032, Connor Macdonald and Nick Watson to 2029, Josh Weddle to 2030 – they left a little bit of money on the table, all those guys.

“You look at Watson – left money, could have taken mega money elsewhere, wasn’t going to do it. Weddle didn’t take the $10 million offer from Essendon.

“They pay their players well, but there’s plenty of room left in that salary cap.”

Fellow Midweek Tackle panellist Josh Barnes said the Hawks had coupled “a deep, deep list” with “a lot of really good players to offset that”.

“James Sicily is the only (Hawthorn) player in the last five years of our Rich List to finish in the Top 20 in any year, which is almost unheard of for a team that’s performed this well in the last three (seasons),” Barnes told Fox Footy. “They only have two players in the top 38 in the Coaches’ votes at the moment for a top-four side.

“They’ve got such an even balance, no real giant superstars – we think Nick Watson will be in a year or two, maybe even right now – but they have so many good seven or eight out of 10 players at the moment.”

AND THERE’S MORE TO COME

The club’s strong cap and list position has it primed to be big players in the trade space this October.

Coleman Medal contender Ben King is expected to exercise his free agency rights and leave the Gold Coast Suns, with CODE Sports journalist Jon Ralph reporting on Fox Footy’s On The Couch on Monday night that King had told close confidantes he wanted to join the Hawks next year.

And contracted Essendon champion Zach Merrett is also expected to request a move to Dingley – 12 months after his bid to join Hawthorn fell through on deadline day as the Bombers and Hawks couldn’t agree on a suitable trade.

McFarlane and Ralph subsequently put together Hawthorn’s best 23 for 2027 – a team that included King at full-forward and Merrett as rover.

Hawthorn’s ‘Best 23’ for 2027

B: J.Impey, T.Barrass, J.Battle

HB: K.Amon, J.Sicily, B.Hardwick

C: M.D’Ambrosio, J.Newcombe, J.Weddle

HF: D.Moore, M.Lewis, J.Ginnivan

F: N.Watson, B.King, J.Gunston

R: L.Meek, W.Day, Z.Merrett

INT: C.Macdonald, J.Ward, C.Nash, C.Mackenzie, M.Chol

“We’ve had a good look at it and be afraid. Be very afraid,” McFarlane said.

“This year they’re shooting towards that 14th premiership. That’s quite remarkable. Now imagine adding two A -graders in if you could (after) actually winning that premiership this year?

“We left so many players out of that side, we found that very difficult to work through that. Conor MacDonald’s starting on the bench. We thought briefly about starting Jack Gunston off, but we had to get him on the field there as well.”

Barnes added the Hawks had “crazy depth”.

McFarlane explained why the Hawks were well placed to comfortably land Merrett via trade and King via free agency this off-season.

“They’ve been able to do this exceptionally well,” he said.

“You look at Zach Merrett, they almost got him last year, didn’t happen. It’s been a bonus that it didn’t happen last year in that sense, because they’ll be able to get him cheaper this year. They picked up some extra second-rounders last year, which they can use.

“And with Ben King, if Port beat GWS this week, the current (Gold Coast) free agency compensation for Ben King on a six-year deal of around $7 million would be a No.5 pick. Hawthorn for a period thought they were going to have to give up and trade for Ben King and that the Suns would match that. (But) they (the Suns) won’t match that. That is outstanding.

“It (the draft pick) may go back a little with Cody Walker and Dougie Cochrane (bids) … (but) there’s no way they’re not going to do that.

“Those players coming in are going to make a really, really big side for Hawthorn next year.”

Asked if the Hawks could also get Bailey Humphrey, McFarlane said: “I’m told a really good look at the salary cap, they’ve got scope in the future. I don’t think that’ll happen this year – they’ll obviously have a try and you can try and manipulate things – but I think you can lock in they’ll go hard at another player in 2027. That’s the plan at this stage.

“Retention is really important, but recruiting players from other clubs is going to be a part of that mantra going forward.”

MASSIVE RE-SIGNINGS

On top of landing some big fish from rival clubs, McFarlane reported three key Hawks players were set to re-sign.

“The one who’s really exciting I think is Will Day,” McFarlane said. “We’ve seen how outstanding he’s been this year. He’s been able to get back from that injury scenario as well.

“I can tell you that there’s already some discussions going on. He is all in on Hawthorn going forward.

“You’re always worried about the South Australian connection and whether he could potentially go back there, (but) he’ll end up staying (at Hawthorn). They’re actually escalating talks as we speak, so I reckon that’ll be done within the coming months.

“Jack Ginnivan, Ken Hinkley’s trying very hard to get him to Tasmania, isn’t he? But that won’t happen. Jack will end up staying.

“By the end of the year, the Hawks think they’ll have James Sicily done and they’ll have Jack Ginnivan done, certainly Will Day will be done as well.”

AND THE COACH?

Despite noise in recent months around being sounded out by rival clubs, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell is set to stay loyal.

McFarlane revealed on Tuesday night a fresh contract extension will lock away the head coach until the end of 2030 at Dingley, as his club continues its return to premiership contention.

“This is imminent, this contract extension, absolutely imminent. It will happen very soon,” McFarlane said.

“His management were thinking about other clubs giving him a call — (but) he was always going to stay at Hawthorn.

“He’ll secure a multi-year deal that will end up being a three-year extension, with a significant pay rise. He deserves it, he’s really put this team right back.”

Mitchell, who took charge of the Hawks at the beginning of 2022, has a win rate of 64.2 per cent since the start of 2024.

NEW MAJOR SPONSOR … AND ‘LEBRON FACTOR’

And there’s more good news off the field.

The AFL in May booted the Hawks from Tasmania to give the incoming Devils a clean slate to grow – a decision that raised the ire of the Melbourne-based club.

In a tersely worded statement on Tuesday, Hawthorn said it was “extremely disappointed” by the AFL’s call to end the club’s 25-year partnership in Tasmania at the end of next season, stating it had a loyal fan base in the Apple Isle.

The Tasmanian Government currently pays Hawthorn an annual base funding amount of $4.5 million to host home games in Launceston.

But McFarlane said the Hawks were confident they’d be able to fill the shortfall. He added other off-field wins loom too.

“It’s a really difficult economic climate right now to try and find new sponsors, but I tell you Hawthorn are close,” he said.

“By the end of this year, they expect to have a major sponsor locked away a year in advance of Tasmania (deal) finishing. They’ve got the 26th season in Tasmania … they’ll exit Tasmania the right way.

“Quite a few other things as well. Stage 2 of Dingley is looking like it’s a possibility at this stage. That would include a medical centre, some community sports facilities as well … There’s also some planning for wind protection.”

The Hawks, too, are due to break their membership record next month.

And they’re looking to capitalise and entice more younger fans to follow some of their star players.

“Jack Ginnivan and Nick Watson, we know their marketing skills are second to none in a lot of ways,” McFarlane said.

“Hawthorn are going to break their membership record – more than 87,000 – in the next couple of weeks. What they’ve looked into is the young members – certainly young members who’ve never been members before.

“What they’re thinking is there might be a little bit of the LeBron factor that young supporters are actually switching teams now and they want to follow ‘The Wizard’ (Watson).”