INJURED defender Matt Suckling has signed a new contract with Hawthorn, keeping him at the club until the end of 2015.

Suckling has not played this season after injuring his knee in week three of the NAB Cup, but over the past two years he has cemented his spot in the senior team to become a key weapon of the club's defence.

Since he first arrived at Hawthorn from New South Wales in 2007, Suckling has battled injury.

And it wasn't really until 2011 where he and his potent left foot started to gain recognition.
 
Suckling told the club's website: “I’d done it pretty tough in the first few years, so I had to grow up and mature a fair bit.

“I had a big pre-season, I played round one (in 2011) but didn’t play too wellover in Adelaide and we got beaten – I had been dropped after the lasttwo round one games so I was hoping that wasn’t going to happen again. Lucky enough I got picked for round two.

“That was the game against Melbourne where I had over 30 touches andkicked a couple of goals, which really gave me confidence and the boysgot around me.

“From then on, it’s just kind of flowed on, which has been good.

“Everyone was pretty happy I’d had that breakout game, they saidthat’s what they’d been looking for from me and now that it’s happened,it’s important to have another couple of good games in the weeksfollowing.”

He averaged more than 20 disposals and six marks in 2011 and the following year played in the GrandFinal.