HAWTHORN fielded the oldest and most experienced side in the AFL last weekend, at an average rounding up to 27 years of age.
The five-point loss to Melbourne that followed, in what was an uninspiring contest apart from the tight scoreline, left the Hawks in 13th place on the ladder with four losses from seven matches.
Afterwards, a frustrated Alastair Clarkson labelled his ageing troops "a middle-of-the-road side" in a frank assessment that few, if anyone, would argue with.
Veteran Shaun Burgoyne, 36, in action against the Dees. Picture: AFL Photos
An old, middle-of-the-road side – that's not a great combination.
Even with former skipper Jarryd Roughead's headline-grabbing omission on Thursday night, Hawthorn will almost certainly field seven players aged 30 or older against the Giants on Sunday.
Shaun Burgoyne, James Frawley, Ricky Henderson, Ben McEvoy, Paul Puopolo, Isaac Smith and new captain Ben Stratton are the seven in question.
Of those also expected to play, Liam Shiels, Tom Scully and All Australians Luke Breust and Jack Gunston will all be 28 before the year ends.
First-year Hawk Tom Scully has added to Alastair Clarkson's veteran core. Picture: AFL Photos
It's for this reason, perhaps, that the Hawks opted for flexibility with a staggering, competition-high 31 players coming out of contract entering this season.
Some of those have since signed on the dotted line, but others such as Roughead, Grant Birchall, Burgoyne, Frawley, Puopolo, Henderson, Jon Ceglar and Ryan Schoenmakers remain without a new deal.
Significant change is coming – in more ways than one – at Waverley Park, of which the football public received a sneak peak at with a 1-5 start back in 2017.
Hawthorn's great sparring partner Sydney's number finally came up this year, and the bottom-placed Swans are now embarking on a youth movement.
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On the flipside, fan favourite James Worpel, second-gamer Dylan Moore, Blake Hardwick and fifth-gamer Mitch Lewis were the only Hawks aged 22 or younger against the Demons.
That tally should – and surely must – be higher this week, with Jack Scrimshaw, Harry Morrison, James Cousins and Conor Glass among the possible inclusions.
Dylan Moore and James Worpel shape as key players in Hawthorn's future. Picture: AFL Photos
Of the uncapped bunch, there is varying buoyancy about Harry Jones, Jackson Ross, Jacob Koschitzke, Mathew Walker and Changkuoth Jiath. James Sicily was the sole player aged 24 or younger on Hawthorn's list whom Champion Data rated better than 'average' before the season started.
With that in mind, the Hawks offloaded 2017 NAB AFL Rising Star runner-up Ryan Burton and last year's No.15 pick (at the time) as part of the deal with Port Adelaide for Chad Wingard.
Burton, who was Hawthorn's only top-20 draft choice since it nabbed Isaac Smith in 2010, just turned 22 years old, whereas dual All Australian Wingard will be 26 before August.
Meanwhile, the teenager the Power drafted with that selection, Xavier Duursma, has played every game this season and looks highly promising in a top-eight team.
Wingard's form will improve – and it's too early to assess that trade, anyway – but there is a shortage of high-end young talent on this list.
The former Port Adelaide star is part of a small but strong Hawks group aged between 23 and 25, including Brownlow medallist Tom Mitchell, Jaeger O'Meara, Sicily, Jarman Impey and Dan Howe.
That's something to build upon.
Sicily and Howe are the only Hawthorn draftees in the aforementioned crew, in a clear example of the way the club has operated under Clarkson and Graham Wright.
The next big target appears to be coveted free agent Stephen Coniglio, who, at age 24, fits that age demographic perfectly – and the Hawks' need for greater midfield depth.
On top of the Wingard trade, the Hawks spurned younger options to use rookie selections on defenders David Mirra, 28, and Tim Mohr, 29, in the past two years.
They also signed 25-year-old St Kilda discard Darren Minchington as a delisted free agent.
Mohr suffered a gruesome knee injury in a VFL match and may never appear in brown and gold at AFL level, while Mirra and Minchington are playing for Box Hill at present.
Hawthorn could snare a more youthful option in this month's Mid-Season Rookie Draft, with Mohr eligible for the long-term injury list.
MID-SEASON ROOKIE DRAFT Former players, brothers of star on the list
What the Hawks are armed with is this year's first-round draft pick, which is provisionally inside the top 10. It might even be worth trying to score another.
Four-time premiership coach Clarkson mocked rivals last year for treating draft day as their "Grand Final", but the time may have come for him to again place importance in it.
After all, star trio Roughead, Lance Franklin and Jordan Lewis all became Hawthorn players as top-10 picks in a 2004 draft-day heist.
All three performed integral roles in the extraordinary era the Hawks went on to enjoy.
The draft has taken a back seat in the brown and gold strategy in the past decade, but remembering its value might be the key to a bright future.
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