When 'Frostball' grew up: The quiet evolution of a no-frills Hawk

IT MIGHT not be as fun for the neutral, but Sam Frost has shed his 'Frostball' skin.

Part of it has been a natural evolution of his game. But the other part of it has been to become the 'boring' cog that has made an otherwise exciting, vibrant, hyped and enthusiastic Hawthorn side tick.

For years, Frost was renowned across the League for his unpredictable nature with ball in hand. Now, he's simply renowned for being one of the competition's most accomplished lockdown defenders.

"Yeah, I'm not involved as much on offence, which is no issue for me," Frost laughed.

But while Frost might not be as central to the goal celebrations or the TikTok trends that has made Hawthorn's rise so fun, relatable and engrossing, his role in the side's dramatic improvement has been just as important.

Quite simply, Frost is the ultimate team player. In a Hawks side that has made embracing individuality its identity, he is the no-frills, no-nonsense glue that goes a long way to holding everything together. Forget about 'Frostball'. Now, he is all about 'Boringball'.

"I'd say it's naturally evolved, at least in my mind," Frost told AFL.com.au this week.

"That's probably always been what I was best at and then just narrowing my focus on doing that without the real join-in on offence and the rebound off half-back. We've got enough guys like Josh Weddle, Jarman Impey and Karl Amon. As if you need me running off half-back as well.

"I think it's probably evolved a little bit with the personnel around me, and probably a little bit of my age as well. I don't have the spring in my step that I used to. It's a combination of the evolution of the role, as well as just being really good at what I naturally was good at in the first place.

"It's a boring role, but doing things well is doing the simple things well. It's how you become reliable and predictable and it's how you win in the end. It has been good, just to really narrow my focus on a few things."

Hawthorn's remarkable recent run, which has culminated in Sam Mitchell's side winning nine of its last 11 matches, has helped drastically change the wider external perceptions of Frost.

According to Champion Data, the 30-year-old has played on the likes of Aaron Naughton, Max King, Jesse Hogan, Tom Lynch, Jake Waterman, Jye Amiss, Charlie Dixon, Darcy Forgarty and Dan McStay throughout that stretch. But he's never conceded more than one goal on any opponent.

It has seen him join captain James Sicily in becoming the lynchpin of a Hawthorn defensive unit that, since round eight, has conceded just 71.9 points per game. That is the fewest of any team in the competition across that period.

Frost himself never minded the 'Frostball' moniker. In fact, he largely embraced it. But there is a recent recognition that it is no longer part of his game. Instead, he's now simply being viewed by the football fraternity for what he has always been: a genuinely good defender.

"I always through it was pretty funny," Frost said.

"It didn't bother me at all. I used to review games and I'd sort of review the defensive aspects of my game and then how much involvement I had on offence and helping the team score. It's not really what I do anymore. I don't think anyone is marking me on how much offence I am involved in.

"But I enjoyed the whole 'Frostball' thing and it was a bit of a laugh. I enjoyed that it was a bit unpredictable. Even when it was mentioned in commentary and stuff, I found it always had more of a positive spin on it than a negative spin. It just kind of evolved into my game and now it's evolved out of my game."

Much like his newfound maturity on the field, Frost has tried to steer clear of the TikToks, the gags and the selfies that have made Hawthorn such an engaging club off the park as well. But that's not to say he doesn’t play his part.

The club's immense crop of talented youngsters like Jack Ginnivan, Nick Watson and Connor Macdonald, among others, can only be themselves if they feel comfortable to do so. It's in that aspect that Frost, one of just four Hawthorn players over 30, plays such an integral role.

"It's just supporting them, really, and making sure the environment is as safe as possible that they feel comfortable to express themselves," Frost said of the part he plays in encouraging Hawthorn's youngsters.

"Not that we've had to keep anyone in check, but it's making sure that everyone is working hard and that we're valuing the things that are important to playing good footy. It's fun to celebrate goals and celebrate winning, but we only get that off the back of really valuing and putting a premium on the important stuff.

"I try to lean in where I can. It's not traditionally my style or the generation that I came through with, but I'm loving it. It's been cool to relax a little bit with that stuff and really enjoy the success of the group. It's been cool."

Having now made 86 appearances for Hawthorn, Frost's time at the club has eclipsed that which he spent at both Greater Western Sydney (21 games) and Melbourne (70 games) earlier in his career.

He is about to hit a trigger in his contract, which will ensure his future at the club until 2025 at least, while he is also about to become a father for the first time. In a sign of just how young the Hawks are, he will join Luke Breust as the only other dad among the playing group.

Having been in the AFL system for 13 years now, Frost couldn't have imagined achieving such significant career and personal milestones anywhere but Hawthorn or under anyone else's guidance but that of Mitchell.

"It's the most I've felt comfortable to be myself," Frost said.

"I talk about that with the younger guys in expressing themselves, but it's really across the board. It's a really safe environment where you can be whoever you want to be and it allows you to be more authentic and be comfortable in your own skin.

"There's no wonder it translates into stability and consistent performance on-field. I've absolutely loved it. I feel valued around the place, on-field, off-field, from the footy department to the admin department.

"It's been an awesome part of my journey and part of that is me actually being mature enough to be comfortable in my own skin as well. The club has been fantastic, but there's definitely been a growth in myself that's helped me feel that way as well."

Now, Frost is letting his mind wander. Hawthorn remains outside the eight as things stand, though the club's form suggests it's a finals team. Whether it's this year, next year or in the future, success is on the horizon again for the Hawks.

"It's hard not to," Frost said of whether he is thinking of September.

"That's the way we're built, we want to win and we want to be playing at the pointy end of the season. While we're a chance, that's exactly what we're looking to do. But we're not thinking, 'Who are we going to get in an elimination final?'

"Every game is so important for us right now that it has actually become quite easy just to take it one week at a time. We essentially have to win every game. While you might think it makes your mind drift forward, actually it makes each week feel like a final for us. To get that high-pressure exposure is really good.

"We don't want to be scraping into finals in the future. If that's what happens this year, that's awesome and that experience will be great for us. But we want to be top-four and banging the door down in years to come. If we're thinking ahead, that's where we're thinking."