Thank you to all who have emailed me in the last two weeks. I have attempted to answer you all as we go through this frustrating period.
But the sun still shines a little brighter at Hawthorn today with the signing of Sam Mitchell, Lance Franklin and Jarryd Roughead for between two and four years.
A wonderful outcome for the Club, and one that allows those players to focus on their football rather than protracted negotiations around contracts.
I have already congratulated and thanked each player for re-signing. I have said before that my preference is for all our players to play out their careers at Hawthorn. Not always possible but desirable.
I also thank Jarryd and Lance in particular, for committing to the Club. Both are relatively young marquee players within the league and will be for many years to come.
I am sure both have been offered opportunities with the new Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney teams, and have supported Hawthorn as we have developed their skills. They have also entered into contracts beyond the introduction of free agency, which is another wonderful sign of their commitment to Hawthorn.
So while we are facing challenges on the field, there continue to be some wonderful things happening at the Club and these three signings are proof of that.
Thank you also to Mark Evans, our General Manager Football Operations, for overseeing and closing these three contracts.
Now to Perth! Let’s hope it is a successful venture, but it will be a challenge.
Stay well and go Hawks!
Jeff
