The Hawthorn Football Club has rounded out Trade Week without making a trade, retaining their prized first round draft pick as the Club looks to add to its talented squad.

The Hawks who have the youngest playing list in the AFL have maintained their focus on youth and development and will use the 2007 AFL National Draft to inject new talent into Hawks Coach Alastair Clarkson’s squad.

Clarkson was satisfied the Hawks would look to the draft to continue to build its squad, saying that its with complete confidence the Club believes that its current crop of young talent can continue to develop and rise to the challenge in 2008.

“We feel the fact that there hasn’t been a change in our list over the trade period, that it displays a genuine belief in our playing group,” Clarkson said.

“There were over 15 player enquires (about current Hawthorn players) during the trade period and 13 of those were for players under 21.

“We are developing one of the most promising young lists in the AFL and I believe we have put out a clear message to our supporters that we are looking to youth to re-build success at Hawthorn.”

Coming into trade week Mark Williams had been touted as attracting some keen interest from several clubs, but it was leading-forward Tim Boyle who, after a solid start to the 2007 campaign, attracted the bulk of interest during the week.

However, it was hands-off according to Hawthorn’s General Manager – Player and Personnel Strategy, Chris Pelchen, who was more than comfortable to not only retain the Hawks’ first round 12^th selection in the draft, but to also retain the services of those emerging forwards who had attracted attention.

“The strategic plan the Club put in place several years ago was to build our list from the draft and that is still our focus and hence we were reluctant during trade week to part with our picks,” Pelchen said.

“It wasn’t the deliberate intention of the Club not to trade. We felt that if the outcome was not satisfactory for the Club then we wouldn’t trade and that’s the way it worked out.

“We have confidence in our playing group maturing over the next couple of years,” he said.