HAWTHORN'S trend of promoting from within its football department has continued with Adem Yze replacing Luke Beveridge as backline coach.
Yze has been rewarded for an impressive start to his coaching career at Waverley, where he has worked with the Hawks as the specialist goalkicking and development coach for the past three seasons.
The 37-year-old has taken the defensive reins from Beveridge, who recently joined St Kilda as director of football but is now the favourite to be unveiled as the Western Bulldogs' senior coach.
Beveridge's marshalling of the Hawks' backline – including the addition of Brian Lake in 2013 – played a key role in the back-to-back premiers reaching three straight Grand Finals during his tenure.
While Yze will take over an experienced and organised defensive group, one of the ex-Melbourne midfielder's first tasks will be to seamlessly integrate prized free agency recruit James Frawley.
That job should be made easier by Frawley's uncle, Danny, returning to Hawthorn part-time as a specialist backline and key position coach.
The former St Kilda full-back held a similar position with the Hawks in 2008-09 before going on to work as the AFL Coaches Association's CEO.
Frawley's experience as Richmond coach should also prove invaluable to Yze, who has been groomed to take the next step at Hawthorn.
"We develop our coaches underneath and bring them through," Hawks general manager of football operations Chris Fagan told AFL.com.au.
"We just had to look to bring someone else into development, which we've already announced, a fella by the name of Rob McCartney.
"'Bolts' (Brendon Bolton) will stay with the forwards and Yze will come in as a line coach for the defenders."
Yze played a key role in harnessing the Hawthorn players' elite kicking skills as they developed into the AFL's deadliest team in front of goal over the past two seasons.
Since 2010, the team's accuracy has soared from 48 per cent to 57.1 per cent.
One of the biggest improvers has been sharpshooter Luke Breust, who backed Yze to excel in his new role.
"'Ooze' is a great addition. He's well respected at the club and no doubt he'll fit into the backline very well," Breust told AFL.com.au.
"Luke Beveridge was obviously before him and is a great coach. I'm sure he'll pick his brain and probably continue to implement some of the stuff he was doing."
The promotion of Yze, a 271-game player at Melbourne, follows then-development coach Cameron Bruce taking charge of Hawthorn's midfield when Adam Simpson was lured to West Coast at the end of 2013.
Bolton and Hawthorn academy coordinator Damian Carroll previously mentored the club's VFL affiliate Box Hill before joining AFL ranks.
Yze's replacement as a development coach, Rob McCartney, has worked as a primary school principal and comes armed with senior coaching experience in the Goulburn Valley and Central Murray leagues in Northern Victoria.
