# 2022 Hawthorn Football Club season

The 2022 Hawthorn Football Club season was the club's 98th season in the Australian Football League and 121st overall, the 23rd season playing home games at the Melbourne Cricket Ground, the 22nd season playing home games at the University of Tasmania Stadium, the 1st season under head coach Sam Mitchell, and the 2nd and final season with Ben McEvoy as captain. This was the first season without Alastair Clarkson as coach since 2004. Hawthorn finished in thirteenth place with a 8–14 improving on their record from the season before. Luke Breust led the club goalkicking for the fourth time finishing the season with 40 goals.

## Club summary

The 2022 AFL season was the 126th season of the VFL/AFL competition since its inception in 1897; having entered the competition in 1925, it was the 98th season contested by the Hawthorn Football Club. Tasmania, iiNet, and Nissan continued as the club's three major sponsors, as they had done since 2006, 2013, and 2019 respectively, while Adidas will continue to manufacture the club's on-and-off field apparel, as they have done since 2013. Hawthorn will continue its alignment with the Box Hill Hawks Football Club in the Victorian Football League, allowing Hawthorn-listed players to play with the Box Hill Hawks when not selected in AFL matches.

## Season summary

26 August 2021 – Adrian Hickmott joins the club as an assistant coach. Hickmott had previously spent 10 years with West Coast serving a number of roles most recently being the midfield coach, alongside Mitchell the pair helped lead West Coast to the 2018 AFL premiership. While Chris Newman re-signed with the club until the end of the 2023 season.
1 September 2021 – Craig McRae departs the club after 1 season having been appointed as the next senior coach of Collingwood.
8 September 2021 – Lachlan Bramble signs a two-year deal to remain at the club until the end of the 2023 season.
9 September 2021 – Dylan Moore signs a two-year deal to remain at the club until the end of the 2023 season. Andrew Collins joins as the new head of development coach. Collins was previously an assistant coach working alongside Mitchell with Box Hill.
13 September 2021 – David Hale joins the club as an assistant coach. Hale had spent the previous 6 seasons as an assistant coach with Fremantle, and was also an interim coach for 1 game in 2019. While Brendon Bolton departed the club to join McRae at Collingwood.
16 September 2021 – Hawthorn announces that they've extended their deal to play at University of Tasmania Stadium until the end of 2022.
23 September 2021 – Robert Harvey joins the club as an assistant coach. Harvey had spent the previous 10 seasons with Collingwood as an assistant, and was the interim coach for 9 games during the 2021 season.
7 October 2021 – Daniel Howe signs a one–year deal to remain at the club until the end of 2022. Finn Maginness signs a two–year deal remaining at the club until the end of 2023.
14 October 2021 – Hawthorn signs a three-year deal to extend their partnership with iiNet until the end of 2024.
20 October 2021 – Jackson Callow and Jack Saunders sign one–year deals to remain at Hawthorn until the end of 2022.
7 February 2022 – Denver Grainger-Barras signs a two–year deal to remain at Hawthorn until the end of 2024.
8 February 2022 – Jack Scrimshaw signs a two–year deal to remain at Hawthorn until the end of 2024.
9 February 2022 – Changkuoth Jiath signs a two–year deal to remain at Hawthorn until the end of 2024.
16 February 2022 – Hawthorn signs a five–year deal to extend their partnership with Nissan until the end of 2027.
15 April 2022 – Ned Long signs a one–year extension to stay at Hawthorn until 2023.
17 May 2022 – James Sicily signs a five–year deal to remain at Hawthorn until the end of 2027.
21 June 2022 – Conor Nash signs a two-year deal to remain at Hawthorn until 2024.
24 June 2022 – Mitchell Lewis signs a four–year deal to remain at Hawthorn until the end of 2026.

## Playing list changes
### Trades

| 13 October 2021 | To Hawthorn 3rd round pick, 2022 AFL draft (via Brisbane Lions) | To Geelong Jonathon Ceglar 4th round pick, 2022 AFL draft |
| 13 October 2021 | To Hawthorn Max Lynch 3rd round pick, 2022 AFL draft (via Fremantle) 4th round pick, 2022 AFL draft (via Gold Coast) | To Collingwood 3rd round pick, 2022 AFL draft (via Brisbane Lions) 3rd round pick, 2022 AFL draft |

### Free agency
#### Additions

| Date | Player | Type | Old club | Deal | Ref |
| 26 October 2021 | Fionn O'Hara | Category B-rookie | — | Signed a two–year deal | |

#### Departures

| Date | Player | Type | New club | Deal | Compensation | Ref |
| 7 October 2021 | Tim O'Brien | Unrestricted | Western Bulldogs | Signed a two–year deal | None | |

### Draft
#### AFL draft

| Round | Overall pick | Player | Recruited from |
| 1 | 7 | Josh Ward | Northern Knights |
| 2 | 23 | Sam Butler | Greater Western Victoria Rebels |
| 2 | 26 | Connor MacDonald | Dandenong Stingrays |
| 4 | 53 | Jai Serong | Gippsland Power |

#### Rookie draft

| Round | Overall pick | Player | Recruited from | ref |
| 1 | 5 | Ned Long | Northern Knights | |

#### Mid–Season draft

| Round | Overall pick | Player | Recruited from | ref |
| 1 | 6 | Max Ramsden | Sandringham Dragons | |
| 2 | 20 | James Blanck | Box Hill Hawks | |

### Retirements and delistings

| Date | Player | Reason |
| 2 February 2021 | Tom Scully | Retired |
| 16 April 2021 | Jonathon Patton | Retired |
| 19 August 2021 | Shaun Burgoyne | Retired |
| 7 September 2021 | Keegan Brooksby | Delisted |
| 7 September 2021 | James Cousins | Delisted |
| 7 September 2021 | Damon Greaves | Delisted |
| 7 September 2021 | Michael Hartley | Delisted |
| 7 September 2021 | Harry Pepper | Delisted |
| 15 October 2021 | Oliver Hanrahan | Delisted |

## Community series

| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Report |
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Home | Away | Result | Venue | Report |
| 1 | Friday, 25 February (3:00 pm) | Collingwood | 22.9 (141) | 19.27 (141) | Draw | Morwell Recreation Reserve | Report |
| 2 | Sunday, 5 March (1:10 pm) | Richmond | 9.15 (69) | 14.10 (94) | Lost by 25 points | Devonport Oval | Report |

## Home & Away season

| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Scores (Hawthorn's scores indicated in bold) | Venue | Attendance | Record | Report |
| Rd | Date and local time | Opponent | Home | Away | Result | Venue | Attendance | Record | Report |
| 1 | Sunday, 20 March (1:10 pm) | North Melbourne | 11.12 (78) | 8.10 (58) | Won by 20 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 38,297 | 1–0 | Report |
| 2 | Saturday, 26 March (7:10 pm) | Port Adelaide | 7.14 (56) | 19.6 (120) | Won by 64 points | Adelaide Oval | 30,267 | 2–0 | Report |
| 3 | Sunday, 3 April (1:10 pm) | Carlton | 11.8 (74) | 11.7 (73) | Lost by 1 point | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 66,317 | 2–1 | Report |
| 4 | Sunday, 10 April (3:20 pm) | St Kilda | 10.13 (73) | 22.10 (142) | Lost by 69 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 30,926 | 2–2 | Report |
| 5 | Monday, 18 April (3:20 pm) | Geelong | 14.8 (92) | 11.14 (80) | Won by 12 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 48,030 | 3–2 | Report |
| 6 | Monday, 25 April (12:30 pm) | Sydney | 10.8 (68) | 16.13 (109) | Lost by 41 points | University of Tasmania Stadium | 14,107 | 3–3 | Report |
| 7 | Saturday, 30 April (4:35 pm) | Melbourne | 13.13 (91) | 11.15 (81) | Lost by 10 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 39,425 | 3–4 | Report |
| 8 | Saturday, 7 May (7:25 pm) | Essendon | 16.12 (108) | 11.15 (81) | Lost by 27 points | Marvel Stadium | 33,042 | 3–5 | Report |
| 9 | Saturday, 14 May (1:45 pm) | Richmond | 14.10 (94) | 17.15 (117) | Lost by 23 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 40,663 | 3–6 | Report |
| 10 | Sunday, 22 May (3:20 pm) | Brisbane Lions | 18.9 (117) | 17.10 (112) | Won by 5 points | University of Tasmania Stadium | 12,007 | 4–6 | Report |
| 11 | Saturday, 28 May (7:40 pm) | Gold Coast | 18.13 (121) | 7.12 (54) | Lost by 67 points | TIO Stadium | 7,516 | 4–7 | Report |
| 12 | Sunday, 5 June (2:10 pm) | Collingwood | 10.8 (68) | 10.12 (72) | Lost by 4 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 43,939 | 4–8 | Report |
| 13 | Saturday, 11 June (2:10 pm) | Fremantle | 14.11 (95) | 12.10 (82) | Lost by 13 points | Optus Stadium | 39,428 | 4–9 | Report |
| 14 | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye | Bye |
| 15 | Friday, 24 June (7:00 pm) | Western Bulldogs | 19.11 (125) | 12.11 (83) | Lost by 42 points | Marvel Stadium | 32,505 | 4–10 | Report |
| 16 | Sunday, 3 July (3:20 pm) | Greater Western Sydney | 11.6 (72) | 7.8 (50) | Lost by 22 points | GIANTS Stadium | 4,812 | 4–11 | Report |
| 17 | Sunday, 10 July (3:20 pm) | Adelaide | 13.8 (86) | 8.6 (54) | Won by 32 points | Marvel Stadium | 18,880 | 5–11 | Report |
| 18 | Sunday, 17 July (1:10 pm) | West Coast | 15.12 (102) | 12.5 (77) | Won by 25 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 22,598 | 6–11 | Report |
| 19 | Saturday, 23 July (1:45 pm) | North Melbourne | 11.9 (75) | 19.7 (121) | Won by 46 points | Blundstone Arena | 9,713 | 7–11 | Report |
| 20 | Saturday, 30 July (4:45 pm) | St Kilda | 10.15 (75) | 9.9 (63) | Lost by 12 points | Marvel Stadium | 25,348 | 7–12 | Report |
| 21 | Saturday, 6 August (1:45 pm) | Gold Coast | 10.10 (70) | 8.15 (63) | Won by 7 points | University of Tasmania Stadium | 9,022 | 8–12 | Report |
| 22 | Sunday, 14 August (1:10 pm) | Richmond | 20.8 (128) | 9.13 (67) | Lost by 61 points | Melbourne Cricket Ground | 59,338 | 8-13 | Report |
| 23 | Sunday, 21 August (1:10 pm) | Western Bulldogs | 10.4 (64) | 12.15 (87) | Lost by 23 points | University of Tasmania Stadium | 13,105 | 8–14 | Report |

### Ladder

| Pos | Teamvte | Pld | W | L | D | PF | PA | PP | Pts | Qualification |
| 1 | Geelong (P) | 22 | 18 | 4 | 0 | 2146 | 1488 | 144.2 | 72 | Finals series |
| 2 | Melbourne | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 1936 | 1483 | 130.5 | 64 | Finals series |
| 3 | Sydney | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 2067 | 1616 | 127.9 | 64 | Finals series |
| 4 | Collingwood | 22 | 16 | 6 | 0 | 1839 | 1763 | 104.3 | 64 | Finals series |
| 5 | Fremantle | 22 | 15 | 6 | 1 | 1739 | 1486 | 117.0 | 62 | Finals series |
| 6 | Brisbane Lions | 22 | 15 | 7 | 0 | 2147 | 1799 | 119.3 | 60 | Finals series |
| 7 | Richmond | 22 | 13 | 8 | 1 | 2165 | 1780 | 121.6 | 54 | Finals series |
| 8 | Western Bulldogs | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1973 | 1812 | 108.9 | 48 | Finals series |
| 9 | Carlton | 22 | 12 | 10 | 0 | 1857 | 1714 | 108.3 | 48 | |
| 10 | St Kilda | 22 | 11 | 11 | 0 | 1703 | 1715 | 99.3 | 44 | |
| 11 | Port Adelaide | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1806 | 1638 | 110.3 | 40 | |
| 12 | Gold Coast | 22 | 10 | 12 | 0 | 1871 | 1820 | 102.8 | 40 | |
| 13 | Hawthorn | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1787 | 1991 | 89.8 | 32 | |
| 14 | Adelaide | 22 | 8 | 14 | 0 | 1721 | 1986 | 86.7 | 32 | |
| 15 | Essendon | 22 | 7 | 15 | 0 | 1737 | 2087 | 83.2 | 28 | |
| 16 | Greater Western Sydney | 22 | 6 | 16 | 0 | 1631 | 1927 | 84.6 | 24 | |
| 17 | West Coast | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1429 | 2389 | 59.8 | 8 | |
| 18 | North Melbourne | 22 | 2 | 20 | 0 | 1337 | 2397 | 55.8 | 8 | |

## Awards, records and milestones
### Awards
#### AFL awards

* Jai Newcombe – AFLCA young player of the year

#### Club awards

* Peter Crimmins Medal – James Sicily
* Lethal award – Jai Newcombe
* Most improved player – Mitchell Lewis
* Most courageous player – Blake Hardwick
* Most promising player – Ned Reeves
* Best clubman – Dylan Moore

### Club records

* Most tackles: Liam Shiels – 1,426
* Most goal assists: Luke Breust – 224
* Most rebound 50's in a season: 179 – James Sicily
* Most rebound 50's in a single game: 15 – James Sicily (Tied with Luke Hodge, and James Sicily)

### Milestones

Round 1
* Jack Gunston – 400th AFL goal.
* Mitchell Lewis – 50th AFL goal.
* Finn Maginness – 1st AFL goal.
* Connor MacDonald – AFL debut.
* Josh Ward – AFL debut.
* Max Lynch – Hawthorn debut.
* Sam Mitchell – 1st AFL game as coach, 1st AFL win as coach.
Round 2
* Connor MacDonald – 1st AFL goal.
* Josh Ward – 1st AFL goal.
Round 3
* Jack Scrimshaw – 50th AFL game.
* Chad Wingard – 50th game for Hawthorn.
Round 5
* Luke Breust – 450th AFL goal.
* Jack Gunston – 200th game for Hawthorn.
Round 7
* James Sicily – 100th AFL game.
* Jack Scrimshaw – 50th game for Hawthorn.
* Jackson Callow – AFL debut.
Round 8
* Max Lynch – 1st AFL goal.
Round 9
* Chad Wingard – 200th AFL game, 50th goal for Hawthorn.
* Sam Butler – AFL debut.
Round 10
* Sam Butler – 1st AFL goal.
* Sam Frost – 1st goal for Hawthorn.
Round 12
* Luke Breust – 250th AFL game.
* Liam Shiels – 250th AFL game.
* Changkuoth Jiath – 1st AFL goal.
Round 13
* Dylan Moore – 50th AFL goal.
* Sam Frost – 50th game for Hawthorn.
Round 15
* James Blanck – AFL debut.
Round 17
* Tom Mitchell – 100th game for Hawthorn.
Round 19
* Mitchell Lewis – 50th AFL game.
Round 21
* Jack Gunston – 400th goal for Hawthorn.
* Ben McEvoy – 250th AFL game.
* Dylan Moore – 50th AFL game.
* Jai Serong – AFL debut.
Round 22
* Jarman Impey – 150th AFL game.
* Jai Serong – 1st AFL goal.
Round 23
* Conor Nash – 50th AFL game.
* Ned Long – AFL debut.
* Jack Saunders – AFL debut, 1st AFL goal.