Hawthorn Hawks

BEST 22 projections for 2020: Hawthorn, Melbourne, North Melbourne

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Published by
Kristian Amenta

We’re going through each side and predicting their best 22 for the 2020 season.

Today, we’ve looked at the potential best 22’s of Hawthorn, Melbourne and North Melbourne.

Hawthorn

B: Ben Stratton, James Frawley, Jack Scrimshaw

HB: Blake Hardwick, Sam Frost, James Sicily

C: Tom Scully, Tom Mitchell, Ricky Henderson

HF: Jack Gunston, Mitchell Lewis, Chad Wingard

F: Luke Breust, Jonathon Patton, Jarman Impey

FOLL: Ben McEvoy, Jaeger O'Meara, James Worpel

I/C: Tim O'Brien, Shaun Burgoyne, Liam Shiels, Isaac Smith

The Hawks will look to welcome back Tom Mitchell and Jarman Impey from injuries next season and they'll play an important role helping their side return to finals.

Securing two key position players in Frost and Patton from rival clubs may pay off in the short term, but it will be interesting to see how they work within the Hawthorn culture.

James Worpel is set to get a boost from playing next to the accumulator, while James Sicily will be 25 by Round 1 next year, ready to stamp his name as one of the competition's premier defenders.

Having the experienced heads of Shaun Burgoyne and Isaac Smith is important to their structure, they may not play every game but there's plenty of rising stars coming through the gates at Waverley.

O'Brien, Lewis and Patton will form a brand new forward line, in an attempt to bring back the glory days of spearhead forwards at Hawthorn.

LAUNCESTON, AUSTRALIA - MAY 25: James Worpel of the Hawks celebrates after kicking a goal during the round 10 AFL match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Port Adelaide Power at University of Tasmania Stadium on May 25, 2019 in Launceston, Australia. (Photo by Scott Barbour/Getty Images)

Melbourne

B: Neville Jetta, Steven May, Michael Hibberd

HB: Marty Hore, Jake Lever, Christian Salem

C: Ed Langdon, Clayton Oliver, Angus Brayshaw

HF:  Christian Petracca, Tom McDonald, Bayley Fritsch

F: Jake Melksham, Sam Weideman, Jayden Hunt

FOLL: Max Gawn, James Harmes, Jack Viney

I/C: Oscar McDonald, Adam Tomlinson, Jay Lockhart, Nathan Jones

Melbourne grabbed Luke Jackson and Kysaiah Kropinyeri-Pickett with their two first-round picks, and while Jackson is seen as a long-term ruck prospect, Kropinyeri-Pickett could be a smoky for Round 1, and could work his way into the side.

The followers are steady - Harmes and Viney are as tough as they come, and Gawn paired with Oliver is a one-two punch capable of dominance.

The Demons are undoubtedly lacking real depth, with fringe players spread across their list, they'll be eager to get big seasons of prized recruits Ed Langdon and Adam Tomlinson.

Langdon is expected to thrive playing on the MCG, and Tomlinson is a running swing-man who can pinch-hit in the ruck.

This team won't be overly feared heading into the season, but with smart drafting and a culture-shifting summer, anything can happen.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - SEPTEMBER 14: Nathan Jones and Jack Viney of the Demons celebrate winning the AFL Semi Final match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the Melbourne Demons at the Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 14, 2018 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

North Melbourne

B: Marley Williams, Robbie Tarrant, Ed Vickers-Willis

HB: Jasper Pittard, Majak Daw, Shaun Atley

C: Jared Polec, Ben Cunnington, Trent Dumont

HF: Mason Wood, Nick Larkey, Tarryn Thomas

F: Cameron Zurhaar, Ben Brown, Jack Ziebell

FOLL: Todd Goldstein, Luke Davies-Uniacke, Shaun Higgins

I/C: Ben Jacobs, Jed Anderson, Aaron Hall, Jy Simpkin

Some coming-of-age midfielders are scattered across the interchange, pushing out the likes of Dom Tyson and Paul Ahern, for now.

Former Power duo Pittard and Polec are coming off career-best seasons, and there's plenty of room for midfield space throughout this side.

North fans will be eager to see more out of promising athletes Larkey, Thomas, Zurhaar, Simpkin and LDU next season.

Down back, it'll be intriguing to see if Majak Daw can return to the height of his powers and become a damaging force in front of key defender Robbie Tarrant.

This squad may very well push for finals, and could surprise a few teams moving forward.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 17: Ben Brown of the Kangaroos celebrates kicking a goal during the round 22 AFL match between the North Melbourne Kangaroos and the Port Adelaide Power at Marvel Stadium on August 17, 2019 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)
Published by
Kristian Amenta