Hawthorn have signed former Gold Coast Suns Academy and current Melbourne Storm Academy player Matt Hill and basketball prodigy Jaime Uhr-Henry to category B rookie contracts.
Hailing from Katherine in the Northern Territory, Hill has flipped between Australian rules football and rugby league since his junior days, joining NRL club the Brisbane Broncos' Academy as a 16-year-old following a prior stint with the Suns academy.
Most recently, Hill was a part of Melbourne Storm's Academy, arriving in Victoria at 19 years of age.
A promising fullback in rugby league, the Hawks were enticed by his pace and X-factor ability. He presents to be a livewire forward, adding to a stacked Hawthorn small forward group of Jack Ginnivan, Nick Watson, Connor MacDonald, and Dylan Moore.
Uhr-Henry joins the Hawks after stints with NBL One sides the Bulleen Boomers and Dandenong Rangers. The 209cm talent will join the club's ruck stocks from the 2025 season.
โWhile Jaime and Matt join the club as a relatively raw duo, they both possess enormous upside,โ McKenzie said.
โStanding at 209cm, Jaime clearly has some exciting physical traits, along with his professional basketball background we believe his progression will be one to watch.
โMeanwhile, at 20 years of age, Matt has shown in his young sporting career that he is a naturally gifted athlete with exciting speed, in addition to playing several years of footy as a junior, he has immense potential.
โGiven time to develop, we're confident both Jaime and Matt can make an impact in our program in the near future.โ
Following former category B rookie Josh Bennetts' delisting on Monday, the Hawks quickly filled the openings on their list with the double signing. The duo becomes the third and fourth additions at the Hawks this off-season, joining as left-field options in comparison to recent signings Tom Barrass and Josh Battle.
Bennetts' delisting was the sixth list cull made by the Hawks this off-season, following Denver Grainger-Barras,ย Cooper Stephens,ย Jack O'Sullivan,ย Ethan Phillipsย andย Clay Tucker's departures from the club.
The double signing confirms Hawthorn's list, as they head into this year's draft holding Picks 33, 71, and 77.
