A new era has been ushered in at Waverley park, as a new coach takes the helm of a team in full rebuild mode.
Favourite son Sam Mitchell has taken the job previously held by one of the all-time great coaches in Alastair Clarkson.
This leaves a massive shadow over the club, despite Hawthorn's run in recent years.
Irrespective of a bottom-six finish and a departing steward, the Hawks finished the season strongly, only losing one of their last six games. This included a draw against eventual premiers Melbourne and a win over runner-up Western Bulldogs.
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The earlier stages of the season didn't provide much for the powerhouse of the mid-2010s, with Hawthorn'smidfield and forward line struggling at times. But the off-field drama coincided with their best form, winning three games and drawing twice to close off the season.
With an intriguing near future ahead of them, we look into five burning questions facing the Hawks in 2022.
How will the Hawks perform under new coach Sam Mitchell?
One of the biggest stories of the year will be how Hawthorn perform with their new coach.
To kick off the new era, it would make sense for Mitchell to want to invest in youth.
While he does have plenty at his disposal, he was hit with hurdles in the off-season.
It became apparent that the Hawks were looking to move up in the draft by trading a star player. Still, that didn't eventuate into anything.
It is a tick to the culture of the club, but a prized draft pick in exchange for a veteran player would have been more ideal.
As for how they will perform, the side is expected to hang around the lower echelons of the ladder once again.
However, with their scintillating form to end 2021 now front of mind, it wouldn't be a surprise if fans expect a bit more.
The veteran players will ensure the team goes into every game with a 'can win' attitude, a mentality that the younger players need, rather than being as downtrodden as other lower sides.
The most important aspect of how the Hawks perform is the development of their kids, of which they have plenty including: A talented young batch of defenders in Will Day, Denver Grainger-Barras and Changkuoth Jiath, midfielders Connor Downie and Jai Newcombe, as well as Tyler Brockman and ruckman Max Lynch.
The coaching staff at Hawthorn will be hoping this is the core of their next premiership tilt.
How does Mitchell handle the external pressure?
As mentioned already, Clarkson has left some mighty big boots to fill.
With 390 games coached, winning 228 of them, that is a winning percentage of over 58%,ย including four premierships.
It cannot be expected of Sam Mitchell to become the messiah of Hawthorn immediately, but the pressure will be there, perhaps not internally but definitely externally.
That's just the nature of the game. Being one of the big five football clubs and succeeding arguably the best coach of this century.
The four-time premiership player will have his shot at coaching, and will be given the time to learn the craft and plant his style into the playing group.
But from the outside, he's being expected to bring a near-bottom-four team back from the dead.
What do Hawthorn do with the captaincy?
With a new era, a new captain doesn't seem to far off the agenda.
Veteran ruckman Ben McEvoy was appointed captain last year, which was a well-deserved honour, but being in the twilight of his career, it must be seen as a temporary option.
The rest of the leadership group includes vice-captain Jaeger OโMeara, Liam Shiels, Jack Gunston, Tom Mitchell and young midfielder James Worpel.
All these names could be captain right now, with Worpel perhaps later on. While it is likely O'Meara could be the next captain maybe the club go with a twist.
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It's not like they won't pull off things like that, as evident last season.
Should a desire to switch be sought by Mitchell, James Sicily's name springs to mind.
Does the forward line of the future start taking shape?
The Hawks struggled to score in 2021, due to various reasons.
Most notably, they were equal 16th for inside 50s, which isn't necessarily the fault of the forwards, but their young unit didn't have much opportunity as a result.
Still, once they did have the ball in there, nothing arose. Only North Melbourne and Gold Coast were less efficient than the Hawks.
Missing Jack Gunston hurt a lot, as did missing Mitch Lewis for stretches.
However, a very young forward line of Dylan Moore, Mitch Lewis, Jacob Koschitzke and Jackson Callow has the future looking brighter.
All of them are under 23-years-old and in the infancy of their careers. They can all perfect their forward craft by having both Gunston and Luke Breust within the team.
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A key forward would be ideal, as Breust - last year's leading goalkicker with 33 - is a medium-sized player, but perfecting your game without one makes you less predictable.
Do Hawthorn throw more youth in the mix and have the veterans step back a bit? Now is surely the time to do it, being in a rebuild and all.
Who will have a breakout in season 2022?
Last year saw Changkuoth Jiath have his breakout season, playing 16 games before a PCL injury.
The 22-year-old displayed willingness to take the game on with his dashing play from defence and had strong hands overhead. He cemented himself at half-back.
Who will rise up this year?
Day only played five games in 2021 due to injury but the kid has the potential to become a star.
The South Australian is a classy and versatile ball-winner who always has time with the Sherrin in hand. His trademark 'silk', will go a long way in helping him become one of the competition's very best.
With one 'Silk' no longer playing, the 20-year-old has all the tools to take that mantle.
In the years to come, Day will hopefully find himself to be the go-to man either off half-back or in the middle.
