Hawthorn is about to embark on its three-day training camp to Torquay, looking to continue to hone its game plan and working on combinations as it looks to settle its backline contingent ahead of its first practice match against Geelong in three weeks.
The camp, running from Tuesday to Thursday, will give head coach Sam Mitchell, as well as backline coach Kade Simpson, an opportunity to see a variety of different players in the backline as they look to select the best mix for both defence, as well as attack, where the Hawks flourished with speed out of defence on the counterattack in season 2024.
Captain James Sicily, as well as veteran defender Sam Frost, will look to participate in match simulation for the first time during the 2025 pre-season, while new recruit Josh Battle is set to rejoin the main squad after being left to run laps at training last week while dealing with a quad niggle.
Both Sicily and Frost have had interrupted pre-seasons to date as they come back from shoulder surgery and a bone stress foot injury respectively.
Sicily, an All-Australian defender, has completed the arduous running and skills component of pre-season training while watching on as the rest of the squad participated in match play.
Frost, who hurt his foot in the Hawks' elimination final victory over the Western Bulldogs in September, only returned to running in early December and has spent much of the pre-season in the rehabilitation group with fellow key talls Mitch Lewis and James Blanck.
Frost only recently rejoined the main squad in the skills component and is building back up to entering into full match simulation.
With Blake Hardwick spending the pre-season training in the forward line, Frost is racing the clock to put his hand up as an option to play on the opposition's dangerous small forwards, a role he has previously played during his 183-game career.
Over the past fortnight, while Frost, Sicily and Battle have watched on, other Hawthorn defenders have had an opportunity to shine and put forth their case to be selected for the club's Opening Round clash against the Swans in Sydney.
During last Thursday's AFL umpire officiated simulation, Hawthorn looked to roll out a near first-string backline featuring Tom Barrass, Jack Scrimshaw, Karl Amon, Jarman Impey, Josh Weddle and Changkuoth Jiath.
Key defender Barrass, who joined the Hawks during the trade period, has looked to add another level of defensive pressure as well as confidence in being able to deal with the power forwards in the AFL.
Barrass's ability to read the ball and spoil his opposition has been a standout of his career to date, while his capacity to hit a target in open play will be a feature of his game that Hawks fans will become accustomed to seeing.
The former Eagle's class will be another welcome addition to the backline that conceded the sixth least amount of points in 2024 with an undersized rearguard that featured key defendersย Frost andย Scrimshaw.
Jiath, who had an injury-riddled 2024 season, has looked to have recovered from his setbacks and has been a positive light at training, with his enthusiasm to defend and his ability to use his pace to set up attacking forays a highlight over the pre-season.
Amon andย Impey look like locks in the backline, with their ability to hit targets by foot and their pace to break lines from defence adding another element that will trouble opposition teams this season.
Both of these players have featured during the game scenarios and match simulation and will be hoping to build upon their impressive 2024 form.
The training camp to Torquay will be the first time that the coaches get to have a look at the different components at their disposal to add not only attacking flair but also staunch defensive prowess to an exciting backline mix, and will no doubt have the backline putting their best foot forward to be at the front of the line for selection for the clash against the Cats in the first of two practice matches.
With a plethora of talent at their disposal and with only a limited number of positions in the Hawthorn backline in 2025, the next month will be important for the coaching group as they look to select the best backline possible for the start to Hawthorn's premiership tilt in 2025.
