Probably the hardest job in footy is picking the best 10 Hawthorn players from the past decade. Well, I gave it a crack!
Hawthorn played in four grand finals from 2012-2015, winning three of them, and made finals in every year apart from 2017 and 2019.
The Hawks have had many ups over the past 10 years and these 10 men have stood out from the rest.
Franklin’s four years at Hawthorn before going to Sydney assured him a place in the top 10 players of the last decade.
In the four years of 2010-2013, Buddy kicked 275 goals in 80 games for the club. Imagine if he stayed at Hawthorn, you get the feeling he would have been in the top two, and most likely at one.
Franklin’s achievements at Hawthorn were something special as he along with Jarryd Roughead formed one of the greatest ever forward duos in the past 30 years.
He was apart of the 2013 flag, made the All-Australian team in 2010, 2011 and 2012 along with winning one of his four Coleman Medals in 2011. His freakish ability to kick goals from impossible areas on the footy field will be remembered for decades to come.
Two goals that come to mind both won him AFL ‘Goal of the Year’ in 2010 where he outran Cale Hooker along the MCG boundary and slotted it from an acute angle and in 2013 against Collingwood when he jumped over Ben Stratton and booted it from 70 metres.
His 13 goals against North Melbourne in 2013 were alright as well! Footy fans better embrace the last few years of Buddy we have left because we aren’t going to see anyone like him again.
This one might cause some controversy, though for the three years Lake was at the Hawks he was one of the best defenders in the game. Oh, and he won three flags in his three years at the club.
Lake played 54 games for the Hawks during his time there and was immense down back as he always got the opposition's best tall forward, e.g. Franklin, Josh Kennedy, Drew Petrie, Matthew Pavlich. His performance in the 2013 Grand Final against Fremantle was one of the best games a defender has played in recent times.
Lake deservedly won the Norm Smith Medal that day as the best player on the ground as he time after time took contested marks and dominated the Fremantle forwards. He retired after the 2015 season along with ruckman David Hale.
After getting traded from the Crows after the 2011 season, Gunston hasn’t looked back and has become an integral part in the team’s recent success.
Since the start of 2012, he has played 177 games for 345 goals. Like his good mate Luke Breust, he is a very reliable set shot from anywhere inside the forward 50. In big games, you could rely on Gunston to kick a bag as he did in the 2013 and 2015 Grand Finals where he kicked four goals in each.
2014 was his best year as he kicked 58 goals and won the second of his three premierships. Gunston got his first All-Australian nod in 2018 where he kicked 51 goals and led the Hawks to a top-four finish. A classy player who is reliable as they come.
For someone who was picked at 47 in the 2009 rookie draft, Luke Breust has proved the list managers got it very, very wrong.
He made his debut in 2011 and has since played 206 games, kicking 389 goals and has been apart of one of the best eras in AFL/VFL history.
Known as “Punky” by his peers, Breust has had one hell of a career and he’s only 28 and not looking like he is slowing down anytime soon.
In 2014, Breust began a streak of 29 consecutive goals without scoring a behind, tying the record set by Tony Lockett in the 1995 season. His dead-eye set shot and his ability to win the one-on-one contests have seen him recognised as one of the best small forwards of the last decade in the AFL.
Probably one of the most exciting players to ever grace an AFL field, Cyril Rioli was. Freakish and spectacular are just two words that come to mind when you think of number 33 for Hawthorn.
As many have said before, Cyril was the type of player where he didn’t need to have 20+ disposals to have a significant impact on the game. His forward 50 tackling pressure was second-to-none and his outrageous goals will never be forgotten!
Even Hawthorn great Dermott Brereton compiled a 30-minute show dedicated to Rioli's highlights (if you haven’t watched it I highly recommend you do).
Rioli’s willingness to never give up after persistent hamstring issues saw him miss a big chunk of footy in the 2013 and 2014 seasons and was admired by many at the time.
Four flags, one Norm Smith, a three-time All-Australian (2012, 2015 and 2016) and one of the best highlight reels of all time it is only fitting that Rioli comes in at number six on this star-studded list.
People often forget about how good of a footballer Jordan Lewis was during the golden era of 2011-2016 for the Hawks.
Lewis played 162 games for the club from 2010-2016 before joining Melbourne on a three-year deal. Lewis’ accolades include four flags, an All-Australian and a Peter Crimmins medal in the premiership year of 2014.
His hunger for the footy allowed him and Sam Mitchell to dominate games and win a lot of the ball, allowing the likes of Roughead, Rioli, Breust and Gunston to have multiple shots on goal.
Lewis, like many on this list, saved his best performance for the big stages, such as the 2014 Grand Final against the Swans where he had the most disposals (37) on the ground and finished a close second in the Norm Smith voting behind Luke Hodge.
Roughead's final game was perfect. Six goals in a farewell match is no less than he deserved. Emotions were at an all-time high in round 22 as the Hawks farewelled not only one of their greatest ever players, but one of the greatest ever people to ever walk through the front door at the club.
Being a one-club player will be something that Roughy will love the most as he stuck fat during the early years of his career when times weren’t as good as they have been these past few years.
Playing 283 games and kicking 578 goals, Roughead deservedly makes the top four in this list. Some of his career highlights include: four-time premiership winner, Coleman Medal 2013, All-Australian 2013-2014, Hawks goal kicking leader 2013, 2014, 2017 and captaining the 2017-2018 seasons.
His five- and six-goal hauls in the 2014 Grand Final and 2014 Preliminary Final respectively will always be remembered by the Hawthorn faithful, as when we needed Roughy the most he delivered in spades.
You could pencil Mitchell in for 25+ disposals every game during his illustrious career at the Hawks.
He was a ball magnet and loved the rough stuff in the midfield and even down at half-back where he played the majority of game time during the latter years at the club.
He relinquished the captaincy at the end of the 2010 season to Luke Hodge, which helped his football as he went onto win four flags, the 2012 Brownlow Medal and won five Peter Crimmins Medals with the last three coming in 2011, 2012 and 2016.
Mitchell never averaged below 27 disposals during his last seven years playing for the Hawks, a stat, which typifies his uncanny ability to win the hard ball and bang it inside forward 50.
Mitchell will go down as one of the most ambidextrous players in AFL history as he didn’t have a preferred foot. His handballing was the same - elite.
Shaun “Silk” Burgoyne joined the Hawks from Port Adelaide at the end of the 2009 season and has gone onto have a stellar career at the club. Playing 218 games for the Hawks since the start of the decade he has kicked 116 goals and been one of the important players for Alastair Clarkson during the Hawks' great run.
Burgoyne, like most on this list, played in four grand finals from 2012-2015 and won three flags in a row. Just a few weeks ago, Burgoyne became the most capped Indigenous player of all time with 375 and is looking likely to go around next season at the ripe old age of 37.
His ability to play anywhere on the field epitomises his greatness. Many Hawks supporters will remember whenever the game was close, especially in finals games, Clarkson would throw Silk into the midfield and he would deliver over and over again. One of the greats.
Hodge will go down not only as the best player for the Hawks this past decade but one of the best to ever play for the club.
Drafted out of the Geelong Falcons with pick one in the 2001 National Draft, Hodge went on to have a remarkable career at the Hawks.
Now in his second year at the Brisbane Lions, Hodge enjoyed great success from 2010-2017 when he was still at the Hawks. Already winning one premiership in 2008, Hodge went onto captain three more premierships in 2013, 2014 and 2015 including winning the Norm Smith Medal in the 2014 Grand Final.
He played 154 games for the club between 2010-2017 and captained the side for six of those seasons.
His performances in the big finals games will go down in Hawthorn folklore as “The General” would seamlessly always be in control of the play.
Hodge’s ability to not only play at a high level but to lead his players will be what he will be remembered for the most.
Hanging up the boots following Brisbane's loss to GWS on Saturday night, Hodge added to his legacy by helping guide the young Lions to their first finals appearance since 2009.