Hawks Insiders

• Inside Hawthorn's new $113m home

  Subscribe to Hawks Insiders for the most in-depth and wide ranging Hawthorn cover there is. From exclusive interviews to analysis, match recaps to podcasts, the Insiders have you covered.What a difference a year makes. When the Hawks Insiders team last visited the Kennedy Community Centre in November 2024, there wasn’t a single blade of grass on the AFLW and Community Oval.This time around — when Ash, Danny and Daz were given a grand tour by lifelong Hawks nuffies, CEO Ash Klein and COO Jacob Attwood — we couldn’t quite believe our eyes. The grass was down. The ovals were defined. The buildings were a hive of activity. Players were training the house down, staff were embedded, and the Kennedy Community Centre had gone from a major construction project (and HI regular Paddy Malone’s dream) to a fully functioning football home.🎧 You can hear our full recap in the podcast above.From scale to substanceLast year, it was impossible not to be overwhelmed by the sheer ambition of the site. Two full-sized ovals sitting side by side on a vast parcel of land, with room to grow. A facility that felt big, bold and future-facing, but still very much mid-build.This visit was different. The scale is still jaw-dropping, but now it’s the detail that hits you. You don’t need to imagine how the place will work anymore. You can see it IRL.Players move seamlessly from track to gym to recovery. Coaches huddle in meeting rooms purpose-built for collaboration. Staff are already talking about routines, habits and standards being set simply by walking through the door each morning.This feels less like a training ground for players only, and more like an elite workplace for the club holistically, designed to make everyone better at what they do.Two ovals, two very different advantagesThe contrast between visits is perhaps clearest when you step onto the AFLW and Community Oval.In 2024, it was still dirt and timelines. In 2025, it’s a surface that looks (and feels) ready.The ground is a genuine AFL-sized venue, with dimensions that immediately change how Hawthorn’s AFLW side can play. Anyone who has watched games at Frankston will understand the significance of that. More width. More space. More opportunity to run, spread and use the weapons this list actually has.Standing well inside the boundary, we were told: this is where the Frankston boundary line would have been.That alone tells you how transformative this move could be for AFLW matchday football when the games start being played here.Add in the pavilion, the coach’s box (which may or may not be larger than some inner-city apartments), and the planned viewing mound on the wing, and it’s easy to imagine Dingley quickly becoming a genuine community football destination.Indoors, uninterruptedIf there’s one space that consistently drew wide eyes and quiet disbelief, it was the indoor training facility.Fully enclosed. Turf strong enough for boots. Long enough that none of us (at our stage of life, anyway) could kick from one end to the other.The most striking detail? The centre square is built to exact AFL dimensions, allowing proper centre bounce and ruck work even when the weather turns.And as was pointed out to us, someone has already managed to kick a football onto the roof, which probably tells you everything you need to know about how freely this space is being used.Recovery, routine, and players choosing to be thereAnother major shift from last year: the facility is already becoming a place players want to spend time.The recovery zone — hot, cold and magnesium pools, sauna, lap pool — is in constant use. We were told players are coming in on days off, after hours, and treating the place as a second home rather than an obligation.That matters. When players choose to be at the club, standards rise naturally.As Conor Nash told us briefly after training, the sense is that the group is already preparing better simply because everything they need is under one roof.Honouring the past, without being stuck in itThere’s been some discussion among fans about the museum space, particularly compared to the more traditional setup at Waverley.What stood out on this visit wasn’t size, but intent.Rather than walls of static memorabilia, the Kennedy Community Centre leans into interactivity and experience. Pull-out drawers of historic jumpers. Digital timelines. A row of landline phones where you can hear the voice of legendary coaches and players and even cop a spray from the KCC’s namesake.And then, tucked behind a door, a space designed to feel like you’re back in the rooms at Glenferrie Oval. Complete with the smell of liniment in the air.A genuine destination clubFacilities don’t win premierships. But in such a tight competition they do make a difference. As we discussed on the pod, this is one of the few remaining areas in modern footy that sits outside the soft cap, and Hawthorn has clearly gone all-in.Debt-free. Land owned outright. Space to develop future stages including community sport, medical facilities and hospitality. This is about long-term stability and growth as much as football performance.And from a recruitment point of view? It’s hard to imagine a stronger opening pitch to a draftee walking through these doors for the first time. Imagine being Cameron Nairn or Ollie Greeves or Jack Dalton and having this be your first experience of a professional footy club. Talk about setting a high bar.See you at the KCC?Our pre-season live event is one of the highlights of the Hawks Insiders calendar. Last year even Sam and Lyndall Mitchell made a cameo.But in 2026, we’re taking things up a notch. Thanks to the incredible support of our friends at the Hawthorn Football Club, we can finally confirm what we’ve been holding close to our chests for the past few weeks:The Hawks Insiders 2026 Season Launch will be held at the Kennedy Community Centre, in the rooms above the AFLW Pavilion, on Wednesday, March 4.It’s the ultimate two-for-one deal. The chance to get among the action at our pre-season panel, and get a close-up look at the KCC for yourself.Full details to come in the new year, but space will be extremely limited. So get out your 2026 calendars and put a big circle around March 4 now.Follow us on social media through the links below:Twitter | Facebook | Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hawksinsiders.substack.com/subscribe

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• The 3 Weeks That Was Pod: Jumper Numbers, SSP Recruits & Who's Flying On The Track

  Subscribe to Hawks Insiders for the most in-depth and wide ranging Hawthorn cover there is. From exclusive interviews to analysis, match recaps to podcasts, the Insiders have you covered.The HI crew reassembled to unpack an eventful few weeks in Hawthorn land — from AFLW and trade updates through to preseason risers, jumper number chatter, and all the latest whispers out of the KCC.Hosted by Ashley Browne, the pod featured Julia, Mick, Brad, Nat and Daz, plus special guest Marnie Cohen from Kanga TV to discuss everything you wanted to know (and more) about former North defender Flynn Perez, who is currently training with the Hawks.🗣️ Key talking points:* Hawthorn’s AFLW season wrap: what we learned from the Best & Fairest and the final weeks of the campaign;* A breakdown of the AFLW trade period: the moves that mattered and the gaps that remain;* Hawthorn’s SSP picture: including the key player the club is zeroing in on;* Early preseason impressions from Dingley: who’s flying and what the coaches are focusing on;* A deep dive into jumper numbers for 2025: and what they signal about roles and expectations;* Brad’s on-the-ground report from Dingley: and why the new base is already shaping culture;* How the young core is developing: particularly across half-back and through the midfield;* List management priorities heading into 2025: where we’re strong and where we still need depth;* The broader off-season narrative around Hawthorn: from leadership growth to system tweaks; and* Much, much more.Thanks to our loyal Hawks Insiders subscribers — your support helps make our coverage possible each and every week.Follow us on social media through the links below:Twitter | Facebook | Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hawksinsiders.substack.com/subscribe

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• Draft Recap: Five new Hawks in the nest

  Subscribe to Hawks Insiders for the most in-depth and wide ranging Hawthorn cover there is. From exclusive interviews to analysis, match recaps to podcasts, the Insiders have you covered.The draft has been run and done, and the KCC is the proud home for five new fledgling Hawks. Ash Browne, Mick Cowan and Danny Prins look back at the draft before looking forward to preseason next Monday.🗣️ Key talking points:* Our second night activity;* Jack Dalton and Matt LeRay, their roles and expectations;* Ollie Greeves in the rookie draft, but how?* Ash’s thoughts on Cam Nairn and Aidan Schubert;* Box Hill will look a lot different next year;* Pre-season starts Monday at Dingley;* and much, much more…Thanks to our loyal Hawks Insiders subscribers — your support helps make our coverage possible each and every week.Follow us on social media through the links below:Twitter | Facebook | Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hawksinsiders.substack.com/subscribe

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• Draft Pod: Breaking down Night 1

  Subscribe to Hawks Insiders for the most in-depth and wide ranging Hawthorn cover there is. From exclusive interviews to analysis, match recaps to podcasts, the Insiders have you covered.Day 1 in the books and it was a lot of things, but probably nothing quite like Hawks fans expected.Danny Prins, Nat Martin and Mick Cowan, with a special guest cameo from Ash Browne, broke down the ins and outs of the longest first round in AFL history.🗣️ Key talking points:* Trading up and trading down;* Missing out on the gun midfield options and pivoting;* Taking two picks but not picking a mid;* Stockpiling future second round picks;* Who are Cam Nairn and Aidan Schubert;* What does this mean for the Hawks list;* Some thoughts on what the Hawks might do on night two;* and much, much more…Thanks to our loyal Hawks Insiders subscribers — your support helps make our coverage possible each and every week.Follow us on social media through the links below:Twitter | Facebook | Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hawksinsiders.substack.com/subscribe

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• The Pre-Draft Mega Pod

  Subscribe to Hawks Insiders for the most in-depth and wide ranging Hawthorn cover there is. From exclusive interviews to analysis, match recaps to podcasts, the Insiders have you covered.The AFL Draft is one of the biggest days in the footy calendar, and the Hawks Insiders are here to have you completely prepared for it.Danny Prins, Nat Martin and Andrew Weiss jumped on for a quick chat and spent the next hour plus chatting all things draft.🗣️ Key talking points:* What should Hawthorn do with their draft picks? Trade them into the future or take the best available talent;* If they select at the picks they have, what are Hawthorn’s list needs and what kind of player profiles should we be looking at;* Pick 10 options and why the Hawks should pick them;* Sliders to Pick 22, who should the Hawks take;* Some late draft smokey’s that we should keep an eye on and why;* What happens with Kobe Williams;* and much, much more…Thanks to our loyal Hawks Insiders subscribers — your support helps make our coverage possible each and every week.Follow us on social media through the links below:Twitter | Facebook | Instagram This is a public episode. If you'd like to discuss this with other subscribers or get access to bonus episodes, visit hawksinsiders.substack.com/subscribe

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