Hawks Trade Whispers: ‘Top-end’ deals that would suit star duo, ‘difficult’ verdict on five veterans

Two gun forwards in recent trade murmurings would have ample value to two rival clubs.

Plus a club great’s call on whether five veterans will stay or go.

Get all the latest Hawthorn player movement news and updates in Hawks Trade Whispers!

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CLUBS THAT WOULD SUIT STAR DUO

Four-time premiership Hawk Jordan Lewis has doubled down on his view Hawthorn should give Jack Gunston and Luke Brest the option of finding a new club during the trade period – and the specific clubs that should be chasing them.

Gunston, who will turn 29 next month, has two seasons remaining on his contract, while Breust has one more year and will turn 30 in November.

Lewis last week said trading Breust and Gunston could prove mutually beneficial as, he believes, Hawthorn can’t challenge for a premiership within the parameters of the duo’s respective deals.

Speaking on Fox Footy’s Saturday Stretch, Lewis said both Breust and Gunston would be suited to clubs “towards the top of the ladder”.

Bulldogs legend Brad Johnson said one of Geelong’s three first-round picks – the Cats have access to their own selection, Gold Coast’s AFL assistance package selection and a first-round selection tied to West Coast’s finishing position – could be on the table and be used for a “top-end trade” to attract “a serious player down the highway”.

Lewis said Geelong would “welcome either of those players”, but “specifically Gunston”.

“If they (the Hawks) were offered a first-round draft pick and Jack wanted to leave – that’s the question that you’ve got to ask him because he is contracted – and go elsewhere to achieve some more success … that (a Geelong move) would be a good fit,” Lewis told Saturday Stretch.

Foxfooty.com.au last week reported rival clubs believe Gunston is gettable for the right price.

Lewis said “18 clubs would line up” for Breust, but added “maybe the good fit would be someone like Carlton”.

“They’re on the rise and would love that quality small forward and his services,” he said.

‘DIFFICULT’ VERDICT ON FIVE VETERANS

Lewis said the Hawks have some “difficult decisions” to make on some of the club’s older players.

Over the past four seasons, the Hawks’ list has been among the top three oldest in the competition.

“When you’ve got six to eight on average decisions to make on your list and you’ve got an ageing list, unfortunately those decisions point more towards the older players than the younger players,” Lewis told Fox Footy.

This year the Hawks have seven players aged over 30, but only one (Ben McEvoy) is contracted beyond 2020.

Lewis on Saturday night was asked whether the following players would call time on their careers or be delisted or traded.

On Paul Puopolo: “He hasn’t played since Round 6 and has been fit to play, so they haven’t picked him and they’ve decided to go down another route. Unfortunately, he’s been a great servant for the football club, it would be a hard call for them to make, but you would think his career would be over at Hawthorn.”

On Ben Stratton: “He probably had the chance to come back after being managed last week, so that’s going to be a really hard decision. We speak of Stephen Coniglio getting dropped this week, you’ve got a really hard call to make on your captain.”

On James Frawley: “With James Sicily going down, they still need that bigger body in defence. So maybe Sicily going down gives Frawley another year.”

On Ricky Henderson: “He’s been out with a knee injury for the majority of the year, so it’s probably on how that’s faring. After having such a fantastic year last year, through injury he just hasn’t been able to get on the park (in 2020).”

On Isaac Smith: “I’d be looking to contract him if I was Hawthorn, but I would certainly be asking the question if I was another club that would love to acquire his services. He would fit into the mould of a Melbourne quite nicely – any other side that’s really challenging for the premiership, he would complement any side.”

WHY HAWKS MADE THE RIGHT BURGOYNE CALL

One experienced Hawk – the most experienced of the lot – that will be on Hawthorn’s 2021 list, is Shaun Burgoyne, after the club announced the veteran would enter his 20th and final AFL season in 2021.

Burgoyne and the Hawks on Saturday announced they’d agreed on a new deal that would see the midfielder transition into an advisory role at the club following his retirement at the end of 2021.

With 387 games to his name, another season will give Burgoyne the chance to become just the fifth player in VFL/AFL history to reach the 400-game milestone.

Hodge earlier on Saturday told SEN that he was rapt for Burgoyne, but “confused as ever” by the club’s decision to re-contract the four-time premiership player, considering the Hawks have begun to give younger players more games in recent weeks.

But Lewis said Hawthorn’s decision had the potential to boost the footy club’s morale.

“It was probably a different situation that we had time left in our career and the opportunity to go to other clubs,” Lewis told Saturday Stretch, referring to his own exit to Melbourne. “With Shaun, I think a huge part of it would’ve played on the games that he sits on and the chance he has to reach 400 and Hawthorn giving him that opportunity after being such a great servant for the football club.

“I’m sure if he was around the 350 games mark – it sounds ridiculous – but there may have been a different conversation had. His form hasn’t dropped away drastically, so he’s still a contributor.

“What they do with other veterans – and if they make the harsher calls on them – then you certainly need some type of leadership around.

“But it would be a great achievement for him to get to 400 games … He’s so close and been such a good servant, I think they’ve done a really good thing. It just reverberates through the organisation when someone like that has the potential to reach such a milestone I don’t think we’ll see again.”