New to Kayo? Join now and get your first month for just $1.<\/a><\/p>\nBut Impey was optimistic that they had the necessary young talent emerging and more than enough options otherwise to roll through the midfield to help cover the loss of Day. <\/p>\n
\u201cI can understand that Merrett (conversation) might rise a bit. But that\u2019s life and that\u2019s football,\u201d Impey told foxfooty.com.au.<\/p>\n
\u201cPeople get injured. You need a bit of luck in this industry, I\u2019ve said that throughout my whole career. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a long season, so hopefully we get Day right at the right time, when it matters most. <\/p>\n
\u201cIt makes \u2014 or I don\u2019t know if forces is the right word \u2014 the younger ones to step up. And they\u2019ve been doing that.\u201d <\/p>\n
Impey named Cam Mackenzie, Connor Macdonald and Henry Hustwaite as well as draftees Jack Dalton and Ollie Greeves as on-ball options that have impressed over the pre-season.<\/p>\n
Will Day will miss the first half of 2025 (Photo by Steve Bell\/Getty Images)Source: Getty ImagesCan Connor Macdonald and Cam Mackenzie step up in Will Day\u2019s absence? (Photo by James Elsby\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
The Hawks veteran also pointed out that the likes of Jack Ginnivan, Nick Watson, Dylan Moore and Josh Weddle can also plug in as midfielders when required.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s so many players, we\u2019ve got so much talent on our list,\u201d he said. <\/p>\n
\u201cThis industry will critique us on the smallest things, week in, week out. But I\u2019m really confident in the personnel we\u2019ve got, the facility and the four walls to make someone the best player they can possibly be.\u201d<\/p>\n
While conceding missing out on Merrett wasn\u2019t ideal, Impey said it\u2019s not something he or other Hawthorn players dwelled on for too long.<\/p>\n
\u201cTo be honest, it wasn\u2019t something the players spoke about heavily,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, everyone knew what was going on and it was like: \u2018Oh, he\u2019s a really handy player. Imagine if we got him, he\u2019d be awesome for us\u2019.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe always want to get better and add another string to our bow. He would\u2019ve suited the outfit really well.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it didn\u2019t happen and that\u2019s life. I don\u2019t think we dwelled on it or kept our heads around it, it is what it is. <\/p>\n
\u201cThe deal didn\u2019t get done, we wish him all the best. It\u2019s going to be an interesting match when we come up against him, there might be a few cheeky things said!\u201d<\/p>\n
Hawthorn missed out on Zach Merrett (Picture: Michael Klein)Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
They won\u2019t have to wait long for that first showdown, with Hawthorn to face Merrett and the Bombers in Round 1 at the MCG.<\/p>\n
The Hawks failing to land Merrett meant it was the first off-season in several years they didn\u2019t add any players via trade or free agency, instead losing Worpel, Changkuoth Jiath and Jai Serong. <\/p>\n
It\u2019s a recruiting tool that\u2019s made Hawthorn\u2019s resurgence under Sam Mitchell such a success including the additions of Tom Barrass, Josh Battle, Jack Gunston, Jack Ginnivan, Mabior Chol, Massimo D\u2019Ambrosio, Karl Amon and Lloyd Meek over the last few years.<\/p>\n
Yet Impey wasn\u2019t concerned that the club didn\u2019t add any players ahead of another flag tilt.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve got a lot of belief in our group and in our players. We just hope we can create an environment where we can play our best consistently,\u201d said Impey, a former recruit himself from Port Adelaide at the end of 2017.<\/p>\n
\u201cYes, we are confident in our list. We do have strong characters around the place to not let standards slide or dip.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe look forward to the season. It\u2019s been a good last two seasons, so we look forward to going again and hopefully one game further. But you need luck.\u201d <\/p>\n
Jarman Impey celebrates a goal (Photo by Michael Willson\/AFL Photos via Getty Images)Source: Getty Images<\/p>\n
While the club has aggressively pursued stars from around the league in an approach led by Mitchell, the rising Hawks\u2019 own homegrown talent is now being courted.<\/p>\n
Essendon has reportedly been circled Josh Weddle with a big-money offer, but he\u2019s set to rebuff that and re-sign with Hawthorn, while Mitch Lewis is sure to be a target for rivals in a year he\u2019s eligible for free agency.<\/p>\n
As with any improved team, the hunters have become the hunted. And the shoe is on the other foot after Hawthorn attempted to poach an Essendon star.<\/p>\n
Impey is confident the Hawks will be able to keep their budding core together, even suggesting it might take for players to sacrifice financially for the greater good, like the club\u2019s dynasty teams of years past.<\/p>\n
\u201cThey\u2019re clearly going to get looks at other clubs, because we\u2019re playing OK,\u201d Impey said.<\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s a reason why they didn\u2019t leave two, three, four, five years ago when we weren\u2019t playing finals or weren\u2019t in the mix. <\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019re very confident we\u2019ll keep these players. If you look at previous history at the Hawks, they probably had to take pay cuts to keep good players around.<\/p>\n
\u201cHopefully we can do something similar and get everyone fit and healthy and out on the track.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s a credit to the club \u2014 board members, all our staff, coaches, head of football and the CEO. They\u2019ve planned this and you can sense we\u2019re at the right spot at the right time.\u201d<\/p>\n
Jarman Impey in pre-season action (Picture: Michael Klein)Source: News Corp Australia<\/p>\n
It comes as Hawthorn begins a new era in 2026 with the move to its new Dingley facilities.<\/p>\n
Impey said it has a \u201creal professional, special feel\u201d as they \u201cmake it our home\u201d and a \u201creally good place to come in each and every day\u201d.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s close to home, so I\u2019ve been waiting for that place to be built for a while now!,\u201d he cheekily added.<\/p>\n
That proximity to home is all the more valuable for Impey now, following the birth of he and wife Anabelle\u2019s first child, Zion, last May.<\/p>\n
Impey put part of his brilliant 2025 season at age 30 down to becoming a father \u2014 or \u201cdad strength is what a few of the boys have been saying.\u201d<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also made for a \u201cdifferent\u201d but \u201cenjoyable\u201d pre-season as Impey, like Hawthorn, embraces his new chapter.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s been really pleasing. I love waking up and seeing my son and I look forward to coming home,\u201d he said.<\/p>\n
\u201cIt just fits arm and arm. I get everything out of myself at work and do everything I need to do. And I\u2019m able to get home back to the family when I need to.<\/p>\n
\u201cHaving that balance has probably helped coming home and switching off from the world.\u201d<\/p>\n
As the Hawks set out to go a couple of steps further in 2026 after falling on the preliminary final stage to arch rival Geelong, Sam Mitchell is maximising everything at his disposal.<\/p>\n
The Hawthorn coach revealed he\u2019s turned to artificial intelligence this pre-season in a move that\u2019s received a mixed response.<\/p>\n
So exactly how has Mitchell been utilising AI?<\/p>\n
\u201cSam doesn\u2019t talk anymore, he just uses AI … nah, that\u2019s a joke!,\u201d Impey said with a laugh.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe world is changing, right? You can be ignorant and arrogant \u2014 or however you want to put it \u2014 and not want to learn further or deeper.<\/p>\n
\u201cI think AI has come into the world and we can all use it to benefit ourselves, so that\u2019s basically what we\u2019re doing.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"Jarman Impey has faith in Hawthorn\u2019s next generation of midfielders to step up in the absence of Will…\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":486621,"comment_status":"","ping_status":"","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[560],"tags":[233553,638,246171,64,63,689,55,639,684,51854,218845,246170,12111,246168,45742,2105,7492,19275,8401,12102,51310,69830,246166,2504,14402,218846,647,7198,246165,139233,12182,3530,677,246164,246169,6082,12104,244612,246172,13214,12936,30382,1124,85,246167,69078,1133,3254,660,698,19054,25581],"class_list":{"0":"post-486620","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-afl","8":"tag-aami-community-series-live","9":"tag-afl","10":"tag-anabelle","11":"tag-au","12":"tag-australia","13":"tag-australia-and-new-zealand","14":"tag-australian-football-league","15":"tag-australianfootballleague","16":"tag-ben-cotton","17":"tag-board-members","18":"tag-connor-macdonald","19":"tag-dad-strength","20":"tag-dylan-moore","21":"tag-failed-pursuit","22":"tag-flag-tilt","23":"tag-getty-images-inc","24":"tag-hawthorn-hawks","25":"tag-jack-dalton","26":"tag-jack-ginnivan","27":"tag-jack-gunston","28":"tag-josh-weddle","29":"tag-karl-amon","30":"tag-key-void","31":"tag-lifts-lid","32":"tag-mabior-chol","33":"tag-match-simulation","34":"tag-melbourne","35":"tag-michael-willson","36":"tag-midfield-hole","37":"tag-midfield-options","38":"tag-mitch-lewis","39":"tag-nick-watson","40":"tag-oceania","41":"tag-pay-cuts","42":"tag-players-spoke","43":"tag-port-adelaide","44":"tag-port-adelaide-power","45":"tag-pre-season-match-sims","46":"tag-recruiting-tool","47":"tag-right-time","48":"tag-sam-mitchell","49":"tag-shoulder-surgery","50":"tag-south-australia","51":"tag-sports","52":"tag-standards-slide","53":"tag-tom-barrass","54":"tag-trade-period","55":"tag-trade-saga","56":"tag-victoria","57":"tag-western-bulldogs","58":"tag-young-talent","59":"tag-zach-merrett"},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486620","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=486620"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/486620\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/486621"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=486620"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=486620"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.newsbeep.com\/au\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=486620"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
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