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COACH\u2019S HILARIOUS REVEAL IN RESPONSE TO TRADE REPORT<\/p>\n
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell believes young key defender Noah Mraz will be \u201ca very good player for us for a long time\u201d. <\/p>\n
It comes after AFL Media\u2019s Cal Twomey reported Essendon is willing to pay the 20-year-old $3.5 million over four years<\/a>, in a move that would theoretically be part of the Zach Merrett trade. <\/p>\n On Friday morning, Mitchell was asked if he thought Mraz \u2014 who\u2019s contracted through 2028 \u2014 was a $900,000-a-year player yet, and the coach wound up revealing that a new nickname has come about as a result of the speculation. <\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure (if he is). I did read about that,\u201d Mitchell said on SEN\u2019s Fireball with a chuckle. <\/p>\n \u201cIt was hard to avoid yesterday; he\u2019s quite big in our social media.<\/p>\n \u201cI\u2019m not sure where it came from, but they call him \u2018Honeybuns\u2019 or something. And so all of the players, even during training, were calling him \u2018Moneybuns\u2019. <\/p>\n \u201cYou just can\u2019t escape this sort of stuff in a footy club. It\u2019s great banter.\u201d<\/p>\n The 198-centimetre backman flashed in his AFL debut in Round 17 before suffering a kidney laceration in Round 20. <\/p>\n Last weekend, he recorded 11 intercepts and 24 disposals as Box Hill booked a place in the VFL grand final this Sunday. <\/p>\n \u201cIt\u2019s unfortunate for him; he got hurt about six weeks ago, and he\u2019s just not quite been able to get himself back into the side,\u201d Mitchell added. <\/p>\n \u201cBut he\u2019s going to be a very good player for us for a long time.\u201d<\/p>\n More broadly, Mitchell was also probed for his thoughts on Essendon trying to pry Hawks out of Dingley as the clubs prepare to negotiate Merrett\u2019s Hawthorn move in October. <\/p>\n Essendon\u2019s Mraz move comes almost a year after it also lobbed an eye-watering offer Josh Weddle\u2019s way. <\/p>\n \u201cI mean, you understand what happens in the game now,\u201d Mitchell said. <\/p>\n \u201cThere\u2019s a lot of movement. Players have the ability to move clubs much more than they have had in the past. <\/p>\n \u201cAnd I think our focus is just running the best program we can, so that you can retain as many people on appropriate salaries as you can.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, individual players, making sure they stay. If you\u2019re trying to match everyone\u2019s fees, then obviously you\u2019re going to blow your cap.<\/p>\n \u201cSo, we\u2019re very focused on having a great environment that people want to be a part of, and we\u2019ll continue to try to do that the best we can.\u201d<\/p>\n READ MORE:<\/p>\n WHISPERS: Fresh twist in blocked Butters trade as AFL accused of \u2018changing history\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n TIMELINE: Inside the five weeks that reshaped Swans\u2019 season… and a reborn flag charge few predicted<\/a><\/p>\n LIST DEEP DIVE: Greene\u2019s call reshapes two clubs. Now Geelong face their new \u2018No. 1 priority\u2019<\/a><\/p>\n