After the best year of his career in 2025, Hawks midfielder Josh Ward has made a strong start to the pre-season.

By Josh Gabelich, afl.com.au

Hawthorn midfielder Josh Ward has made an early statement in the first fitness test of the summer with the full list reporting back for pre-season training on Monday.  

The 22-year-old won the six-minute run at the Kennedy Community Centre, holding off Karl Amon and Dylan Moore in a tight finish, with draftee Jack Dalton next best, just ahead of Finn Maginness. 

Ward was named the Hawks’ most improved player in 2025 after playing a career-high 25 games – up from 12 in 2024 and well above his previous most of 16 in 2023 – in a year where he signed a four-year contract extension through to free agency in 2029.

Hawthorn pursued star midfielder Zach Merrett for months but couldn’t strike a deal with Essendon to land the six-time best-and-fairest winner by the trade deadline in October, while 2019 Peter Crimmins medallist James Worpel moved to Geelong as a free agent. 

Sam Mitchell’s side rose from a semi-final appearance in 2024 to progress to the penultimate weekend of the season, but was well beaten by Geelong after half-time on preliminary final night in September. 

Hawthorn will need improvement from Ward and Cam Mackenzie – another former pick No.7 – as well as Sam Butler and Henry Hustwaite if it is to go deeper in 2026. 

New head of development Daniel Giansiracusa moved from Essendon in the off-season after running close for the Melbourne senior coaching job and will be responsible for helping accelerate the development of Ward and others in Dingley. 

“Coaching against him [Ward] last year in the midfield, he had his best year, took another step. But it looks like he has done a lot of work in the off-season by the way he has come back. The way he ran today, the way he trained, it looks like he is ready to have an imprint on the group,” Giansiracusa told AFL.com.au on Monday. 

“The Zach [Merrett] situation is interesting, because there is opportunity with Worpel going for Cam Mackenzie, Henry Hustwaite and others. I think when there is opportunity, that brings the best out of guys and that might be all they need to reach the levels they are capable of. That will be exciting to watch across the pre-season.”

The fitness of Will Day will be crucial to Hawthorn’s success next year after the 2023 best-and-fairest winner was restricted to only six appearances in 2025 due to bone stress injuries in his foot.

Day missed the finals series after a second issue of the year – and third in 18 months – was discovered following his second game back in round 21. 

The South Australian is currently confined to a modified program away from the main group, but is on track to be back in full training by the end of the year. 

Maginness is also building towards full fitness after suffering a lacerated kidney against Port Adelaide at University of Tasmania Stadium in July. 

The 24-year-old ran strongly on Monday and will reintegrate back into contact training after the Christmas break, following a traumatic end to his 2025 campaign after he was rushed from Launceston to Hobart for emergency surgery.  

Gun midfielder Jai Newcombe is being managed into the pre-season away from the main group after dealing with niggles across the second half where he finished top five in the best and fairest for the fourth straight year. 

Dalton impressed again with his running after being selected at pick No.34 in November’s 2025 Telstra AFL Draft, while the club’s four other draftees – Cam Nairn, Aidan Schubert, Matt LeRay and Ollie Greeves all trained with the main group. 

The day one running test looked different on Monday at a new location in Dingley in wet and windy conditions for the first day of summer, with Josh Weddle not testing due to illness.

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