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Why expectations are high at Hawthorn and the president’s explanation of ‘HokBall’
Andrew Slevison • December 13th, 2024 10:53 am
Hawthorn president Andy Gowers insists that expectations are very high within the four walls of the club.
The Hawks surprised many by going on a remarkable run in season 2024 which culminated in a narrow (and unlucky) Semi Final defeat to Port Adelaide.
Sam Mitchell and his Hawks will look to use that momentum in 2025 with pundits aplenty tipping them to contend with the top echelon of teams.
Gowers says from a club perspective the anticipation is that the Hawks, with star recruits Tom Barrass and Josh Battle in tow, will be intent on flying high in 2025.
“The expectations are high,” Gowers said on SEN Mornings.
“We were very disappointed with the abrupt finish that we had in the finals despite it being somewhat of a bonus that we were in the finals at all.
“Expectations are high and one of the things that Sam Mitchell said at our best and fairest was, ‘The leap from 16th to sixth is much easier than sixth to first’.
“Clearly we’re in the game to win premierships and that jump from sixth to first is going to be a lot harder than 16th to sixth. We know there’s a lot of work in front of us.
“But we’ve also quite clearly brought in two very good players in Tommy Barrass and Josh Battle, and some other young talented players. The list is good.
“If we can be sound and have a good run with injuries there’s no reason why we can’t go as high as we want to go.
“The expectations are high internally and we’re all excited.”
A fresh movement coincided with Hawthorn’s form in 2025, stemming form their brash and youthful nature.
Some have coined the term ‘HokBall’ due to the high-octane game style played under Mitchell as well as the frenzied social media activity, particularly on TikTok, of the largely Gen Z playing group.
Gowers, being a man in his 50s, attempted to explain exactly what HokBall is and how it has captured the imagination.
“It’s TikTok Hawks,” Gowers said in reference to HokBall.
“It’s fast ball movement, it’s young people who are on TikTok.
“Incidentally, we won a huge TikTok award for the most engagement in sport. It was a really big honour for the club and our content and media team deserve full praise for that.
“HokBall is talking the world by storm, but no one can truly define it.”
So, will it carry on in 2025?
“I think so, I expect it to,” Gowers replied.
“The kids want it to, the kids in the team and the kids who are watching.”
The new wave of fun-loving footballers has also captured the attention of senior coach Mitchell who was known during his career as a very serious character.
Gowers has praised Mitchell’s ability to acclimatise to the new footy world and accept the youthful exuberance around him.
“I haven’t been surprised at all. Sam is incredibly communicative, he’s a great listener,” he said when asked if Mitchell’s acceptance has surprised him.
“As a coach you do have to morph and change with the times. I think he’s done that really well and continues to.
“He is very intelligent and reads the room. In footy clubs you need different characters. You need a few mongrels, you need some people who are comedians, you need people who are more serious, it’s a melting pot of personalities. Sam knows that from being a player, he was one of the more serious ones as a player. There are times to have a laugh and other times when thing are pretty serious.
“I think he’s really good at reading that situation and speaking and acting accordingly. So no, it hasn’t surprised me at all.”
The Hawks are set to capitalise on their popularity by giving fans an inside look into the ongoings at the club in a pre-season documentary titled ‘Full Sweat’ which will air on Channel 7 closer to the start of the 2025 season.
