Welcome Welcome to Hawthorn: Josh Ward. Extends to 2025!

[TheFourPillars]

So he has been given 14 because of his great grand pa.

 

[Collins-Langford-Ayres]

What a great story for him to land at the Hawks. Was hoping we'd get him. Welcome to the big time Josh !!!

Quite happy with our additions so far in Max Lynch, Fionn O'Hara and now Josh Ward !!

 

[Steven Tyler]

Right?

"FFS I'm sick of these small 183cm midfielders we need someone with a bit more height, someone more like Petracca! He's... 186cm"

When you are built like Petracca, height doesn’t matter as much

Really happy with selecting Ward, just what we need

 

[burner1]

Seems the opposite of what we need / where game is heading with mids with elite footy iq who are also athletic beasts + focus on impact not accumulation. We must think his footy iq is off charts.

 

[The Kipster]

Welcome Young Man, it's great to have another Hawk supporter on the list, I wish you a very long and successful career.

 

[QuietB]

Good chance he ends up 185 ish

On SM-G955F using BigFooty.com mobile app

Long stops?

 

[SSSSSS]

Petracca is only a little bit taller at 186cm relative to most of our mids who are around the 181 to 185cm mark (apart from Nash of course who is 197cm)

What sets Petracca apart is the fact he is 97kgs which makes him crazy strong (especially around his core) and almost impossible to tackle.

You can see Worps and JOM sometimes try to break tackles with a don't argue but at 85kg (ish) they sometimes (often) dont have the power to do get away with it.

Mind you Petracca is an athletic freak that he can be 97kg and still cover the amount of ground he does, that's not easy to do!

Petracca was dunking as a chubby 17 year old. Absolute freak.

 

[Wesley2]

I haven't paid attention to the draft but watching snippets of this kid he seems very smooth and his clean handballs are a standout. Hopefully he coaches a few of the older boys how to not handball it to team mates feet lol

 

[Simon Crawshay]

Seems the opposite of what we need / where game is heading with mids with elite footy iq who are also athletic beasts + focus on impact not accumulation. We must think his footy iq is off charts.

A lot will depend on his running ability I think.

Sam Walsh is not a huge unit and not powerful like Petracca but when you watch him live you understand that his base jogging pace is the equivalent of most players running at 80% of their top speed. And he just never stops running.

If Ward can be like Walsh (Crawf and Cousins were also great exponents of absolute gut running in their day) he can make up for his lack of athleticism / power / size.

 

[kirbatron]

Seems the opposite of what we need / where game is heading with mids with elite footy iq who are also athletic beasts + focus on impact not accumulation. We must think his footy iq is off charts.

A low risk, ready-to-go midfielder who is one of the very best and most complete players in this draft. His production and impact during the latter part of the NAB League campaign was up there with the play of Daicos.

Strengths:
Skills
Lowers his eyes and places kicks out in front of targets inside 50
Vision
Decision making under pressure
Composure
Go-to-guy around the ground
Contested ball winning
Inside/outside midfield balance
Works hard both ways
Endurance
Work rate
Run and carry with ball in hand
Agility
Acceleration
Rises to the big occasion
AFL ready-to-go game
Production
Consistency

 

[Noel Gallagher]

A low risk, ready-to-go midfielder who is one of the very best and most complete players in this draft. His production and impact during the latter part of the NAB League campaign was up there with the play of Daicos.

Strengths:
Skills
Lowers his eyes and places kicks out in front of targets inside 50
Vision
Decision making under pressure
Composure
Go-to-guy around the ground
Contested ball winning
Inside/outside midfield balance
Works hard both ways
Endurance
Work rate
Run and carry with ball in hand
Agility
Acceleration
Rises to the big occasion
AFL ready-to-go game
Production
Consistency

He wasn’t my first choice initially - fluctuated between Callaghan, Rochelle and Sinn but always had faith in MM. Having watched him speak though, first thing that stood out is character - well spoken, articulate and confident. Very obvious leadership qualities and looks to be from a good Familly. Think we have just landed an absolute gun and future Captain ..

 

[kenneje]

If Ward can be like Walsh (Crawf and Cousins were also great exponents of absolute gut running in their day) he can make up for his lack of athleticism / power / size.

The other current player he is very similar to is Touk Miller.

 

[Pinoy Hawk]

From Herald Sun- Maybe he is not really our first choice that night, but I'm happy he is now a Hawk.


Meanwhile, Ward had been given no assurances by the Hawks, who told the Northern Knights star that they would see how the draft played out.

He conceded he had “no idea” what was going to happen on the night.

“It’s been a stressful week, my name has been floating around that mark but you never really know until it happens,” Ward said after being drafted.

“Even just before they called my name out there was that pause and I had no idea what was going to happen. I thought they might have traded the pick or something so it’s been stressful but I’m thrilled to be going to the Hawks.

“I heard from them three times, and built a great relationship with (recruiting boss) Mark McKenzie, Nathan Foley

Nathan Foley

Age

38

Ht

178cm

Wt

79kg

Pos.

M/F

Career

Season

Last 5

D

20.4

5star

K

9.3

4star

HB

11.0

5star

M

2.6

3star

T

4.2

5star

CL

3.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

11.4

3star

K

4.6

2star

HB

6.8

5star

M

1.2

2star

T

3.6

5star

and (coach) Sam Mitchell. They are all great people and I really enjoyed speaking to them but at the same time all the clubs are great and didn’t give me any idea of what was going to happen.

“I spoke with (Hawthorn in the lead-up) but they said themselves ‘we don’t know what is going to happen and we’ll make the decision on the night.’ I’m glad it turned out how it did.”



Ward said he will be a reliable asset for his teammates and the club.

“I think I’m just someone my teammates will be able to rely on week in, week out. Whether that’s playing round 1 which is obviously my aim, but in any team, any round, I think when I get that chance, I will put in the work and learn as much as I (can) over pre-season. I’ll be someone they can rely on to make the right decisions,” he said.

 

[MrPremiership]

Seems the opposite of what we need / where game is heading with mids with elite footy iq who are also athletic beasts + focus on impact not accumulation. We must think his footy iq is off charts.

he's an elite runner with great disposal

seems perfect for the game

 

[MrPremiership]

Loved his dad doing the fist pump after hearing Josh's name called out from Hawks. Genuinely excited their boy is going to the club they love.


Not a safe pick, this was the right pick

 

[Slysh]

I think some have the wrong idea about this kid

He isn’t ‘small’ and he isn’t lacking Athletically.

He is a solid size and has solid to good agility. They are by no means his strengths but they aren’t weaknesses

Elite tank, that can play inside and outside with good skills and a high footy IQ. That is never not going to be in vogue in the AFL

 

[Pinoy Hawk]

Has he been compared to Sam Walsh

18

Sam Walsh

Age

23

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.1

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

5.1

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

3.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.2

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

10.8

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

4.8

5star

before?
He could be a Sam Walsh

18

Sam Walsh

Age

23

Ht

184cm

Wt

84kg

Pos.

Mid

Career

Season

Last 5

D

25.1

5star

K

13.5

5star

HB

11.6

5star

M

5.1

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

3.4

5star

No current season stats available

D

26.2

5star

K

15.4

5star

HB

10.8

5star

M

6.0

5star

T

3.2

5star

CL

4.8

5star

lite.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

he's an elite runner with great disposal

seems perfect for the game

And can play inside or outside, so shouldn't have an issue meshing with JOM, Mitchell, Worpel and the Duke.

 

[Judd2Sewell]

Has he been compared to Sam Walsh before?
He could be a Sam Walsh lite.

Yes. Other comparisons are Zerrett and Touk Miller. All three are absolute guns.

 

[Hodginator]

Welcome to the greatest team in the land. Look forward to see how he comes along.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it really hard to watch highlight packages and work out who’s who? Not just for Ward, but any potential draftee highlight video. Especially when there’s no commentary. Never have any clue who I’m meant to be looking at. Is it the guy getting the clearance out, or the guy it’s hand-balled out to then breaks a tackle, or the guy he ends up kicking it to and taking a contested mark? Never have any clue.

Maybe it’s just me as I don’t really follow the juniors or take much notice. But would be good if the social media teams could work out how to do a spotlight effect on the respective players.

 

[Ned Ryerson]

Despite being listed at 79kg he looks fairly solid. If his form warrants senior selection from early next year would he be ready to play

Welcome to the greatest team in the land. Look forward to see how he comes along.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it really hard to watch highlight packages and work out who’s who? Not just for Ward, but any potential draftee highlight video. Especially when there’s no commentary. Never have any clue who I’m meant to be looking at. Is it the guy getting the clearance out, or the guy it’s hand-balled out to then breaks a tackle, or the guy he ends up kicking it to and taking a contested mark? Never have any clue.

Maybe it’s just me as I don’t really follow the juniors or take much notice. But would be good if the social media teams could work out how to do a spotlight effect on the respective players.

I think when King was doing his assessment after picks that spotlight/highlight effect was being used. Absolutely agree that it makes it easier.

 

[RedmanWasHere]

Josh Ward adds his name (albeit under-aged) to the list of players from the 2017 School Sport Australia, Australian Football U15 All-Australian side.

Edit: Josh is 3rd from right in the front row.

 

[Pessimistic]

Welcome to the greatest team in the land. Look forward to see how he comes along.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it really hard to watch highlight packages and work out who’s who? Not just for Ward, but any potential draftee highlight video. Especially when there’s no commentary. Never have any clue who I’m meant to be looking at. Is it the guy getting the clearance out, or the guy it’s hand-balled out to then breaks a tackle, or the guy he ends up kicking it to and taking a contested mark? Never have any clue.

Maybe it’s just me as I don’t really follow the juniors or take much notice. But would be good if the social media teams could work out how to do a spotlight effect on the respective players.

When they show anyone kicking a pass and you dont see the 'catch' its very suss

 

[kenneje]

Welcome to the greatest team in the land. Look forward to see how he comes along.

Is it just me, or does anyone else find it really hard to watch highlight packages and work out who’s who? Not just for Ward, but any potential draftee highlight video. Especially when there’s no commentary. Never have any clue who I’m meant to be looking at. Is it the guy getting the clearance out, or the guy it’s hand-balled out to then breaks a tackle, or the guy he ends up kicking it to and taking a contested mark? Never have any clue.

Maybe it’s just me as I don’t really follow the juniors or take much notice. But would be good if the social media teams could work out how to do a spotlight effect on the respective players.

Mate you're 100% right!
The AFL need to approach some of those soccer fans that put together 'Welcome to Arsenal Highlights 21/22' videos on youtube with Euro trash EDM in the background.
They have like 10 sections per video all highlighting individual attributes with funky graphics etc...

I guess the issue is the amount of footage we have of these kids, but investing in some cameras and video editors for this exact purpose would go a long way to promoting interest in the draft.

 

[2OLD 2SLOW]

Welcome Josh!
Is it just me, or has being drafted to Hawthorn made him instantly better looking ...

Before ...


After ...




Something about that brown and gold.