Hawthorn's 2022 campaign started in a flurry, knocking off North Melbourne and 2021 preliminary finalists Port Adelaide in Adelaide, beginning Sam Mitchell's coaching career in stellar fashion.
The following six weeks could have had the Hawks sitting with six wins after round eight and here's how:
Trailing Carlton (round three) by 40 points at one stage, Hawthorn levelled the scoreline midway through the last quarter and had opportunities to put the game to bed. Unfortunately they didn't and lost by one solitary point.
The opposite happened in round six against Sydney, whereby Mitchell's men led the Swans by 32 points before going down by seven goals. Another wasted opportunity.
A similar thing occurred a fortnight later against Essendon, with the club leading the Bombers by 25 points before an eight-goal last term saw the Hawks go down by 27 points.
Sitting 3-5, Hawthorn wanted to square off the ledger, but dates with Richmond, Gold Coast, Collingwood and Fremantle made that hard.
However, they managed to steal an impressive victory against premiership fancies Brisbane at UTAS Stadium, which saw the club with a 4-9 win/loss record at the bye.
Despite returning from the break with a loss to GWS, the team put together a very strong month of football, notching wins against Adelaide, West Coast and North Melbourne.
With four rounds remaining, Mitchell's side put only one more win on the board against the Suns, finishing the year with eight victories.
Hawthorn boast a young, talented list who are on the right track, challenging contenders throughout the year and defeating arch enemies Geelong.
The club was 11th in Points For (1787) and proved to be lethal at times, scoring more than the league average (83) points on eight occasions.
The Hope
Mitchell Lewis: From meme to stardom
Drafted in a year that saw Hawthorn lose club legends Jordan Lewis and Sam Mitchell, the memes ran wild that the draft gurus brought in a namesake that combined the former Hawks.
However, Mitchell Lewis was destined for great things and showed glimpses at times of tearing games apart.
Insert 2022, where Lewis took his game to the next level.
Playing only 15 games due to injury, the 23-year-old was one of the sharpest shooters in the competition, kicking 37 goals and 15 behinds.
Averaging 2.5 majors a game, Lewis proved to be a handy forward with plenty potential, of which will be handy for future years.
Young backline
Changkuoth Jiath, Will Day, Jack Scrimshaw, Blake Hardwick, Lachlan Bramble and Denver Grainger-Barras.
Not necessarily household names but will be the core backline for Hawthorn for years to come.
Led by soon-to-be captain and All-Australian snub James Sicily, the Hawks look set for the future and have plenty of talent to work with.
A mix of good ball users, intercept defenders and lockdown players, coach Mitchell will be excited by the prospect as these players continue to gain valuable experience.
Hardwick is the oldest at 25 years of age with Day and Grainger-Barras sitting at only 20 years old.
The Hurt
Wasted opportunities
Throughout the year, there were times that the Hawks wasted opportunities.
Either giving up big leads or not putting goals on the board when they had a chance, Hawthorn will rue the chances squandered.
On six instances, fans were holding their head in their hands as they saw their club lose the game.
Carlton (round three), Sydney (round six), Melbourne (round seven), Essendon (round eight), Collingwood (round 12) and Fremantle (round 13) were opportunities gone begging.
Dissimilar to the Pies in 2022, if the Hawks won those close ones, would they have played finals?
The Clanger
St Kilda (round 4), Gold Coast (round 11) and Richmond (round 22) losses
Three of the most disappointing losses came against St Kilda early in the year, Gold Coast in the middle and Richmond in round 22.
Margins of 69, 67 and 61 points, Hawthorn fans were left with an ill feeling and genuine fear of falling into past habits as questions of where their list was at rose.
The Saints simply outplayed the Hawks on a dreary Sunday afternoon, while four players (Jade Gresham, Brad Hill, Max King and Tim Membrey) all kicked four goals each.
The Suns match-up was set to be a ripper, with both clubs suiting up for a tough contest. How wrong we were.
Gold Coast had 12 individual goal scorers and the game was over at half-time.
Nearing the end of another season, the Hawks were hopeful they could shake things up and a shock win over the Tigers would be a start.
However, Tom Lynch had other ideas, kicking eight goals straight and keeping in touch with the Coleman Medal.
The Hawks led for 41 seconds.
What do Hawthorn need?
It's no surprise that Hawthorn will need some key position help in defence, with the club lacking lockdown talls in that area of the ground.
Entrusting pressure on the ball carrier further up the field, opposition sides have torched the Hawks at times throughout the year, leaving the undermanned backline vulnerable.
Conceding the fourth most Points Against (1991) in 2022, the list managers should be looking to acquire some ready-made defenders.
Hawthorn were heavily scored against and on eight occasions, rival clubs hit the 100-point mark.
Another key area for Mitchell will be another ruckman.
Ned Reeves is coming along nicely, but the retirement of Ben McEvoy has opened up a position that is required for the Hawks.
Players linked to the club
Port Adelaide free agent Karl Amon is set to don the brown and gold from 2023 onwards, as the midfielder looks to return to his home state.
Amon will be a good addition to the young group that is continuing to improve each year, adding a bit of class and speed around the ball.
Brodie Grundy's name continues to pop up across the land and the Hawks have expressed interest in the two-time All-Australian.
2022 Out-of-contract players
| Player Name | Status |
| Seamus Mitchell | Out-of-contract |
Retirees and Delistings
| Player Name | Status |
| Jackson Callow | Delisted |
| Connor Downie | Delisted |
| Kyle Hartigan | Delisted |
| Daniel Howe | Delisted |
| Ben McEvoy | Retired |
| Tom Phillips | Delisted |
| Liam Shiels | Retired |
| Jack Saunders | Delisted |
