HAWKS GAIN TRIO OF EXPERIENCE
Monday, 18 January 2010

By Daniel Dufty

The Box Hill Hawks have landed a trio of experience in preparation for the 2010 VFL Season with former Sydney Swan, Luke Ablett, Ex-Carlton rookie/Claremont midfielder Ryan Jackson, and Frankston Captain Shaun Pollard all signing up with the Hawks.

Luke Ablett is the second big name for the Hawks, following Adem Yze who joined the list in 2009.

Appearing 133 times over nine seasons for the Sydney Football Club, Ablett was a well respected midfielder in the AFL, notably for his tremendous work rate and leadership.

Drafted to Sydney Swans in the 2000 AFL National Draft with selection #24, Ablett made his debut in 2002 Round 13 against Fremantle.

Ablett was part of the Swans 2005 Premiership side, ending a seventy-two year premiership drought, and played in the 2006 losing Grand Final against West Coast.

A key player for Sydney in his nine years, Ablett was well regarded for his leadership, and was admitted to Sydney’s leadership group between 2008-2009.

Ablett will bridge the gap after the losses of both Adem Yze and Sam Iles (Gold Coast) after the end of the 2009 VFL season. A classy midfielder, with polished foot skills, Ablett will not only bring experience, but invaluable leadership.

Box Hill List and Recruiting Manager Dale Bleach sees the inclusion of Ablett into the Box Hill side a step forward for the Hawks, after the loss of Sam Iles last season.

“Given that we lost Sam Iles last year, we needed a really good marquee midfielder”

“So part of the recruiting strategy was obviously getting a player that could not only impact upon games for us, the way that Luke will; but also, with his experience, being able to not only nurture some of our younger Box Hill boys, but also the Hawthorn boys, that will be apart playing alot of the time at Box Hill”

“Luke’s got a mentoring type role to help develop our list”.

Ryan Jackson also joins Box Hill for 2010. Jackson taken in the 2006 Rookie Draft by Carlton with selection #1, made his debut against Sydney in 2006, and played a total of nine games in his two years with Carlton (2006-2008).

Elevated off the Rookie list for the 2007/2008 season, Jackson (after delisting) moved into the WAFL and played for Claremont in 2009.  

Now back in Victoria, Jackson, who is only 22 years of age, has a lot of football ahead of him, and Box Hill will be the best platform for Jackson to display his talent.  

Formally a Northern Knights Captain in the TAC Cup in 2005, Jackson’s endurance and athleticism will be a key to the Hawks midfield line in 2010.

Picking up both Ablett and Jackson, Box Hill’s midfield is not only improved, but will have great depth.

“That was the area we really wanted to strengthen up”

“Not only with some quality, but also some experience and bigger body type players”

“We probably felt that in last years final against Port Melbourne, Pinwill and some of their bigger body midfielders got us in a little bit in the stoppages, so Luke and Ryan are definitely are going to help us in that area, and amass plenty of ball themselves as well”. Bleach said.

Shaun Pollard is the third of the Hawks pre-season signings.

Captain of Frankston (2008-2009), Pollard is one of the VFL’s premier backman and is a well-established name with VFL followers.

In 2006, Pollard helped lead Frankston to the VFL Second Semi-Final and was named in the 2006 VFL Team of the Year at Full Back.

Pollard, brings leadership to the Hawks and will strengthen the side’s backline after the loss of former Captain Lukas Markovic to the Western Bulldogs.

“Shaun was targeted very early on in our recruiting strategy because we knew that if Markovic wasn’t drafted, he was pretty much a certainty to get rookied, so their was going to be a hole in defence from a key position type player”

“What Shaun brings to the club apart from being a fantastic VFL player for eight or nine years now is plenty of experience, leadership, and he’s a terrific person to have around the young blokes at the club. Again not only the Box Hill boys, but he’s going to have experience for the inexperienced younger Hawthorn boys that will play in our side” Bleach explained.
 
Without much success of late with the Dolphins, Pollard will be hoping for a different story with Box Hill in the 2010 season.

Box Hill is very satisfied with its selections, and no doubt the club has gained alot from what departed the club in 2009.

“We’re very pleased with what we have done. We knew it would be really difficult to fill holes with Iles, Markovic, and Adem Yze being out. We knew that obviously fairly early in the piece, so I think we’ve done a really good job. Not only covering those losses and they will be definitely losses, but we’ve not only done that, and covered that, but hopefully we have added something”

“Haydn Kiel is also on board. He was delisted by Hawthorn last year; he’s another one, who is committed to us for 2010”

“We are more than pleased with where we’re at the moment” Bleach said.