Hawthorn recruit Josh Goater has opened up on his injury-plagued stint at North Melbourne, revealing his desire for a “fresh start” following his move to the Hawks.
After being drafted with Pick 22 in the 2021 AFL draft, the defender struggled to stay on the field, playing just one game in his debut season and only 18 in five seasons.
Speaking to Hawks media, Goater explained why a change of environment could help ignite his AFL career.
“A fresh start, just purely because of all the injuries I've had, I think a new environment will be really good for me,” Goater said.
“The way that the Hawks play footy, the environment that's here, the facilities, how good you guys (Hawthorn) are going, I think it's a very special club and a very special group of boys.”
The 23-year-old hopes to bring his flair and athleticism to an already dynamic Hawthorn backline, combining his 190cm frame with his line-breaking speed.
“Playing a bit of half-back, using my speed to break lines is what I back myself to do, and also compete aerially with marking and spoiling.”
After playing in a struggling defence for the past five seasons, Goater now moves to Hawthorn to play alongside some of the competition's elite defenders.
“I think down back for me (James) Sicily and all those players down there are pretty good, so to just play with them and learn off them I think will be awesome.”
The Hawks have a history of turning injury-plagued prospects into stars of the competition.
Shaun Burgoyne is arguably the most famous after his career was at a crossroads at Port Adelaide, before turning into a three-time premiership player and crossing the 400-game mark during his time in the AFL.
"The Hawks have a history of being able to get the best out of players," Hawthorn footy boss Rob McCartney said to the Hawks Insider podcast.
"I think the most talked about story is Shaun Burgoyne, but there's so many others - whether they've been in our system and have succumbed to certain injuries and they've worked out the other side of it. The professionalism of that medical high-performance team at the Hawks is an absolute superpower of our club.
"So first and foremost, we need to get to understand (Goater) as an athlete and as a footballer, so that we can give him the opportunity that so many of our players have been able to experience at the Hawks in recent years of playing consistently. So that's first and foremost for him when he gets to us: take the time to get to know him.
"He's a half-backer, he can intercept, but he can also rebound, and he can use his feet. We're getting a younger player into that group, getting to see what he can do, getting him to push for an opportunity to play AFL footy obviously in '27, but keep a bit more of a longer-term view of him as well, because we will have to evolve over the next couple of years in that space."
The Hawks are looking to evolve their defensive profile with youth, hence the Goater acquisition.
