As the Sam Mitchell era continues its metamorphosis at Hawthorn, yet another veteran finds himself being squeezed out by the Hawks as they look to rebuild in the image of their club champion.
As per SEN's Sam Edmund, ruckman Jonathon Ceglar has been informed by the Hawks that he should “explore opportunities elsewhere”. This revelation comes despite the fact that Ceglar is currently under contract for the 2022 season, given he signed a three-year extension back in 2019.
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Ceglar's manager, Liam Pickering, told Zero Hanger that they had been in contact with Geelong at this early stage. Pickering confirmed that they had yet to hear from any other clubs at this point.
The Cats have deployed Rhys Stanley and Esava Ratugolea in the ruck in recent times with mixed levels of success.
In his time with the Hawthorn, Ceglar hasn't been frequently called upon but has always shown up to play when needed.
The fact that Ceglar’s fallen out of favour given the type of season that he put together only reinforces Mitchell’s preference for emphasising youth and this upcoming draft, in which the Hawks hold picks 5, 21, 24, 56 and 62.
Another factor working against the big-man is the flashes of potential young ruck Ned Reeves displayed in his five games this past season. Reeves quickly proved to be more physical in ruck contests, averaging 26.2 hit-outs and 7.2 hit-outs to advantage. These numbers are slight elevations when compared to Ceglar, but when the age difference is accounted for it’s no surprise to see who’s in favour.
On the other hand, captain Ben McEvoy continued with his destructive form as he dominated aerial contests around the ground and remained a dead eye in front of goal. The emergence of a younger talent and continued dominance of a fellow veteran have ultimately been Ceglar’s undoing as he is now left out by default.
Edmund informed that St Kilda, Brisbane and the Western Bulldogs are all shopping for ruck reinforcements.
However, the Saints already have a carousel of rucks on their list, there’s a plethora of players the Lions are already courting and good chance that the Dogs will renew Stef Martin for 2022.
Whether or not Ceglar is viewed by these clubs as a viable option is still up for debate, but with the trade period officially underway we won’t need to wait long to find out whether a suitor emerges.
Edmund's report added that the Hawks have shown some interest in young Magpies tall Max Lynch, who is facing an unclear future at the Holden Centre.
