The news of Will Day's shoulder dislocation at Hawthorn training on Thursday morning immediately prompts genuine concern about the strength of the club's midfield.
Pundits have differing views about the impact of one player in a game that demands structure, system and discipline to contend for a flag, but Day offers such balance to Hawthorn's weakest line.
His explosive burst from stoppage injects necessary spark when he's in the midfield and his ball use going forward unlocks Hawthorn's dynamic attacking line.
Combined with his rangy size and elite running capacity, Day on the field correlates to Hawthorn wins.
During Hawthorn's breakthrough 2024, it won just one of its first six games before Day returned, which changed the trajectory of the club's season.
Through his 16 games, Hawthorn won 12 times, and from an admittedly smaller sample size, the Hawks won four of the five games he played last year.
While Sam Mitchell's men proved they could win without Day in 2025, reaching the preliminary finals, there was lingering questions about the quality of the midfield against the best.
It was clearly a deficiency that was internally recognised, with the club targeting Zach Merrett in the off-season, which failed to land, and they have been widely linked to Zak Butters, who is out of contract at the end of this season.
Both loom as potential 2027 additions, but what about the engine room this year?
If the Hawks opt for surgery, rather than taking the risk of playing him through 2026 with a loose shoulder, Day will be ruled out until mid-season.
Day being best conditioned to return to his game-changing best ahead of September would become the priority, but doing so will be a challenge for a player with such limited football behind him.
Clearly, the Hawks would also need to win enough games without him, and have a much trickier draw before the bye than after it.
Midfield bull Jai Newcombe set the tone in 2025, but as the sole top 10 finisher in the Peter Crimmins Medal among the onballers, will need further support in 2025.
The Merrett non-deal already put pressure on the younger brigade to step up in 2025; that responsibility goes up another notch following Thursday's incident.
Hawthorn was seventh among top eight sides for turning first possession into a clearance and possession chains leading to a score, while they were the worst among the finalists for retention rating.
Only Port Adelaide and Adelaide averaged more turnovers in 2025, and the club was seventh among top eight sides for disposals per clanger.
In essence, the club was hamstrung by poor ball use.
It was an area that needed improvement regardless of the Day injury; losing arguably their second best user behind Massimo D'Ambrosio adds complexity to the solution.
Josh Ward, Cam Mackenzie and Henry Hustwaite are those who will be desperate to drive Hawthorn's success.
Arguably, the incentive is not just propelling the team forward, but locking down a future at the Hawks, particularly for the latter out-of-contract pair, given Day's return and a likely off-season addition will add competition for spots longer term.
Ward was named Hawthorn's most improved player in 2025 and has the strongest foundation of the trio to take a significant step in 2026.
Having never played more than 16 games in a season, he lined up 25 times for Hawthorn and was one of their best in a big win over Adelaide in the semi-final, with his running capacity a standout.
Mackenzie had a frustrating season punctuated by a broken hand, after which he never regained his best footy and struggled for selection, but remains a player the club is bullish about. Of the trio, he's arguably shown the most promise through his short career.
Hustwaite, meanwhile, continues to dominate the VFL and has had limited opportunity at the top level, but is as good a replacement as any on the list for Day's clearance-winning.
Connor MacDonald is also right in the mix, training with the midfield group in pre-season, the position where he was drafted. He would give them a turn of speed and replace the deceptive defensive pluckiness that Day provided.
MacDonald's ability to explode through traffic and set up attack excited track watchers on Monday.
After back-to-back seasons interrupted by a horrific injury, Sam Butler is also worth tracking after taking out the club's two-kilometre time trial.
Nick Watson has been open about his hunger for midfield time across the break and after attending centre bounces in 12 of his last 13 games through 2025, is another the Hawks could turn to.
Conor Nash, meanwhile, was Hawthorn's most used midfielder behind Newcombe last year, and impressed coaching staff with gains made in the uncontested phase as the season progressed - an area he and the Hawks will be keen to keep improving.
James Worpel was the other staple in the middle, and the Hawks may ultimately be left frustrated by end-of-second-round compensation for the 2019 Peter Crimmins Medalist.
In Newcombe and Nash, Hawthorn have a sturdy contested foundation; using their ability to prise first possession from improved ruck Lloyd Meek is the piece Hawthorn need to find.
With two vacant spots on their list and just Ethan Stanley and Flynn Perez trialling, another option is to parachute in a more comparable replacement for Day.
Regardless of which way they turn, there is no doubt another Day injury is the last thing Hawthorn would have wanted.
