Hawthorn midfielder Jaeger O'Meara has spoken on how he dealt with the Hawks' 2021 trade window, which raised questions over the future of a number of senior figures at the club.
O'Meara was among a quartet of star Hawks reportedly placed on offer to rival clubs, with the new tenure of senior coach Sam Mitchell placing a priority on acquiring top-end draft selections in return for their high-priced players.
The 27-year-old remains contracted with the Waverley club until the end of next year, however an alarming letter to members from president Jeff Kennett sounded out the potential reality of Hawthorn being active in the trade window with "surprise" list decisions.
Kennett eventually ruled out the suggestion that senior players would be moved on following further reports that Mitchell had contacted rival clubs to gauge interest.
Midfielder
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The timeline raised some concern with O'Meara, who looked to contact his new coach to ensure his future remained in the brown and gold.
"I made the odd phone call to Sam to ask what was up," O'Meara told 7 News.
"Unless they were pushing me out the door and getting a high draft pick and it worked for the club... then maybe I might entertain it.
"I've got two years left on my contract and I'm really happy at Hawthorn."
The Perth native was named alongside contracted teammates Tom Mitchell, Jack Gunston and Chad Wingard in reportedly being available, with the latter having his name closely tied to Greater Western Sydney.
Wingard denied the reports via Instagram, while O'Meara had his own name linked to Port Adelaide during the exchange period.
Amid the chaos, O'Meara was back in his home state away from the noise, feeling sympathetic for those that were residing back in Victoria.
"The guys that were sitting around here in Melbourne unfortunately read a fair bit more than what I did over there," he said.
"It was nice to be back in WA and kind of removed a little but from it."
.@HawthornFC midfielder Jaeger O’Meara has lifted the lid on the trade period that nearly saw him shipped out of Waverley. The star has just overcome a more recent battle to be fit and firing for the season ahead. https://t.co/5zYfOfohG3 @cleary_mitch #7AFL #7NEWS pic.twitter.com/d4UZvRwAOf
— 7NEWS Melbourne (@7NewsMelbourne) January 27, 2022
O'Meara is set to enter his sixth season with the Hawks in what will be a highly-anticipated campaign under Sam Mitchell, who has succeeded four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson.
The Hawks will continue to work through a list rebuild following their 14th placed finish in 2021, having added more youth and cutting senior players throughout their off-season.
Ruckman Jonathon Ceglar was traded to Geelong during the trade period, with young Collingwood tall Max Lynch joining the Hawks in the final moments of the window.
The Hawks were also able to add several promising draftees, headlined by Pick 7 Josh Ward, who is touted to have an immediate impact on Mitchell's planning for 2022.
Hawthorn will begin their 2022 season against North Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday, March 20.
