Hawthorn key forward Mitch Lewis has signed a four-year extension to remain at the club until the end of 2030.
Lewis was being heavily courted by Collingwood as he weighed up his free agency year, but has turned his back on a potential move.
Hawks coach Sam Mitchell has publicly highlighted his significance to the footy club across 2026.
"I've always been under the impression 'Mitch' really wanted to stay, that we wanted to keep him and these things can take time, particularly with someone who hasn't played a lot of footy," Mitchell said.
"I think rightly at the start of the year, he said 'I want to prove I can play to myself, to the football club and to the football world; I want to prove I can play a full season and stay healthy'."
"To his credit, he's done that."
Rehabilitation co-ordinator Jack Price presented him with the contract at training, after the pair worked extensively together given Lewis' chequered injury past.
Asked whether any conversations had taken place with Lewis about where he stood as Hawthorn has been linked to forwards Ben King and Bailey Humphrey, Mitchell said: "If I had those conversations, I wouldn't be telling you about them. But we've been chatting for a bit and he knew he was important for us and our future and that we would love to retain him if that was what he saw as viable for his future. It needs to be a balancing act. I'm pleased that it's done."
The contract comes off the back of a five-goal haul against Richmond, taking his tally to 30 from 18 matches this season.
“While much had been made of Mitch's future externally, we were always really focused on getting this deal done with his management given Mitch's importance to our forward mix," Hawthorn National Recruiting and List Manager Mark McKenzie said.
“There's no doubt Mitch is a key part of what we are trying to achieve as a club, and at 27, he is arguably at the peak of his powers as a 199cm marking tall, which was on full show this past weekend.
“While his injury history has been well documented, it's a credit to both Mitch and the club for getting him to this position of sustained performance as he nears 100 career games.
“In saying that, we are very confident he can continue to elevate his game even further in the years ahead, with Mitch expressing his strong desire to play a pivotal role in our forward line as we chase our next premiership.”
Lewis was drafted by the Hawks in 2016 with Pick 76, and has played 96 games, kicking 163 goals.
He has battled injury throughout his career, limiting his appearances in the senior side, but has overcome his issues in the past 12 months, playing the back half of last year and every match this season.
Mitchell was also pleased to lock away fellow forward Jack Gunston, saying there had been dialogue for some time before it was announced last night that he would go around again after 40 goals so far this year.
"With Jack, I've been consistent in saying it's not just what he does on the field, he's so important for us in culture and leadership development and how our players are growing on the field but also off it in how they prepare and all those things, so he's doing a great job in all of those areas as well," Mitchell said.
"Physically, he's in great shape and credit to him, he's taken some risks with how he's developed. I think as you get older, you need to edit your training...and I think for someone like Jack who has had some injury interrupted seasons and difficult-to-manage injuries, he's done a great job."
