Veteran Hawthorn forward Chad Wingard has inked an extension with the club, signing a one-year deal to remain at Waverley until the cessation of the 2024 season.
Following departing Port Adelaide in 2018, Wingard has called the Hawks' next home, wearing the club's famous brown and gold bars on 71 occasions.
The 30-year-old entered the 2023 season without a deal to remain under Sam Mitchell's watch, however, after his season came to a premature close with a ruptured Achilles, both club and player have come to an agreement.
The news of Wingard's re-commitment at Waverley was confirmed by the club on Friday afternoon.
โNot only is Chad exciting to watch, but he's also a great teammate and a very important player for us in our forward half,โ Hawthorn list manager Mark McKenzie said.
"While Chad is still playing at a high level on-field, his mentorship for our younger players has been equally valuable.
"We've already seen the dedication to the start of his rehabilitation process, and we're hopeful we will see Chad return as early as possible and have an impact in the brown and gold for season 2024.
"A one year contract extension is a great result for bothย Chad and the club, and we look forward to seeing him back out on the park, playing the footy we know he is capable of."
While inked on, Wingard is near certain not to feature before the end of next season after severing his tendon against the Western Bulldogs in Round 22.
The South Australian goalsneak is expected to return during the latter stages of Mitchell's third season at the helm.
An extension of this nature appeared unlikely mid-way through this season, with Wingard managing just two goals across the opening nine rounds of the season.
Yet, after spending time outside of the senior team, the two-time All-Australian turned his fortunes from Round 16 onwards, ending the season with nine majors, including three against Richmond in Round 19.
Wingard has kicked a total of 300 goals from his 218 AFL starts with both Port Adelaide and Hawthorn.
