Much this season has been made of the Hawthorn forward line, and in particular concerns about the quality of their ability to score due to a reliance on 33-year-old Jack Gunston, who is currently leading the Hawks' goal kicking with 23 majors.
However, while Gunston has received many plaudits for his start to the 2025 season, an often maligned key forward is quietly putting together some impressive numbers in his second season at Bunjil Bagora.
Mabior Chol, who has often played as the lone key target in the Hawthorn forward line this season with the absences of key duo Mitchell Lewis and Calsher Dear, is showing the consistency at senior level that he has often been critiqued for lacking.
The 28-year-old, who is in his second season of a four-year contract at Hawthorn, has displayed a solid work rate and effort that has seen him able to achieve some impressive statistics to start off the 2025 season for the 7-3 Hawks.
During Hawthorn's eight-point loss to Gold Coast last Thursday night, Chol was instrumental in giving Hawthorn a winning chance, kicking three goals, including an incredible individual effort where he stepped key defender Sam Collins before slotting the goal to draw the Hawks within arm's reach of the lead late in the clash.
In front of goals this year, Chol has become an incredibly reliable player for the Hawks, who are currently sitting fourth for points scored, with a healthy percentage of 123.8%.
Chol is currently sitting in 12th position on the Coleman Medal ladder with 20 goals from 30 shots on goal, which is an average of two goals per game that puts him in the above average category for a key forward, while his accuracy currently sits in the elite category with a conversion rate of 66.7%.
Despite averaging just shy of 10 touches per game to start the season, his ability to get involved in scoring chains and make his disposals count has seen him average 5.2 score involvements in his 10 games to date this season.
For a man who stands at two metres tall, Chol's work in defence has been a real highlight, with his chase-down tackles on defenders a highlight.
In the area of tackling, he is currently sitting in the above-average group for a key forward, averaging 2.1 tackles a game and showing the desired work rate and attitude that has seen him become a fan favourite at Waverley Park.
What has impressed many within the walls of Hawthorn is the attitude that the Chol has brought to the Hawks when it comes to continuing to improve his craft and his game.
Chol, who had spent time previously at Richmond and atGold Coast before joining the Hawks at the end of the 2023 season when he was traded in exchange for a future second-round pick, has worked closely with Hawthorn forwards coach Adrian Hickmott on developing his ability to not only be a consistent target in the forward line but also working on his ability to stay involved in each game.
The Hawks are currently ranked first for marks inside 50, of which Chol is a big reason, where he has averaged over two marks per game competing against some of the better key defenders in the competition.
This week, Chol faces another big task for the Hawks, where he will likely line up on one of Brisbane's premiership defenders in Harris Andrews or Jack Payne, and will need to bring his consistent effort and work rate to help the Hawks put a winning score on the board.
The Hawks take on last year's reigning premiers on Saturday afternoon at the MCG, with both teams looking to bounce back from losses in Round 10.
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