Hawthorn's mooted acquisition of Ben King won't force Sam Mitchell into a drastic overhaul of his forward line — but it could have major ramifications for the club's emerging tall forwards.
The Hawks are set to land the Gold Coast free agent at season's end, which has not deterred Mitch Lewis and Jack Gunston from signing on the dotted line for next year and beyond.
And while the futures of father-son duo Calsher Dear and Will McCabe, and Max Ramsden remain uncertain, there's no doubt King will only add to the fortunes of the brown and gold.
The current Coleman Medal fancy rarely leaves inside 50, and for good reason, which is why Sam Mitchell would love to have King play for him. It would represent a natural succession plan rather than a direct replacement — moving from one of the game's smartest forwards to one of its most damaging young key targets.
For all of Gunston's forward nous and footballing ability, his one-year deal into next year is unlikely to extend beyond that, but stranger things have happened. The three-time premiership Hawk is acutely aware of the direction the club is heading, and if King performs better than he, you'd imagine he'd be happy to work alongside the up-and-coming youngsters at Dingley. That would be a full-time role in itself, with the occasional AFL game.
As it is now, Lewis would remain in the senior team despite the addition of King, playing largely as a traditional centre-half-forward. The hit-up-and-wheel tall would lace out his potential partner-in-crime like some of the very best key-forward combinations have done. Sam Mitchell lived it during the Franklin-Roughead era. Carlton were privy to the works of Charlie Curnow and Harry McKay, albeit it was short-lived.
The fleet of small forwards would still filter around King and Lewis, while the enigmatic Mabior Chol would definitely find his way into the best 23. So what's changed? King for Gunston.
But where does that leave Dear, McCabe and Ramsden?
This is where the cost will come from: the Hawks' youth. Dear emerged from the shadows in the absence of Lewis in 2024, but has since battled with injury and form. Sam Mitchell and his coaching staff are adamant about his development, but will they get the opportunity to see it?
King's arrival would be only one piece of a complicated off-season puzzle, with Hawthorn also needing to preserve enough draft capital to pursue midfield targets, whilst simultaneously pushing Dear, McCabe and Ramsden down the key forward hierarchy.
The chase for Essendon star Zach Merrett adds another layer of intrigue, with Hawthorn needing significant trade capital to bolster its midfield stocks.
Merrett would require a trade given he remains contracted for 2027, but Hawthorn may be able to secure him for a far more manageable price than nine months ago, when the Bombers rejected a monster offer of three first-round picks from the Hawks.
If Gold Coast matched a Hawks bid for King and forced a trade, it would be an enormous juggling act for Sam Mitchell's list management team.
But we've seen this narrative before.
When Hawthorn, under Alastair Clarkson, was on the precipice of its three-peat, they began plucking established stars from rival clubs. Brian Lake. James Frawley. Ben McEvoy. David Hale. Matthew Spanger. Josh Gibson. Shaun Burgoyne. All were pivotal to premiership wins.
Clarkson coined 'Hawk-print as the term used to focus heavily on initially hitting the draft and then strategically trading in ready-made players and maximising free agency once the premiership window was opened. An evolution of the list build, under Mitchell, has been stamped as 'Hok-print'.
Near-identical model, only years later.
King and Merrett would be among names such as Tom Barrass, Josh Battle, Jack Ginnivan, Karl Amon, Jarman Impey, Lloyd Meek and Chol as list builders at Dingley, but as it did during the late 2000s and early 2010s, the bold moves will have ramifications.
The question is, will Hawthorn pull the trigger?
