Zachary Merrett

Hawthorn's number one priority was high-end talent, Mark McKenzie said, and it landed Zachary Merrett, traded from Essendon on the first official day of the trade period, and free agent Ben King: "He's kicked 60-plus goals over the last 3 years."

Landing Zach Merrett and Ben King is why Aidan Schubert and Sam Butler went to Gold Coast, Hawthorn's Rob McCartney said: it "leads to conversations about our depth and players maybe wanting greater opportunity." With Calsher Dear re-signed, Schubert would still be developing.