First-year Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell is stamping his authority on the playing group.
The upcoming season marks a new era at the Hawks after Mitchell succeeded four-time premiership coach Alastair Clarkson a year earlier than initially planned.
Young Hawk Denver Grainger-Barras has been impressed by Mitchell’s work in the pre-season, highlighting a key trait in his coaching repertoire.
Grainger-Barras, who recently inked a fresh two-year contract extension, says the 39-year-old has already built a strong rapport with the playing contingent.
“Sam’s amazing. He’s got a really, really good ability to know footy but also people,” he told SEN’s Dwayne’s World.
“He develops really good relationships with everyone. It allows him to give the best feedback in the right way for each individual person.
“It’s a really, really good trait to have as a coach.
“I can see a lot of the players wanting to play for Sam and that’s a really good factor to have at a footy club.”
Becoming a tougher side has been Hawthorn’s main focus under Mitchell during the off-season.
“We’re focusing on a lot of different things, being tough is one of our biggest ones,” Grainger-Barras said.
“Sam’s got a very, very good control of what he wants and it’s clear for us players.”
Hawthorn also appointed new assistant coaches Adrian Hickmott, David Hale, Andy Collins and Robert Harvey to work alongside Mitchell in 2022.