Hawks not limiting trade chase to just Merrett. They believe they can land multiple stars

Hawthorn will continue their pursuit of multiple players from rival clubs rather than confining their effort and trade capital to Essendon veteran Zach Merrett, as they did last year.

The Hawks remain keen to acquire Merrett, who is expected to seek a trade to Hawthorn at season’s end, and are the favoured destination for Gold Coast key forward Ben King if the restricted free agent chooses to leave. They have been a leading suitor for Suns young gun Bailey Humphrey, who is contracted for 2027, as well as King. They met with Humphrey last spring.

While industry figures question how Hawthorn could snare Merrett – certain to cost at least one first-round pick – and still land either King or Humphrey, a club source familiar with their position said they would still chase multiple targets, such as Merrett and King, in the belief that snaring more than one A-grader was feasible, if those players wanted to join them, which was not confirmed yet.

Gold Coast have signalled that they would match any offer for King, forcing a trade rather than merely accepting the compensation of one first-round pick. King had indicated to this masthead during May that his wish was to stay with the Suns, but the Coleman Medal leader remains unsigned, with a two-year offer on the table for months.

The position of King is crucial for other clubs and for the futures of other out-of-contract key forwards. These include Hawthorn’s own pair of Mitch Lewis and Calsher Dear, and Gold Coast’s burly young forward Jed Walter, who fielded interest from rival clubs and has a five-year deal worth close to $4 million on the table from the Suns.

Lewis is an unrestricted free agent and would clearly be more likely to seek a new home if the Hawks landed King, whose decision rests on his personal situation – whether he and his partner would prefer to be in Melbourne – rather than contractual terms. He would be an unrestricted free agent after 2028 if he signed the two-year extension.

Merrett is viewed as all but certain to reiterate his wish for a trade at season’s end, regardless of who coaches the Bombers from 2027 and beyond. He is contracted for next year.

Led by then new president Andrew Welsh, the Bombers spurned the offer of three first-round draft picks just before the trade deadline. The Dons argued that the future choices would be late – and especially in 2027 when Tasmania owns the bulk of the draft’s first 20 picks – and held firm on the president’s stance that the then skipper would not be traded.

Should Merrett follow the pattern of Melbourne and Christian Petracca, then he would get his wish to leave Essendon on the second attempt, although the Dons might not garner the same draft offer as the Demons did – belatedly – in 2025.

The Hawks have their first picks for this year and next intact, plus three second-round choices in 2027 in the Tasmania-compromised draft. They would receive draft compensation for Lewis if he left as a free agent.