Hawthorn forward Mitch Lewis has inked a new four-year deal, his signature official less than 24 hours after veteran teammate Jack Gunston committed to playing on in 2027.
As they close in on convincing Gold Coast star Ben King to move this off-season, the Hawks are building a stacked roster of tall forwards.
Lewis received strong interest from Collingwood, but chose to stay with the club that drafted him back in 2016.
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The 27-year-old has battled injury issues across his career, but has managed to kick 30 goals in 18 games this season.
“While much had been made of Mitch’s future externally, we were always really focused on getting this deal done with his management given Mitch’s importance to our forward mix,” Hawthorn recruiting boss Mark McKenzie said.
“There’s no doubt Mitch is a key part of what we are trying to achieve as a club, and at 27, he is arguably at the peak of his powers.
“While his injury history has been well documented, it’s a credit to both Mitch and the club for getting him to this position of sustained performance as he nears 100 career games.
“In saying that, we are very confident he can continue to elevate his game even further in the years ahead.”
Fellow key forward Mabior Chol is already contracted for next year, while Hawthorn are favoured to secure King in what would be a blockbuster move from the Suns.
However, young tall Calsher Dear, the son of club champion and late Norm Smith medallist Paul Dear, remains without a contract for next year, despite showing some serious promise in his first 31 games.
7NEWS sports reporter Tom Morris revealed at the start of this month that “messy” negotiations loomed large for Gold Coast as King eyed off a “big deal” with Hawthorn.
The 26-year-old is out of contract at the end of this season but, as a restricted free agent, will need a trade to get out of the Suns.
“My belief is Ben King is far more likely to want to get to Hawthorn … once Jed Walter signs then Gold Coast diverts their attention to trying to re-sign Ben King,” Morris said.
“A week ago they were looking at both going ‘here’s a contract, can someone sign it please?’
“They can’t do anything more now. This is why I’m saying my view is Ben King wants to get to Hawthorn and I think there’s a big deal coming for him there.”
