Hawthorn legend Luke Hodge has given his thoughts on his former club's involvement in this season's trade period.
The Hawks have been active all year long, having met with players such as Oscar Allen during the season and more recently being linked with superstar pair Zach Merrett and Christian Petracca.
Hodge was asked who he would pick if he was at Hawthorn.
“So, where’s the game at the moment? What we’ve seen with Melbourne and what we’ve seen with Carlton, that bigger-bodied midfielder, that clearance king, that has sort of gone out of the game,” Hodge said on SEN.
MORE: Christian Petracca 'not 100 percent' invested in Melbourne
“But the game’s changed so much in two years, the game has changed so fast that now you need that zip, you need the X-factor, you need touch,”
“If I was Hawthorn, I’d be looking at Merrett, because that’s what they need.”
Hodge also alluded to the shift in the modern game, where a midfielder's kicking ability is the most essential element for success, with a shift away from midfielders who would traditionally “just bang it forward.”
“But that last kick, where Petracca would just surge and kick it in long, that’s what opposition teams want,” Hodge noted.
“Merrett has touch, Merrett will know where to kick it for someone to lead to, He’ll know the ins and outs and where a forward would like the ball disposed to him.”
Fortunately for Hawthorn fans, Hodge’s comments align with where the club appears to be heading.
As reports continue to grow between Merrett and Hawthorn, Petracca is now reportedly interested in moving interstate to a team such as Adelaide, Gold Coast or Sydney.