Hawthorn is looking to sit down with Nick Watson and give him an upgraded and extended contract to keep him beyond 2029, to reward his incredible form this year.
“The Wizard” is already signed for the next three seasons, and would earn around $900,000 in each campaign. His emergence as one of the very best small forwards has the Hawks looking at a seven-figure, five-year deal to keep him in brown and gold through to at least 2031.
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It’s a wise move from Hawthorn, since Watson has rocketed into All-Australian contention and could beat Charlie Curnow to the Coleman (though he does have a five-major gap to cover in that race).
The 21-year-old has unquestionably become one of the most damaging players in the AFL competition and has now kicked a mighty 113 goals since making his debut at the start of the 2024 season with the Hawks, who used their fifth-spot pick for him at the previous year’s draft.
“The level of consistency is probably the best thing that we’ve got from Wizard this year,” Hawthorn head coach Sam Mitchell said. “And it’s probably one season earlier than most. He’s certainly maturing. He’s 21 years old and he’s quite popular, and how he handles that is really impressive.”
AFL.com.au also reported that “The Wizard” has quickly become a fan favourite, with “wizard hats a best-selling item at Hawks HQ.”
Watson’s five-goal haul in last week’s sixteen-point win over North Melbourne lifted his season tally to 52 goals. That means Watson has become the first player since Syd Dyer and Lou Richards in 1946 to kick 50-plus goals in a season despite being 170cm or shorter.
He has a chance to keep adding to the tally, too: Hawthorn faces Brisbane at the Gabba on Friday before rounding out its home-and-away campaign against Collingwood and West Coast.
“It’d be great if it happened,” Mitchell said on the Coleman win. “But he’s young and he’s got plenty of opportunities in front of him.
Third-placed Hawthorn (14-5-1) hasn’t won at the Gabba since 2016.
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