For Hammond, it was an easy decision to come to with an eye looking towards the future.

"Last year, we had such a good group of boys, and it was something that I definitely wanted to do again," he said.

"It was a young side, and I could see that there is a lot of potential there, and there is a really good bond between all of the boys. It was a really happy place to play football, so definitely something I wanted to keep being a part of."

Hammond didn't get a chance to take to the field as much as he would have liked in 2021 but is confident his knee will be right for the 2022 season.

"I'm definitely motivated to get back and play a lot of football next year and be a part of the team on the field," he said.

"It is coming along really good. I'm back running, so I'm slowly building it back up towards playing football."

While it was a tough season for the Hawks in 2021, which saw them pick up two wins but the coach took plenty of positives.

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"I think we will be a lot better coming next year having such a young side and having that first-grade exposure for 12 months is what we really needed in a rebuild year," he said.

"That was another thing (no Group 20 in 2020) too that only two or three people in the group had played footy in 2020, so that makes it a bit more challenging as well."

Hammond isn't the only one to re-sign with the Hawks, with the bulk of the playing group also staying on.

"We are just trying to keep building and adding a bit of depth to what we have got," he said. "We just need to add a bit of experience in the front row and then even an experienced half."

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