Hawthorn have begun to fill the healthy salary cap hole left by departing forward Lance Franklin, by tying down influential defender Grant Birchall until 2017.
The two-year extension takes Birchall off any future free agency lists and commits the defender’s best footballing years to the Hawks.
Birchall, who will be 29 by contract’s end, said it would be great to be a one-team player, while recruiting chief Graham Wright said the deal is the “perfect long-term contract” for the club.
“Yeah it’s a 10-year deal worth $12 million!” Birchall joked, referencing Franklin’s controversial Sydney deal.
“My manager went to the Hawks pretty much straight away.”
The 169-game rebounding half-back was an All-Australian in 2012 and was in the top two of the club’s best and fairest count this year until he was injured in round 12.
Birchall, often thought of as a future leader of the club, could find himself within the leadership group by contract’s end.
One of a handful of Hawks left that played in both the 2008 and 2013 flags, Birchall said the team was well aware of the horror flag hangover in 2009 when they missed the finals.
“After our grand final win we sat down and had our final team meeting and that was well mentioned,” he said.
“We learnt a lesson after the `08 premiership, we had a pretty average year in `09.”
Joining Birchall in defence in 2014 will be Matt Suckling and Ryan Schoenmakers who missed the 2013 premiership year through similar knee injuries.
Birchall said both players are now fit and flying, while he was untroubled by his own knee injuries that cost him six matches in 2013.
The team heads to South Africa on Sunday for a conditioning camp, and with the news of Nelson Mandela’s death, Birchall revealed that coach Alastair Clarkson has asked the players to watch a film about Mandela’s life in preparation for the trip.