The handwritten letters that inspired Hawthorn to a preliminary final

September 15, 2026 — 7:30pmIn an age of AI and WhatsApp groups, Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has taken his team back in time with a quaint approach, delivering handwritten letters to his players before the final against Fremantle.Hawks ruckman Lloyd Meek told this masthead his coach gave every player a handwritten letter reflecting on their journey so far, a process that apparently took Mitchell three to four nights to write.Hawks ruckman Lloyd Meek opened up on the letters written by Sam Mitchell.Eddie Jim “That’s just a small slice of the scene into the person that he [Mitchell] is and how much he cares for us,” he said.In his letter, Mitchell told Meek “how happy he was that I picked Hawthorn and I had faith in him” .“It [the letter] reflected on how we’ve both, I guess, grown over that four-year period. I feel like I’ve really been a part of this journey that we’re all on and the club’s transition to success essentially,” he said.The in-demand ruckman played for Fremantle but chose to move to Hawthorn during the trade period in 2022“When I first arrived, our first year here was not great,” he laughed.“When you finished 16th on the ladder … we had some work to do. Going through adversity with people and then building that together is the best way to find out.”Midfielder Josh Ward said the letters were incredibly special to receive.“It meant a lot,” he told this masthead. “Just the care he has for everyone, and the personal relationship … it just means a lot and makes you want to play for him.”Jai Newcombe said Mitchell had told him in the letter he was proud of what the star midfielder had achieved.“I mean, the journey that we’ve been on here together, [he’s] sort of been part of it the whole way through, which has been nice,” Newcombe said.Newcombe was taken in the mid-season 2021 rookie draft, Mitchell having been coach of the VFL Hawks that season, before he replaced Alastair Clarkson as AFL coach in 2022.“He’s obviously been a big part of the reason why I’m here. So it’s been really cool to share that together. So yeah, [he] touched a little bit on that,” Newcombe said.Newcombe said Mitchell had not touched directly on the possibility of him being a premiership co-captain.“No, not that far ... but [we’re] obviously excited about the things that we could potentially do, and making sure that we had belief in that as a group.”Hawthorn and the Brisbane Lions last met in round 22, with the Lions storming to a 67-point win at the Gabba. On Saturday, they’ll face off in a prelim at the ’G – the first time the teams have faced each other in AFL finals history.Jon Pierik is a sports journalist at The Age. He covers AFL and has won awards for his cricket and basketball writing.Connect via X or email.Hannah Kennelly is an award-winning sports reporter and Formula 1 writer at The Age.Connect via email.From our partners