Jai Newcombe jumped at the chance to wear the legendary Leigh Matthews’ No.3 on his back this season.
The honour was evidence of how mighty an impression the boy from Poowong, in regional Victoria, had made in 29 games since the Hawks snapped up the tough midfielder with the second pick in the 2021 mid-season draft.
Jai Newcombe dominated against Geelong on Easter Monday last year.Credit: Getty Images
Newcombe returns to the Easter Monday stage not only with a major jumper number upgrade – from No.44 – but in a much different position to where he was before the corresponding clash a year ago.
That day was significant for him: a career-high 31 disposals, an upset Hawthorn victory over Geelong, then a richly deserved Rising Star nomination. It was also arguably ruckman Ned Reeves’ coming-out party as an AFL footballer, such was his dominance before suffering a shoulder dislocation.
“That’s when I started to find a bit of form in the midfield, and it’s allowed me from then on to feel comfortable at the level,” Newcombe told The Age. “It’s pretty important [to have a performance like that early in your career]. Everyone is different in confidence levels, but it definitely goes a long way.”
The 21-year-old amassed at least 21 disposals in 13 of the remaining 17 games last season after his Easter Monday breakout, and only new skipper James Sicily finished ahead of him in the Hawks’ club champion award.
That helped convince Hawthorn to part ways with experienced on-ballers Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O’Meara, who were already being phased out of the midfield rotation to give Newcombe and co. more opportunities.
In a sign of things to come, Newcombe and top-10 draftee Josh Ward led the Hawks with 21 centre-bounce attendances each in that match against the Cats, with Mitchell and O’Meara receiving a combined 27.
Fast-forward to last week’s victory over North Melbourne, and Conor Nash and James Worpel, at 24, were the oldest Hawthorn midfielders to feature at the centre bounce, alongside Will Day (21), Newcombe (21), Ward (19) and another top-10 draftee, Cam Mackenzie (19).
Jai Newcombe is suddenly one of the Hawks’ more experienced midfielders.Credit: AFL Photos
Suddenly, Newcombe, in only his third AFL season, has an element of seniority.
“It is a slightly different role for me this year, after being able to play every game last year,” Newcombe said. “I have the experience, so I’m trying to pass that on to guys like Cam Mackenzie and Josh Ward because they’re going to be elite players for us in the future. I’m taking great pride in that.
“It’s cool to be only 21 years of age and taking on roles like that, and it helps not only fast-track you as a person but as a footballer as well.”
Newcombe, who re-signed in December until the end of 2026, is thriving on those unexpected but welcome leadership opportunities, rather than seeing them as extra pressure – just like wearing Matthews’ number – as he sets about backing up his efforts from last season.
“I understand things are expected of you, but you can choose not to look at them in a pressure sense and put a different slant on it,” he said.
“That allows you to be yourself and not have self-doubts creep in that won’t help you perform well.
“The mental side of the game is so important because you don’t want to get caught up in week-to-week performances. It’s better to have more of a big-picture mindset.”
He is far from the finished product as a player, with Newcombe keen to become a more damaging clearance player, while coach Sam Mitchell even exposed him to the forward line last week on top of his midfield duties.
It is a similar story for the Hawks as a whole.
“As a club, we want to be taking steps forward from the year before,” Newcombe said.
“We’re not necessarily sure how that will look, but internally, we want there to be progression and growth in what we’re working on, and that might not be seen in the wins column yet.”
But that doesn’t mean Hawthorn are not plotting another Easter Monday heist at Geelong’s expense.
Not so long ago, this fixture was an early grand final preview; this year the teams ended round three occupying the bottom two spots on the ladder with only one victory between them.
“The clubs are definitely in slightly different situations at the moment, but Geelong are still arguably the best team in the competition after the pretty cruisy finals series they had,” Newcombe said.
“I don’t think the 0-3 means much when you’re talking about the reigning premiers of the competition, but it also doesn’t mean they’re not beatable.”
Keep up to date with the best AFL coverage in the country. Sign up for the Real Footy newsletter.
