HAWTHORN has upped its commitment to New Zealand prospect Kurt Heatherley, with the 17-year-old joining the club in a near full-time capacity this season.
Heatherley, who signed with the Hawks on an international scholarship in late 2009, can be listed as an international rookie at the end of next year.
But he has already started pre-season alongside his potential future Hawthorn teammates, and will continue to train at Waverley all of next season while playing for the Sandringham Dragons in the TAC Cup.
At 192cm and 83kg, Heatherley is one of the leading underage key position talents in the country, despite only taking up football after being spotted by the Hawks at age 14.
He has joined the AIS/AFL Academy, and turned heads at this year's NAB AFL Combine when he finished second in the 20m sprint in a time of 2.84 seconds.
The teenager's parents will move to Australia to further support him, after he spent the past two years boarding at Caulfield Grammar School.
Hawthorn head of coaching and development Chris Fagan described Heatherley as a "real competitor" with a great attitude.
"He'll do a full year of training with us this year, which is pretty exciting," Fagan said.
"He'll mix that with going to the Dragons on a Monday night for their review and training with them later in the week.
"In between times we'll get good access to him.
"We'll be focussing on improving his kicking and his game sense.
"We're pretty pleased with his progress."
Heatherley's strong development is a coup for the Hawks, particularly given their dearth of top-end NAB AFL Draft picks in recent seasons.
With the draft dominance of expansion teams Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, combined with Hawthorn's high ladder finishes and trades for mature-age players, the club has not had a top 15 pick since Cyril Rioli in 2007.
That won't change this year, with Hawthorn's first pick in Thursday night's draft on the Gold Coast not coming until selection 28.
It has meant Hawks recruiters have had to cast the net wide for potential talent, with Heatherley only one example.
The club also plucked Amos Frank from the remote Anangu Pitjantjatjara Yankunytjatjara Lands in north-west South Australia at the end of 2011, and has this year signed its first Irishman, Ciaran Kilkenny, as an international rookie.
"You never know where you might find one," Fagan said.
"With Ciaran and Kurt, they've definitely got a lot of promise athletically.
"It's just a matter of whether they can learn the game and master the skills of the game.
"We'll be doing our best to make sure that happens."
Last Modified on 22/11/2012 10:37