Former Royal Named Hawthorn Captain

Congratulations to new Hawthorn Captain Ben Stratton!

Ben arrived at the Royals for the 2008 pre-season from Augusta-Margaret River Hawks. Making his league debut on 14th June 2008 at Lathlain Park, the tough defender came 6th in the FD Book Medal the following year. He played 23 league games and kicked three goals for East Perth, before being drafted from East Perth by Hawthorn with pick 46 in the 2009 AFL Draft. Stratton made his AFL debut against Western Bulldogs in round 3 of the 2010 AFL Season. 

Stratton, a popular figure with Hawks teammates, was ahead of the pack in the player vote, although the Hawks used a different method to select their captain this year, taking more input from coaches and the club, not just the players.

Hawthorn's head of football Graham Wright described Stratton, who turns 30 on Friday, as "an outstanding leader on the field, with the right values off the field''. 

Stratton said in a statement on Thursday: "We’ve been blessed with so many great leaders over my time at the Hawks and I’ve been able to learn so much from each of them.

"I’m lucky to have a really experienced leadership group around me and I’m excited to get stuck into season 2019 and see what we can achieve."