By Casey Neill
THOUSANDS of football fans flocked to Knox Gardens Reserve for tips from Hawthorn AFL players last Friday.
The squad from Hawthorn, which won last year’s premiership, hit the training track before teaching children some key skills and signing autographs.
Lessons in goal kicking, handballing, marking and evasive techniques were part of the program.
The day was a homecoming of sorts for Hawthorn’s Boronia recruit Liam Shiels.
“It’s great for the kids to meet us in person,” Shiels said. “Maybe now when they watch us play they can say, ‘I’ve met him’.”
The Hawks took the 17-year-old Aquinas College student at pick 34 in November’s national draft.
The former star with The Basin Football Club and Eastern Ranges will launch his AFL career while tackling Year 12.
