Drysdale has landed a recruit with one of the more unique backgrounds in Australian Rules football, signing former England and Great Britain representative Sam Willatt.
Willatt, a 190cm key forward, is expected to play at least ten games for the Hawks while combining coaching duties with Talent League club Calder Cannons.
“We’re excited to have someone of Sam’s experience, leadership, and footy knowledge joining the Hawks family,” Drysdale said on social media.
“An agile key forward, standing at 6’3″, Sam is going to be a fantastic asset to our forward line!”
The 31-year-old was first introduced to Australian Rules while studying at the University of Birmingham in 2012.
Willatt adapted quickly to the foreign code, earning selection in England and Great Britain teams.
After being named best-on-ground for the European Legion team against the AFL Academy in 2014, he moved to Melbourne.
Willatt joined Footscray’s VFL list in 2015, and he also had a stint with Sandringham, while playing locally with Keilor, Bundoora, and, most recently, North Brunswick.
He has been the coach of the Cannons for the past two seasons.
X: @krockfootball
