Cam Mackenzie’s unlikely path to the AFL and why he reminds Hawthorn Hawks fans of his coach Sam Mitchell

Mackenzie laughs at memories of his dad carefully navigating their car up the hill to their house in Spéracèdes so the family of six could go sightseeing or skiing.

“We had a Renault Trafic that Dad had to try and get up the hill. [It] was always quite amusing watching him trying to squeeze it up there,” Mackenzie said.

“[It was] very different to life here so it was cool to experience that.”

After the family returned to Melbourne’s bayside, Mackenzie’s life centred on education and football – at school, his local club Beaumaris, then the Sandringham Dragons. His background meant he was eligible to become part of St Kilda’s Next Generation Academy at the age of 15 under the tutelage of former midfield star Nick Dal Santo.

As the rules dictating access to NGA graduates fluctuated and Mackenzie continued to develop, it became obvious to the Saints they would have to compete with every other club at the draft to snare the talented youngster.

In his draft year, he played in Vic Metro’s title-winning team, as well as premierships with Sandringham and Brighton Grammar, and became a certain top-10 pick.

At the same time, Hawthorn were in the midst of generational change. They traded experienced midfielders Jaeger O’Meara (Fremantle) and Tom Mitchell (Collingwood). Liam Shiels and Ben McEvoy retired (although Shiels later joined North Melbourne) and Jack Gunston joined Brisbane. At the 2022 draft, the Hawks welcomed Mackenzie, Josh Weddle (pick 18), Henry Hustwaite (37), Jack O’Sullivan (46) and Bailey McDonald (51).

The club started afresh with young midfielders fighting for spots as they learned how to play together under Mitchell. They knew their athletic profile meant their game plan leaned a certain way, but improvement did not happen overnight. Mistakes were made. Some losses were by bigger margins than anyone enjoyed. Mackenzie chipped away on the wing, his classy ball use and composure evident without being breathtaking, initially.

“We definitely took some time to figure out how [our game] was going to look and figure out where I fitted. And everyone else was trying to figure out where they fitted,” Mackenzie said.

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“Towards the back end of the year, we did work that out, and the confidence and the belief just continued to grow.”

An ill-timed hamstring injury meant Mackenzie wasn’t in the team last year when the Hawks beat the Western Bulldogs in the elimination final; their first final win at the MCG since the 2015 premiership.

“The last training [session] before the game, I was doing a centre-bounce drill and just felt something grab. I knew it wasn’t a serious thing and the scan showed that it wasn’t serious, but it meant I had to miss,” Mackenzie said.

It was his first notable injury.

“For the first few days, I didn’t really know what to think, and then … it was awesome we won, but it was hard to watch from the sideline knowing that I would have been out there,” Mackenzie said.

“It has certainly motivated me heaps this pre-season [and] added fuel to the fire that next time I want to be out there. I definitely want to be there and be a part of the team.”

A solid fitness base built over the pre-season has given Mackenzie the confidence to run out games as he helped the Hawks to victories in their first three games. He has made an impression on the fans too, his straight-backed running style, mousey hair and ability to step players without much movement drawing comparisons to his coach.

But Mackenzie is taking nothing for granted, his gradual development replicating his dad’s cautious drive up the hill in Spéracèdes as he tries to squeeze into the Hawks midfield.

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“It’s been challenging to break in there. Last year, to play a bit more on the wing was good to find that second position where I can hopefully get some time [as an] inside mid, but then also have that secondary position,” Mackenzie said.

He’s more Cannes than Hollywood Hawks, a player appreciated by Hawk fans, opponents and football lovers who watch the game closely.

His emergence as a key midfielder at the Hawks has been gradual, his level-headed approach consistent with Hawthorn’s personalities in that part of the ground. A smart operator, he is also fitting in a subject a semester as he studies for a Bachelor of Commerce at Monash University; keeping up the French is, however, proving more difficult.

“Everyone says I’ve just got to try and keep it up, but it’s hard now that I’ve finished school … [I’ve] been out of school three years now and haven’t really spoken it at all. Hopefully, a little bit sticks with me,” Mackenzie said.

The nickname, however, has stuck. And, after three wins to start the season – the first time the Hawks have started that well since 2014 – so are the words to the Hawthorn theme song.

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