‘Very disappointed’: How Hawks responded to drunken arrests of ‘outstanding citizens’

Hawthorn is adamant the overseas arrest of Dylan Moore and Connor Macdonald is a momentary lapse rather than a reflection of their true character.

Moore and Macdonald spent a night behind bars in Phoenix, Arizona, during the off-season for trespassing.

The pair have been punished by the club but still have an impending court date after Moore climbed onto a scissor lift while intoxicated.

Moore was stripped of his vice captaincy and underwent an education program as well as community service.

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Hawthorn head of football Rob McCartney fronted the media before coach Sam Mitchell on Wednesday morning.

McCartney defended Moore and Macdonald, claiming they were “outstanding citizens” outside the overseas misdemeanour.

“We always knew this had the ability to be a story and I think we managed that extremely well throughout the process,” he said.

“Dylan spoke yesterday and he said how bitterly disappointed he was in his behaviour in that moment.

“ … those two boys in particular have been outstanding citizens over the journey of their time at our club and even before our club.

“It was a matter of, we obviously needed to deal with the enormity of it in the initial instance but then we had to make sure there was significant wellbeing and care being put around them.

“They accepted the consequences that would come with the behaviour, they were extremely remorseful right from day one, they showed a willingness to accept the behaviour they had shown would come with consequences.

“Then they showed a willingness to re-educate and I don’t think we can ask for much more post the event.”

McCartney said Moore understood why Hawthorn needed to make a leadership change.

“It was a collective conversation, he knows that isn’t the behaviour that aligns with a leader who has the title of vice-captain,” he said.

“It was a conversation we had collectively, it was an easy decision to make in the end based on the behaviour.

“We felt the consequences we looked at, there was some financial sanctions, with Dylan the leadership obviously, and then there was some community service and some re-education.

“We felt that was absolutely fair and reasonable.”

Mitchell said he was “very disappointed” upon first hearing the news but said both players had put their best foot forward since.

“There’s a big part of us that have moved on. But we understand they made some really poor decisions,” Mitchell said.

“We heard about it while they were still there and still in the middle of it and they’ve kept us in the loop the whole way through.

“We’ve had some conversations behind closed doors about our expectations and standards and behaviour.

“But to their credit, every moment before and since, they’ve acted in a way you would hope they would as representatives of this football club, the game itself and their families.

“Overall they’re really good young lads and the decisions you make will dictate the life you lead. This is a little hard patch for their lives because of some decisions they’ve made.”

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