The Hawks are rebuilding. Yep, that's right. Clubs have made it official before. Carlton did it after two games last season.
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But the small difference here is; Hawthorn may well win a fourth consecutive premiership while doing it.
Their coach Alastair Clarkson has opened up about the regeneration of the club's list, stating that he's happy with the Hawks' start to the year given they've begun building fo the future.
Despite not playing their notoriously dominant football, Clarkson believes that having only lost twice in the opening seven weeks is a solid start, given their tough draw.
"We've got some challenges to confront in the next few months as we bring newer players into our group and older players phase out.
"But we're looking forward to that.
"We want to embrace it in a sense, because the next generation of players is really important for the future of our club."
The next generation that Clarkson speaks about includes seven players who have played ten games or less for the Hawks: Kieran Lovell, Kaiden Brand and Marc Pittonet - who have all made their debut in 2016 - as well as James Sicily, Tim O'Brien, Daniel Howe and GWS recruit Jonathon O'Rourke.
These are the players Clarkson will be looking to give experience to this season, because the players that will be "phased out" - as the coach puts it - are out-and-out stars.
Captain Luke Hodge - who has been unlucky with injury so far this year - is 32 in June and this could well be his last season.
Sam Mitchell and Shaun Burgoyne are both 33 and Josh Gibson is 32.
The club's two vice captains Jordan Lewis (just turned 30) and Jarryd Roughead (29) are also considered elder statesman but both have several years left.
Between the six of them, they have 23 premiership medallions and have helped create a Hawthorn dynasty.
"We don't look at their birth certificates ... we really look at their form and durability," Clarkson said.
"We think that our (older) guys are still making really solid contributions.
"Their injuries have mainly been collision types of injuries, they're not showing any wear and tear in terms of their bodies.
"We'll try to protect them a little bit in terms of the positions they play over the journey, but by and large we're pretty happy with how those guys are going."
The Hawks have scraped over the line in several games this season, including top sides Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs, with losses to fellow top eight sides Geelong and Greater Western Sydney.
Despite a tantalising clash against the Swans in round 9, the reigning premiers face Fremantle, Brisbane, Melbourne and Essendon in four of the next five weeks, games in which they will be expected to start hot favourites.
"I think people forget some of the teams that we've played against," Clarkson told SEN.
"Where they are sitting on the ladder at the moment now suggest to us that when we did play them, they were really good sides.
"A couple of those wins, particularly against Adelaide and the Western Bulldogs have shown that our form line is not too bad, it's just that we're not winning as consistently as what we'd like or as big a margin."
"To be 5-2 after a pretty tough start to the year is reasonably pleasing, considering we are starting to blood some younger players in our group."
It seems phenomenal that a team chasing an historical four-peat is also building for the future at the same time.
But such is the unmatched football intelligence of their coach and the evolving administrative strength of the club, that winning another premiership while looking to the next generation might just be possible.
