Benjamin Stratton Biography

Ben Stratton and Paul Puopolo will be farewelled this weekend after making the call to retire at the end of the 2020 season.

"Stratts and Poppy are exceptional examples of Hawthorn people, each with an incredible work ethic and each highly respected among our playing group and within our club," Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson said.

"Stratts is the sort of guy you want beside you when you go into battle. He is relentless, selfless and will never stop competing. He never fails to take a teammates-first approach and it is these qualities that make him so highly valued amongst his peers and also the broader footy world.

"For most of his career, Poppy was always the first name selected in the side each week because you could never doubt the intensity, energy and pressure he would bring to the game. Poppy is an amazing example of how far hard work and perseverance can take you in your career."

Ben Stratton will captain the Hawthorn Football Club for a second-straight season in 2020, with six other players making up the rest of the leadership group.

Tom Mitchell and Jaeger O'Meara have been named co-vice captains, with Mitchell joining the leadership group for the first time.

Jack Gunston was the sole vice-captain last year, but has chosen to relinquish his title. Gunston has remained in the leadership group however, with Isaac Smith, Liam Shiels, Ben McEvoy rounding out the group.

"It's been a big 12 months of development, both for us as leaders and for the wider playing group," Stratton said.

"I'm confident the experience and lessons learned will only strengthen my leadership going forward, and I'm excited to see what 2020 brings."

Ben Stratton cops a two-game ban from the AFL Tribunal for pinching Orazio Fantasia and stomping on Shaun McKernan.

"As captain of the footy club and as a player of the AFL, I understand it's not a good look for the game," Stratton said after the hearing.

"Especially for the kids who watch at home … I'm extremely remorseful for my actions.

"I never meant to go out there and hurt my opponent. I just want to play in the hardest manner possible."

Hawthorn publicly condemns Ben Stratton for his untoward behavior during the Hawks' clash against Essendon which included regular pinching of Orazio Fantasia, stomping on Shaun McKernan's foot, and making an obscene gesture to the crowd.

"His behaviour was certainly not reflective of how Hawthorn play, and as our captain we expect more from him," Hawks chief executive Justin Reeves said about Stratton.

"We have spoken with Ben following the game and he is incredibly remorseful. We will work with Ben to ensure that this sort of behaviour is not repeated.

"This is not the sort of thing he or we want to be known for and he understands the need to adjust his behaviour moving forward."

Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson defends Ben Stratton's actions, including pinching and stomping, that have led to the Hawks captain coming under scrutiny in the last week.

"This sort of stuff, although we don't like it, has been going on in the game for a long, long period of time, and there's all sorts of tactics that players use to try to put their opponents off," Clarkson said.

"Is this outside the rules of the game and untoward? Of course it was. Ben put his hand up (and) acknowledged that … and he throws himself to the mercy of (the Tribunal) system.

"I've been around footy a long time (and) if that's the worst thing that's happened on a footy field … I can't marry up the hysteria with the actual event."

Ben Stratton will face the AFL Tribunal on charges relating to pinching and stomping.

He was also fined $1000 for making an obscene gesture to the crowd – he raised his middle finger – during the Hawks' 19-point loss to Essendon at Marvel Stadium.

In relation to the pinching case, the miserly defender was charged with serious misconduct against Essendon speedster Orazio Fantasia in the first quarter.

He was charged with stomping on Bomber big man Shaun McKernan in the last quarter. Footage shows Stratton using his left foot to stomp on McKernan's right foot, after which the Don pursued Stratton.

"My actions probably weren't a great look for the game and it's probably not something you want to be known for. As captain I've got to be better and setting the example for not only the Hawthorn club but also any kids out there," Stratton said on Channel Seven.

Ben Stratton is likely to come under the glare of the Match Review Officer for his behind-the-play defensive tactics against Essendon.

Stratton appeared to pinch opponent Orazio Fantasia from the outset, continuing after the Bombers forward brought the actions to the attention of umpire Ray Chamberlain.

"I've got a couple of bruises on the arm, 'Stratts' loves to pinch and he's a really good defender," Fantasia told Channel Seven.

"To come back and play on him I knew I was in for a tough night.

"... You can't do anything about it. He's a really good defender, he's got all the tricks in the book. He's done it for years and every time I play him I know it's a tough one."

Ben Stratton signs a one-year extension with Hawthorn to remain at the club until the end of 2020.

"Ben is a highly valued player, clubman and teammate," Hawks football manager Graham Wright said.

"His captaincy is a reflection of the trust and respect his teammates and the club have for him, and we're looking forward to watching him grow in this role over the coming months.

"He leads by example, exemplified through his courage and commitment on the field, and he sets a great standard for those around him."

Ben Stratton will replace Jarryd Roughead as the Hawks' captain in 2019.

Jack Gunston will serve as Stratton's deputy, with Smith, Shiels and newcomers Jaeger O'Meara and Ben McEvoy rounding out the club's official leaders.

"Some of his best qualities will relate to who he is as a person and his values and behaviours," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said of Stratton.

"He doesn't care so much about himself as an individual as he does about his mates, and that's why it's such an endearing quality that has all his teammates just loving playing with this guy."

Ben Stratton says being promoted to Hawthorn's leadership group last season may have saved his career.

"Over the last two years, having frustrating years with injury and stuff, I lost a little bit of interest in footy, to be honest," Stratton said.

"Last year I got selected in the group and had to make a decision; if I was going to push forward and better myself and also my teammates, I was going to have to challenge myself in that and get a lot better in that area.

"I started feeding off guys like Luke Hodge and blokes on the way out of their career, and tried to soak in as much information as I could and better myself as a leader.

"Now I've got a real purpose when I go to the club, it's really to work on my leadership and better others around me, which has really helped my footy as well."

On the eve of his 150th game, Ben Stratton says he has adjusted to his role as a senior player and leader at the Hawks.

"Last year was a bit of a learning year for me; being in the leadership group, I was still finding my way in there," he said.

"As soon as I learned it was about teaching the younger backline … (and that) was what they needed from me, it helped me stay in the game and feel a part of the club.

"It's just a different stage of footy and my life … that block of my football (winning three flags) has been and gone, and now it's moving into a new stage, which I'm really excited about."

Jarryd Roughead will remain captain of Hawthorn in 2018.

Roughead will again be supported by dual vice-captains Isaac Smith and Liam Shiels, while Jack Gunston and Ben Stratton have also been retained in the leadership group after a player vote.

"2017 provided some really good learnings for me and I feel like I’ve continued to develop and grow into the role," Roughead said.

"Captaining the Hawks is a real honour and to be backed in by your teammates for another year is extra special."

Ben Stratton will be sent for surgery next week to repair the injured cartilage in his knee.

"That gives him the best chance to recover well and have a good pre-season under his belt for next season," Hawthorn elite performance manager Andrew Russell said.

Ben Stratton is ruled out for the rest of the season after failing to recover from a knee injury.

Stratton was set to return last week against Collingwood after missing five games because of a bone bruising in his knee, but after completing training the day before, he woke on the morning of the game with the joint swollen once again.

“Unfortunately, he further irritated some cartilage in his knee joint,“ Hawks elite performance manager Andrew Russell said.

“He’s out for the rest of the season to let that joint fully recover so that he’s ready for next season.”

Ben Stratton suffers bone bruising in his knee and will not return until at least after Hawthorn’s bye in round 13.

Ben Stratton is set to miss the rest of the home and away season with a torn pectoral muscle.

Stratton suffered the small tear during the second quarter against Melbourne and immediately left the ground.

"(It's) not a bad result," Stratton said. "It could have been off the bone. I've done that movement 1000 times before."

Rarely beaten by talls or smalls, Ben Stratton has become Alastair Clarkson's go-to lockdown defender, has three premiership medallions to show for it, and is content staying out of the spotlight.

"I'm happy to fly under the radar and keep being underrated, it sits pretty well with me," Stratton said.

"Whatever people think, that's fine with me, I'm not too bothered."

Ben Stratton injures the muscle in his left shoulder in the second term of the Hawks' clash against the Demons and sits out the rest of the game.

"Stratts has got a little bit of a pectoral injury. We're not sure of the severity of it but we just didn't want to take a risk after half-time so we will get that scanned during the week and see what the outcome of that is," Hawthorn coach Alastair Clarkson said after the game.

Kyle Cheney is set to be cautioned by the AFL for his role in sparking the investigation into former Bulldog Michael Talia and brother Daniel.

Cheney has come under fire after admitting to AFL investigators he was joking when he told ex-teammate Ben Stratton the Crows had received information about the Bulldogs' forward set-up for the September final at the MCG.

Stratton alerted Bulldogs coach Luke Beveridge, who used to be an assistant at the Hawks, to the situation, leading Beveridge to phone Cheney to seek the truth.

It is believed Cheney was hesitant to tell Beveridge he had overstated the accusation levelled at now Michael Talia, now with the Sydney Swans.

The Talia brothers are reportedly disappointed by the League's handling of the situation and also the wording of the statement, which subtly hinted they should have had a case to answer, despite being cleared by the formal investigation.

The Crows are also set to be cleared, with the League content that stand-in coach Scott Camporeale had not received any information on the Bulldogs' game-plan.

Hawthorn has re-signs dual premiership defender Ben Stratton for an extra three seasons, tying him to the club until the end of 2019.

The 26-year-old has developed into a vital member of the team's defence and showed his importance with a superb finals series in 2014 after battling injuries all season.

"It was a pretty good feeling when the club came to me and sort of said, 'Do you want to look at extending your contract?," Stratton said.

"I was pretty happy to add another three years on and pretty much I'll be here for almost 10 years now.

"It's gone pretty quick, and I was rapt to extend the deal."

Josh Gibson wins the Peter Crimmins Medal after being names Hawthorn's best and fairest for 2013.

Gibson polled 178 votes to finish 11 clear of Coleman medallist Jarryd Roughead while midfielder Sam Mitchell finished 10 votes further back in third and backman Ben Stratton was fourth.

"I'm very surprised but very humbled at the same time. There's been some fantastic winners and we've had some fantastic performances this year," Gibson said.

"So I'm honoured that the coaches thought I played that well this year, and I'm very proud to be the holder of the Peter Crimmins Medal."

Andrew Embley faces certain suspension after being seen to drop his knee into Hawk Ben Stratton in their clash at Etihad Stadium.

Embley is then seen to shove Stratton's face into the ground.

Ben Stratton extends his contract with Hawthorn up till the end of 2016.

"The club came to me and we sorted it out within a week," Stratton said.

"I was happy to get it out of the way and just play footy; it's a bit of peace of mind."

Stratton says he is continuing to work on his offensive game.

"My first couple of years I was sort of a negator and would just shut down a key forward, or one of the opposition's smalls," he said.

"But now I'm trying to get a bit more offensive run in my game and add that string to my bow."

Hawthorn defender Ben Stratton was left in doctors' hands after being knocked out at the MCG against St Kilda.

Ben Stratton talks about what he believed was a season-ending knee injury in 2011 only to return to the Hawks' lineup late in the season.

"When I first did it the surgeon said, 'you won't play again this year'," Stratton said.

"But as rehab went along, my physio started saying that I might have a sniff, especially if we went deep into September. So the better the team went, the more chance I'd have.

"In the latter half of the year when we were winning most of our games, I sort of thought that if the rehab keeps tracking along the way it is, I'm a chance to play."

Hawthorn defender Ben Stratton may return to the VFL this weekend, keeping alive his AFL finals dream.

"He's a reasonable prospect of playing at VFL level this week," Hawks football operations general manager Mark Evans said.

"He's still got to get through training and all that that involves, but to get the clearance from the specialist last week for him to step it up a gear, it means that he's ready to play when he and we are comfortable with that."

Hawthorn defender Ben Stratton will miss the rest of the season as he recovers from knee surgery.

"It was a big impact injury and quite a severe dislocation so I think we need to look at the long-term for the player, and Ben's a good young player and important to us for the future," Hawthorn football operations general manager Mark Evans told SEN radio station.

"No-one would be happy if he tried to get back this year and did further damage."

Scans have revealed both PCL and ACL damage to Hawk Ben Stratton's right knee after his knee cap was dislocated in a heavy and wet encounter against Richmond.

"Stratton's anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) in his right knee is intact and the joint surface looks to be ok," the Hawks said in a statement.

"The club will get specialist views on management over the next day or so and will communicate further information as it becomes available."

Hawthorn's mature-age debutant Ben Stratton has cemented a place in the Hawks' back half and earns a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in the process after an impressive 19-possession game against the Bulldogs in round 14.

"I'm definitely getting more confidence. I got thrown down the challenge pretty early in the week and set my sights on Goodes. I don't mind getting a challenge each week. Every game I play, I'm getting more confident," Stratton said.

Hawthorn defender Ben Stratton says he was glad he was given the job on Brownlow medallist Adam Goodes when the Hawks played the Swans.

"I'm definitely getting more confidence. I got thrown down the challenge pretty early in the week and set my sights on Goodes. I don't mind getting a challenge each week. Every game I play I'm getting more confident," he said.

Benjamin Stratton makes his AFL debut for Hawthorn at Docklands Stadium with 15 disposals (9 kicks and 6 handballs), 6 marks and 2 tackles in a 16-point loss to the Western Bulldogs.