Some of Hawthorn's biggest names were put to work in the Upper Murray region on Thursday in an effort to help the buhsfire affected community rebuild.
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While half of the Hawks' playing group lent a helping hand re-fencing properties in the Corryong area, the other half were busy aiding residents in the fire ravaged town of Buchan in Gippsland.
Former Ovens and Murray player Jonathon Ceglar was among the Hawks to land, alongside guns Jaeger O'Meara and Jonathon Patton.
Ceglar's connection to the community paired with an urge to help saw him reach out.
"'Clarko' (coach Alastair Clarkson) was doing some stuff in Buchan and we were sort of just thinking, how do we help?" Ceglar said.
"Some friends I went to school with live here so I sent them a message asking if they needed a hand and the footy club was more than willing to get the group out here.
"We thought we could help with a bit of labour.
"It's nice to do something because it's been pretty tough up here.
"A lot of people have lost their livestock and probably their income for the next few years.
"It's a small thing, but hopefully it puts a smile on everyone's faces."
The Hawthorn camp are scheduled to continue work on Friday before heading back to Melbourne for training on Monday.
After seeing the devastation left behind by the blaze, Ceglar said it's been an eye-opening experience for the team.
"We did warn them, but it was very confronting driving in, especially when you get to town and realise that the houses in town were actually burnt," he said.
"Just how much is burnt is quite confronting."
Ceglar also recognised the tireless work of volunteers both during and in the clean up stages of the bushfire crisis and thanked the help of Corryong local Greg Hillier in helping make the Hawks visit possible.
He also urged people to support the community by shopping locally as the rebuild continues.
The ruckman is looking forward to getting the 2020 AFL season underway, with the Hawks to take on Brisbane in the first round at the MCG.
"We're about to get into the fun stuff with games starting now," Ceglar said.
"I think it's going to be a competitive year, it's a very even competition.
"We need to start the season well, but so far so good with pre-season."
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