STRENGTHS:

+ Consistency
+ Footy IQ
+ Short kicking
+ Tackling
+ Versatility
+ Work rate

IMPROVEMENTS:

- Hurt factor
- Speed

When analysing Hagan’s footballing ability, it is difficult to find too many glaring deficiencies. He is an extremely well-rounded player who has shown competence in all areas of the ground across his decorated junior career.

Hagan has proven to be a very consistent player who accumulates the football at will and uses it smartly, playing in a similar style to Richmond’s Liam Baker. When playing as an inside midfielder at Colts level, he put up big numbers and impressed with his clean skills and work rate to win plenty of the football post-contest. While he does not have the most penetrating kick, he is an efficient user of the ball, often looking to lower his eyes and honour the leading forward hitting up at him.

In a sign of what could be to come at AFL level, Hagan shows he has what it takes to play a role at either end of the ground. For Western Australia, he split his time as a half-forward and small defender to demonstrate his versatility, and performed well enough in those roles to earn All-Australian honours.

On return for East Fremantle at League level, Hagan continued to work on his craft as a half-forward and showed good signs, averaging 13 touches, four tackles and a goal per game in what is widely regarded as the hardest position on the field to play.

His preliminary final against Claremont demonstrated all his best attributes. While his team were getting soundly beaten, Hagan showed excellent work rate to get up to the stoppage and apply terrific forward pressure before working back hard offensively and using his adept kicking inside 50 to spot up targets and hit the scoreboard himself. Under the heat of a state league final, it was a terrific game and one that resembles the sort of performance Hagan could produce at an AFL club early in his career.

Hagan also possesses a huge amount of football smarts for a player of his age and clearly knows his own game inside out. He is a player who makes good decisions ball in hand and employs simple but effective techniques such as protecting the drop zone and using his body well around the ball to ensure he is never out of the contest.

There is perhaps a question mark on what Hagan’s ceiling could be at the top level, given he is not the most athletically gifted player in terms of speed and size. Coupled with the fact that he is a neat, but not penetrating or line-breaking kick, Hagan’s ability to hurt the opposition with each of his possessions is also something he will continue to work on.

But there is always room for who is player who is as smart, hard-working and composed as Hagan and he looks to be the sort of character, given his extensive experience playing against kids older and more experienced then him, that should have few issues adapting to the demands of AFL football.