HAWTHORN great David Parkin has emerged as a key figure, along with board members Martin Jolly and Geoff Harris, in Tuesday's sacking of coach Peter Schwab.
Jolly and Harris refused to discuss Schwab's dismissal with The Australian yesterday, but it is understood they recently sought out Parkin's opinion following one of the worst seasons in Glenferrie Oval history.
The Hawks have won just two games and are favourite to win their first wooden spoon since 1965.
Parkin, 62, Hawthorn's 1971 premiership captain and 1978 premiership coach, is working as a consultant for Richmond where he and Tigers football director Greg Miller are overseeing the appointment of Danny Frawley's successor.
Sources close to Hawthorn yesterday said Parkin, who returned to the club as director of football for two years until the end of 2002, had expressed concerns about their on-field slide and direction - both chief responsibilities of Schwab as head coach.
The sources revealed yesterday that Parkin has been advocating the return of Terry Wallace as coach.
Wallace, a dual best-and-fairest winner at Hawthorn and a three-time premiership player, has been biding his time since sensationally resigning as coach of the Western Bulldogs with one round remaining in 2002.
It is believed vice-president Jolly and Harris, who was appointed to the board this year, led the charge among the club's directors for Schwab to stand down following Hawthorn's loss to Port Adelaide before the smallest MCG crowd in 11 years.
Although the final decision on Schwab was taken at Monday's regular board meeting - one attended only briefly by Jolly because of business commitments - Schwab's fate was as good as sealed before the directors met.
Despite being fresh on the scene, Harris is viewed as the club's next chairman. President Ian Dicker, whose tenure doesn't expire until the end of next season, is facing a challenge from a rebel group and it is not known whether he will serve out his full term.
The Glenferrie Oval cull has only just begun with board member Greg Cook under pressure to retain his position after being linked to Wednesday morning's leak of Schwab's sacking.
Club directors and players were angered by the information leak before the playing group was formally informed.
On arrival for training on Wednesday, captain Shane Crawford was critical of the club's handling of Schwab's dismissal.
"It would be nice to have the whole playing list told what was going on before, rather than rock up (to training) and have 50 cameras in your face," Crawford said.
"That would be nice but I suppose it just shows how we are going at the moment. We are all over the shop."
Long-serving football manager John Hook is also under pressure to survive at the club, while a third straight year of heavy injuries has most of the club's fitness and medical staff on notice and unlikely to be retained in 2005.
Out-of-contract assistant coaches Donald McDonald and Gavin Crosisca also may not escape the club's review.
As it stands, the only Hawthorn football department staff safe are assistant coach George Stone and recruiting manager Gary Buckenara - Stone, because he is contracted beyond 2004, and Buckenara because he's a new appointment and hasn't been through a national draft.
Former champion Hawks full-forward Jason Dunstall was yesterday named as interim chief executive. He will assumed the role late next month and will fill in for several months until a full-time replacement is appointed following the resignation of Steve Leighton.
Leighton quit last month and was going to see out the rest of the season, but the club yesterday decided to replace him with Dunstall temporarily.
On field, as many as a dozen senior players have been declared vulnerable.
At the top of the list is Nick Holland who will be given his final chance at senior level against the Kangaroos tomorrow.
The out-of-form Holland was last night recalled after another stint in the VFL.
Holland is contracted for next year with a remuneration of about $500,000. Hawthorn has already expressed a desire for him to finish his career at the end of this season and they want to deal on his contract early.
Other senior players on notice are Angelo Lekkas, Lance Picioane, Kris Barlow, Ben Dixon and John Barker.
Lekkas, Dixon and Barker are contracted beyond this year.
Hawthorn is undecided on the future of 31-year-old defender Mark Graham, who played this year on a one-year deal and is believed to be under pressure to retire.
Rayden Tallis and Luke McCabe will both retire.
Rival clubs are starting to manoeuvre around the out-of-contract Luke Hodge and Joel Smith.
Sections of Hawthorn's football department believe Smith is expendable and that he could be offered as a trade if his financial requirements are considered too high.
Hodge is about to complete his initial three-year-contract, but while Hawthorn is confident of retaining him, interest from outside is increasing.