Conor Nash

Conor Nash (born 28 July 1998) is an Irish professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

The former Ireland national schoolboy rugby union team player was signed by Hawthorn as a category B rookie in October 2016 in the 2016 rookie draft.

Early Life
Nash was raised in Athlumney Village, Navan, the son of Tony and Bernadette, one of three siblings. He attended school at St Patrick's Classical School.

Nash began playing amateur gaelic football for Meath at underage level before joining Simonstown Gaels GAA with which he won the 2016 Meath Senior Football Championship. During that year he also switched to rugby union, playing for Navan R.F.C. and was quickly snapped up by Leinster Rugby to play in its under 18 side. By late 2016 Nash was offered a Leinster rugby union academy contract. However he was also contacted by AFL club who offered a Category B rookie contract. In late 2016 he made the decision to move to Australia for a shot at a professional Aussie Rules career.

On a break from his AFL training he returned to Ireland where he played in the Irish U18 rugby side and also won a second 2017 Meath Senior Football Championship with Simonstown Gaels. Upon returning to Australia, his progress in Aussie Rules was rapid, making his Victorian Football League debut for the Box Hill Football Club in 2017. Nash suffered a severe hamstring injury that cause him to miss half his first season. He was elevated to the main Hawthorn list in July 2018. Nash became well known for running through the streets of Melbourne on a morning jog.

AFL career
He made his debut for in the 11-point win against  at MCG in round 21 of the 2018 season. His form was promising enough that selectors kept him in the side and he played in two finals.

Nash played 14 games in the 2019 season but only two in the shortened season of 2020. He was dropped from the senior side and relegated to the Box Hill affiliate. After initially playing his entire career as a forward, at the suggestion of Box Hill coach Sam Mitchell, Nash was played as a midfielder. He showed promise in this new position and was selected for Hawthorn's match against the Brisbane Lions on 1 August. In a career-defining performance, Nash collected 23 disposals, laid nine tackles and won seven clearances as Hawthorn defeated Brisbane 92-80. With Nash in the midfield, Hawthorn was undefeated for the next four games beating Brisbane, Collingwood and Western Bulldogs and drawing with Richmond.

In 2022, with the illness and then injury to team captain and ruckman Ben McEvoy, Nash was asked to fill in as the second ruckman.

In June 2022, Hawthorn announced that Nash had signed a two-year contract extension lasting until the end of 2024.

Statistics
Updated to the end of round 18, 2024.

! colspan=3| Career ! 90 !! 17 !! 20 !! 659 !! 832 !! 1491 !! 223 !! 369 !! 0.2 !! 0.2 !! 7.3 !! 9.2 !! 16.6 !! 2.5 !! 4.1 !! 0
 * 2017 || || 45
 * 0 || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || — || 0
 * 2018 || || 45
 * 5 || 2 || 4 || 21 || 21 || 42 || 12 || 20 || 0.4 || 0.8 || 4.2 || 4.2 || 8.4 || 2.4 || 4.0 || 0
 * 2019 || || 11
 * 14 || 9 || 4 || 53 || 71 || 124 || 26 || 38 || 0.6 || 0.3 || 3.8 || 5.1 || 8.9 || 1.9 || 2.7 || 0
 * 2020 || || 11
 * 2 || 0 || 1 || 11 || 5 || 16 || 5 || 0 || 0.0 || 0.5 || 5.5 || 2.5 || 8.0 || 2.5 || 0.0 || 0
 * 2021 || || 11
 * 8 || 2 || 1 || 51 || 59 || 110 || 26 || 23 || 0.3 || 0.1 || 6.4 || 7.4 || 13.8 || 3.3 || 2.9 || 0
 * 2022 || || 11
 * 21 || 2 || 2 || 165 || 161 || 326 || 48 || 86 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 7.9 || 7.7 || 15.5 || 2.3 || 4.1 || 0
 * 2023 || || 11
 * 23 || 1 || 5 || 213 || 339 || 552 || 60 || 110 || 0.0 || 0.2 || 9.3 || 14.7 || 24.0 || 2.6 || 4.8 || 0
 * 2024 || || 11
 * 17 || 1 || 3 || 145 || 176 || 321 || 46 || 91 || 0.1 || 0.2 || 8.5 || 10.4 || 18.9 || 2.7 || 5.4 ||
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * 21 || 2 || 2 || 165 || 161 || 326 || 48 || 86 || 0.1 || 0.1 || 7.9 || 7.7 || 15.5 || 2.3 || 4.1 || 0
 * 2023 || || 11
 * 23 || 1 || 5 || 213 || 339 || 552 || 60 || 110 || 0.0 || 0.2 || 9.3 || 14.7 || 24.0 || 2.6 || 4.8 || 0
 * 2024 || || 11
 * 17 || 1 || 3 || 145 || 176 || 321 || 46 || 91 || 0.1 || 0.2 || 8.5 || 10.4 || 18.9 || 2.7 || 5.4 ||
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * 17 || 1 || 3 || 145 || 176 || 321 || 46 || 91 || 0.1 || 0.2 || 8.5 || 10.4 || 18.9 || 2.7 || 5.4 ||
 * - class="sortbottom"
 * }

Notes

Honours and achievements
Team
 * VFL premiership player : 2018

Individual
 * Peter Crimmins Medal third-place: 2023
 * most improved player: 2023