New Zealand born AFL player Kurt Heatherley has been upgraded to the Hawthorn Hawks senior list after a long apprenticeship.

Heatherley was originally taken on by the club as an International Scholarship player, and progressed through the ranks through playing for the Box Hill Hawks in the VFL feeder league. 

His elevation to the senior list comes a week after Hawthorn won their third straight Premiership.

Originally from the Bay of Plenty, Kurt Heatherley is seen as an athletic defender by his club.

While he is yet to crack the team for a first grade match, he was impressive in a series of pre-season matches for the club at the start of 2014.