TO USE a modified footy cliché, Ryan Schoenmakers has had a year of two halves.

And the swingman now appears set to continue his career at Hawthorn.

While he's not prepared to talk about a contract extension yet, the unrestricted free agent is doing everything he can to secure a new deal at Waverley – a prospect that looked bleak just a couple of months ago.

The 26-year-old was dumped from the Hawks' senior side after the round one loss to Essendon, forced to play for Box Hill until finally earning a recall in round 14.

"Was there for quite a while, I didn't feel like I was playing poor footy, but probably wasn't standing out or doing anything exceptional which is what you need to be doing to earn that AFL recall," he told AFL.com.au this week.

The versatile tall found himself languishing in the reserves, a world away from the glory of the 2015 premiership side.

He says he used his time in the VFL to "take the game on again a bit more" admitting he had "probably got a bit safe."

"I definitely think every footballer wants to be playing at the highest level, so it's never great to be playing in the twos when you think you can give more and you're fit and able to play," he said.

In 2016, after the flag celebrations subsided, Schoenmakers faced a year of injury woes dominated by "grumbling groins," but insists this season he's been free of such concerns.

"This year I've been able to hold the body together and manage it really well, and stay on track," he said.

So now his focus is on the short-term, a few more weeks to prove he's deserving of a new deal at the club he loves, but a club where even the greatest of stars have proven to be expendable.

"I think I've had a reasonable month, and since the bye the team has had a really strong performance," he said.

"I can't really change anything.

"I'm open, but I really just want to finish the season as strong as I can, play my role here, I love this club."