Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell has been called out for a curious move during his side’s win over St Kilda on Saturday night.

The Hawks battled to a hard-fought victory over a spirited but ultimately outclassed Saints side.

Midway through the third term with his side leading by 26 points, Mitchell made the call to unleash his substitute.

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He injected Seamus Mitchell into the side, but fans were left scratching their heads when they saw who was taken off.

Tall forward Max Ramsden was the player to make way despite impressing with five marks, including three contested, and a goal.

The club said it was “tactical” so there was no injury involved.

“Ramsden just gone to the back of the bench with a bit of a smile on his face saying ‘youre kidding aren’t you?’” Commentator Ben Dixon said.

Channel 7 commentator Kane Cornes, who calls Mitchell a “genius”, was surprised by the move.

“Genius doing non-genius things,” he tweeted.

Fans were equally puzzled.

“Why would Hawthorn sub off Max Ramsden when he’s been their best key forward tonight? Didn’t look tired,” one fan asked.

“Strange, Ramsden has been good,” another said.

“Don’t understand the logic here,” another added.

“This is a strange sub,” another said.

The timing was curious given an injury would have left them one down on the bench.

But in the end it didn’t have a major bearing on the result with the Hawks doing enough to keep the Saints at bay in a 20-point victory.

More to come ...