It was in Spain during Heart of Midlothian’s warm-weather training camp that it became evident. Craig Halkett, in the words of a number of people around the team, was “shredded”.
It was noticeable.
Speaking toward the end of the camp, he revealed he was down to nine per cent body fat. Anyone who has ever tracked their body fat percentage will be well aware of how difficult that is to achieve. The discipline that is required.
Halkett’s off-season was focused on one thing and one thing only: Getting in the best shape of his career.
He had, in his own words, “worked his nuts off”. Halkett didn’t want to see his Hearts career end without a fight.
The three previous seasons hadn’t gone the way he had wanted due to injury. He was entering the final year of his Hearts contract. And he had a new manager to impress. A manager he really wanted to play for.
“I wanted to give myself the best chance possible to come and play for Hearts again this year,” he said in July.
“I've loved my time here. Been here seven years and the last two, going into three, haven't gone the way I wanted them to.
"I feel like I owe myself and all the club, all the fans, a wee bit more to show what I can do here.”
At the time of that interview, it is only fair to say that there were doubts amongst the Hearts support. Such was the depth at centre-back, he was viewed as someone who was dispensable. After all, his appearance totals across the last three seasons were 8, 10 and 19.
Fast forward to the present day, those same fans will have taken great delight on Christmas Day when a two-year contract extension was announced.
Halkett has well and truly earned the reward for the sacrifice and discipline of the summer and his performances on the field.
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In fact, this campaign is as good, perhaps even better, than when he helped Hearts cruise to third under Robbie Neilson in the 2021-22 campaign, positioned between John Souttar and Stephen Kingsley in a brilliantly balanced and formidable back three.
Halkett has already made more appearances than the 2022/23 and 2023/24 seasons combined. Should he return against Hibs following a jarred knee, he’ll equal last season’s appearance total.
A comment from Derek McInnes regarding the new deal was notable: “I think it’s a good statement of intent from the club to secure someone who is so important to us going forward.”
It is simple, Hearts are stronger with Halkett in the team. The 30-year-old forms a part of the strong spine that runs through the team that are top of the Scottish Premiership. Alexander Schwolow, Craig Halkett, Stuart Findlay, Cammy Devlin and Lawrence Shankland.
He is the perfect centre-back for Scottish football. In fact, he is one of the best centre-backs in Scotland when he’s playing regularly. There is certainly a case of inclusion in the Scotland World Cup squad.
Few in the league are better in the air, in both boxes; he is incredibly aggressive and has a willingness to engage with opposition forwards. He isn’t rapid, but he very rarely gets outrun because of the way he uses his body and times his tackles. The graph below compares Halkett (red) to the league average for a centre-back in the Scottish Premiership (blue).
If there is an area of his game that is underrated, it is in possession. He can drive from the back with the ball and he gives Hearts a different dimension with his ability to switch play, which is absolutely massive for a Derek McInnes side.
With Halkett’s extension, it also ensures continuity. Hearts fans will have to become accustomed to some of their favourite players leaving. That means the team have been successful and players have attracted interest. This summer could see a bit of change. It therefore increases the importance of players like Halkett.
He is the longest-serving continuous player, having joined back in 2019 under Craig Levein. He is a reference point in the dressing room, a leader who has taken on more responsibility under McInnes.
It’s vital, as McInnes has referred to, that Hearts have a Scottish core. A core that gets the club.
Halkett gets the club. He has experienced the highs that Hearts have to offer and he has endured the lows. Both as part of the club but individually as well.
At a key moment in his career, he realised his situation. He worked his “nuts off” and has earned his reward.
