A solidly built teenager when drafted, Hawthorn needed an additional ruckman after trading Luke Lowden to Adelaide.

[1] He made his AFL debut against Geelong in Round 1, 2016 as a late change,[2] but never commanded a regular place in the senior team in five seasons with Hawthorn, managing only seven senior games over that time as a back-up ruckman to Ben McEvoy and Jonathon Ceglar.

He played primarily for Box Hill, Hawthorn's VFL-affiliate, over that time, and was a dominant force in the ruck in the club's 2018 VFL grand final victory with 57 hitouts.

Pittonet became well recognised as a high quality pure ruckman, and over multiple years, he recorded elite level numbers in hitouts to advantage and influence on clearances and stoppages; in contrast, a lack of mobility and weaker ball skills meant his influence around the ground and outside stoppages was below average.

[13] Box Hill Individual Pittonet grew up in Melbourne’s eastern suburbs and attended Xavier College.