Welcome home, Jack!
If Hawks fans needed a Friday morning pick me up, they got it. This news has the endorphins flowing through our collective brown and gold bloodstreams.
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Hawthorn social media was ablaze this morning when Damian Barrett broke news of a potential return to the club of favourite son Jack Gunston during this years Trade Period.
Gunston left Hawthorn in last years trade period after the club struck a deal with the Lions in exchange for pick No.48 and a future fourth-round pick to the Hawks.
The trade was never a case of club or player falling out of love with each other, more that Gunston wanted a fresh start after the sudden passing of his father, the late, great Ray Gunston earlier that year.
Fast forward through a tricky first season at the Lions where Gunston, despite playing 17 matches and kicking 22 goals, found the going a little tougher than perhaps he expected. Through these trials, Gunston still managed to show why the Lions recruited him, and why his return to the Hawks would have benefit to a young team.
In a press conference ahead of the finals series, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan talked about Gunston’s character and leadership throughout his struggle to get back into a winning Brisbane team.
He said, ‘I know your dilemma, but for what it’s worth, if you leave me out, I fully understand because those guys are going well’.
“He’s seen that in his time at Hawthorn – blokes get in the team and play well, so you can’t jump over the top of them.
“He’s been around for a long time. He has a very selfless approach to it. He’ll be here training with us and passing on all the experiences he’s had over the years.
Gunston never returned to the Lions team in their ultimately unsuccessful tilt at premiership success.
A few short weeks later and Barrett reports that Gunston is looking to move back to Victoria, and wants to come home to the Hawthorn Football Club. Let’s take a look at what he might bring.
What Gunston could bring on-field in 2024
Hawthorn struggled, at times mightily, on the offensive end throughout 2023. There is no doubt that a fit and firing Gunston would certainly help to alleviate some of the burden that Mitch Lewis has to carry in this developing forward line.
The biggest questions Hawks fans will have are, how does a 31-year-old Gunston fit in with the long term plan? Who’s spot does Gunston take in the starting line up? And finally, what issues does Gunston bring with him in terms of on-field performance?
First things first, Gunston (like Breust) doesn’t fit into the long term plan of the football club. Where he does fit is the immediate need for firepower and leadership around Hawthorn’s young, developing core.
Gunston will come into the Hawthorn side and if fit, will play week in, week out. Hawthorn’s forward structure struggled this past season, with all of Koschitzke, Greene, Ramsden, and Ryan tried, with limited success. Gunston’s return, coupled with the expected recruitment of Mabior Chol, would potentially give the forward line the potency that it has clearly missed in 2023.
The one person who is in all likelihood not enjoying this mornings festivities is Fergus Greene. Currently sitting without a contract for next season, Greene figures as the player most likely to be pushed off the Hawthorn list if Gunston were to return to the club.
Positives of any Gunston/Hawthorn reunion far outweigh the negatives, but this marriage wouldn’t be without issue. Hawthorn’s forwards half pressure was poor throughout the season, and bring in Gunston won’t improve it. The Hawks will need to get creative around the potential trio of Lewis, Gunston and Chol, to ensure that the ball doesn’t shoot out of the forward 50m quicker than it comes in.
What Gunston could bring off-field in 2024
This is an area of true value in any Gunston return. Hawthorn has the youngest list in the competition and yet has seemingly no desire to hang around with North Melbourne and West Coast at the foot of the AFL table.
Gunston has been to the pinnacle, multiple times in fact, and he knows what it takes to get there. He, along with his best mate Luke Breust, would be a culture and standards setter within the group. Gunston’s veteran leadership and experience will be critical for any of Hawthorn’s young, developing forwards.
There was a reason that Hawthorn was so keen to hold on to Gunston when the club shipped out O’Meara and Mitchell in the 2022 Trade Period, and it wasn’t just his ability to kick goals.
Final thoughts
A potential return of Jack Gunston to Hawthorn will not vault Hawthorn into finals contention, but it would allow the Hawthorn romanticists to enjoy what would be a fairytale ending for both Gunston and Breust. Finishing their careers together and being chaired off the field by a group of young players poised to take the next step step in their own premiership journey.
One final notion from this morning. Sam Mitchell is quietly and effectively ensuring that the ‘family club’ moniker is being rebuilt, and the potential return of Jack Gunston is another beautiful example of his work in this space.
I am literally crying years of joy. Gunners has so many credits in the bank he can come back as if nothing happened in between. A great clubman and still a pretty useful and clever player. Footy smarts don’t vanish. Welcome back Jack. Like a ghost from the past in Whispering Jack, a comeback is a comeback! 👏👏👏😂
This is great for the culture of the club and if he is match fit, a really useful addition to the forward line. He’ll provide great guidance for Ryan and Ferg (if the Hawks keep him).
Interesting development in my eyes. We’re not progressing to get the Chol deal done and in most opinions we see Chol as a temporary solution. Does Gunstall become temp solution for the next couple of years??
All that aside, the romanticism of this coming to pass is exactly what the club needs and stands for. Can’t wait to have him back at Waverley!!