by Lisa Albergo reporting for AFANA from Chicago
Goal-kicking great Jason Dunstall was crowned the seventh Hawk Legend when the club celebrated the 50 year anniversary of their 1988-89 Premierships. He joins John Kennedy Senior and Leigh Matthews (2003), Graham Arthur (2005), Michael Tuck (2008), Peter Hudson (2010) and David Parkin (2013) in receiving the club’s highest accolade.
In a career spanning 14 years, Dunstall played 269 games between 1985-98 and is the third highest goal kicker in VFL/AFL history with 1254 goals. He is one of only five players to kick over 1000 career goals (the others are Tony Lockett, Gordon Coventry, Doug Wade and Gary Ablett Snr). It is conceivable that he - rather than Tony Lockett- could have been the all time League goals record-holder - surpassing Lockett's 1300 - had he not missed most of 1997 due to a knee injury in the 1996 Qualifying Final against Sydney (requiring a reconstruction). He returned in 1997 but suffered another serious knee injury and underwent another reconstruction. In his first game back in 1998, against Carlton, he suffered a broken collarbone and again missed most that season. He came back late in the year but then retired at season's end.
After his retirement in 1998, Dunstall held the position of interim CEO in 2004 before moving onto the Hawthorn Board, where he remained until the end of 2013 when his term expired. He now has a successful media career.
JASON DUNSTALL
Games: 269 1985-1998
Goals: 1254
Captain: 1995-1998
Premierships: 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991
Night premierships: 1985, 1986, 1988, 1991, 1992
Peter Crimmins Medal (club best and fairest): 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993
Runner up: 1994
Coleman Medal: 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993
All Australian: 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994
State representative: 8
Hawthorn leading goal kicker: 1986-1996,1998
Hawthorn Life Member: 1991
Hawthorn Team of the Century: 2001
Hawthorn Board: 2004-2013
Hawthorn Hall of Fame: 2005
AFL Hall of Fame: 2002
Source: Leah Mirabella, Hawthorn Media Release, Encyclopedia of League Footballers, author note
Article last changed on Monday, September 12, 2022 - 5:15 PM EDT
