“A legacy unmatched”: Triple premiership player calls time

After donning the brown and gold for the past 15 years, triple premiership player Luke Breust has announced that he is retiring at the end of the 2025 season.

Breust, who has played 306 games for the Hawks, kicking 552 goals, will leave as one of the greats of the Hawthorn football club.

A product of Temora in NSW, Breust originally was part of the Sydney Swans reserves team.

The Swans overlooked him before he was given a lifeline and selected by Hawthorn with pick 47 in the 2008 AFL Rookie Draft.

Breust debuted in Round 8, 2011, for the Hawks against Saint Kilda, where he made a name for himself as a super sub during Hawthorn's run to the preliminary finals.

A legacy unmatched, Luke Breust has called time on his extraordinary career at season’s end ⭐️

Thank you for everything, Punky 🤎💛 pic.twitter.com/thCUDRuP3a

— Hawthorn FC (@HawthornFC) August 14, 2025

He was upgraded to Hawthorn's main list at the end of 2011, where he then became a stalwart of the club, forming a deadly combination with Cyril Rioli and Paul Puopolo as Hawthorn's mosquito fleet who terrorised opponents.

Breust's rugby league background meant that he was tough to tackle, with his ability to sidestep and evade opponents often making them look silly. As a result, he became a fan favourite for the Hawks, with the crowd frequently heard yelling the iconic "BBBRREEEUUSSSTT" chant around the MCG.

During the Hawks' three-peat era, Breust was a pivotal component of the Hawthorn forward line, where he kicked 149 goals in those three seasons, helping the club win back-to-back-to-back flags.

Breust, who received a Hawthorn life membership in 2017, played an essential role in the Hawks' 2024 finals push, where he went back to his roots, playing the role of a substitute and making a profound impact late in games.

Last season, he featured in 19 games, kicking 21 goals and playing his 300th AFL game in Hawthorn's losing semi-final against Port Adelaide.

The 34-year-old has struggled for opportunities this year, featuring in six games to date, including last week, when he came on late in the third quarter as a substitute against Collingwood.

Hawthorn senior coach and three-time premiership teammate of Breust, Sam Mitchell, spoke of the impressive resume of the Hawks legend on Thursday, highlighting his immense leadership skills on and off the field as his AFL career has wound down.

"I think if you could make your culture around the type of club and person you want to be, Luke Breust is perfect," Mitchell said.

"He starts his career coming from a fair way back, plenty of self-doubt, but he just has one small bit of hope and a flicker where people see enough in him and they surround him with the environment for him to blossom into what he became, but he has paid that forward ten-fold.

"What he's done off the field, even this year [is incredible]. He comes to me and says 'What do you need from me? Do you want me to be the sub, you want me to play or travel this week so no one else misses a game?'

"The selfless nature of the way he goes about his footy, it's never really been about him.

"You can't have much of a better resume than what he's put together. From where he's started, I'm so proud of him and his family."

With Breust announcing his retirement from the sport, it leaves Jack Gunston as the only player still left at the club who featured in the club's three successive premierships.

Breust will leave the competition with a record that many would envy, having won three premierships alongside being vice-captain of the club, a five-time leading goal scorer for Hawthorn, a two-time All-Australian member and being nominated twice for the AFL 22 Under 22 team.

Breust hopes to continue his involvement in the AFL, with coaching a real possibility for him to explore.