In what was a nice piece of irony, Hawthorn veteran Jack Gunston brought up his 500th AFL goal on a day that celebrated the club's 100 years in the competition.
A day earmarked to bring multiple generations together to commemorate those who have represented the brown and gold, it was Gunston who led the charge against old foes Richmond, the club's first opponent in 1925.
The 33-year-old has always been a sharpshooter, but reaching 500 majors is no small feat, especially in the unique position he plays in.
Gunston began season 2025 on the sidelines, missing Hawthorn's opening fortnight before returning to the senior side in Round 2 against Carlton as the sub.
After making an impact in the hard-fought contest, Hawks coach and former teammate Sam Mitchell gave the former Crow an opportunity for full minutes the following week, which he took with both hands, and seemingly hasn't looked back.
"You see how good he is, when every draft, (the player profiles read) โwho does he play like? Jack Gunston'. And I'm like, โif it's not Jack Gunston, who is it'? There's only a handful of players who can play the role he does across a generation," Mitchell said following Sunday's 65-point win.
"You look at how many players his height and build who have kicked a lot of goals and have that position in a team โฆ it's not a usual position that he plays, and I think he's really created something in the game."
Gunston has kicked 20 goals (and eight behinds) from his six outings, but has unselfishly dished off nine direct goal assists, with three of those coming against the Tigers.
As a result, his score involvements has reached career-best heights and is proving to be a difficult matchup once again.
When Gunston was traded to Brisbane ahead of the 2023 season but returned home, it was understood that he, and fellow veteran Luke Breust, would be used sparingly in Mitchell's forward line.
But in the absence of Mitch Lewis and Calsher Dear, Gunston has taken pole position as the club's key forward, working in tandem with Mabior Chol.
His offensive prowess has always been a strength, but the 33-year-old is continuing to do impressive things on either side of the ball, ranking elite among tackles inside 50 and pressure acts across his career.
Hawthorn's pre-game celebrations included welcoming back goal-kicking legends such as Jason Dunstall and Peter Hudson, among a chorus of former stars of the competition, of which Mitchell believes Gunston sits "quite comfortably".
"At the next version of whatever today was, he'll fit quite comfortably in the group that was here today," Mitchell said.
Gunston's feat of 500-plus goals puts his name alongside John Longmire (511), Peter Sumich (513), Steve Johnson (516) and Brent Harvey (518) as the next targets.
