With the All-Australian team being discussed and debated, and with the squad to be named in the not-too-distant future, a veteran Hawk is throwing down the gauntlet to be included in the final 23-man squad that is announced in AFL Grand Final week.
After Jack Gunston's equal career-high seven goals on Saturday afternoon against Melbourne, he is gaining momentum for inclusion in the All-Australian team, seven years after his first and only appearance to date in 2018.
The 33-year-old Gunston has been an important cog in the Hawthorn forward line this year, where he has been able to kick 60 goals from his 19 games to date, which has him currently sitting in outright second place on the Coleman Medal ladder.
Gunston's ability to get shots inside of the forward 50 this year has seen him reach the highest goal tally of his career, despite kicking 30 behinds and having a goal-kicking average of 55.6 per cent.
His 60 goals to date, with the game against Brisbane this week and potential finals to come, have surpassed his goal-scoring exploits during the Hawks' three-peat era (2013 to 2015), where he recorded tallies of 46, 57 and 58 goals respectively.
Gunston missed the first two games of this season, with the Hawks opting for a different forward line approach despite Gunston's impressive form in the pre-season hit-outs.
Since his recall early in the season, Gunston has been given the role of playing the defensive forward, stopping highly credentialed intercepting defenders, including Sam Taylor, Jacob Weitering, and Jeremy McGovern, while making sure to take his opportunities in front of goal to add scoreboard pressure.
Over the past three weeks, with Sam Mitchell looking to deploy a four-tall forward structure, he has been the beneficiary of the Hawks' revolutionary approach inside forward 50.
With opposition defenders having their hands full trying to nullify his dangerous teammates in Mitchell Lewis, Calsher Dear, and Chol, Gunston has been able to feast on the extra space in the forward line, using his craftiness, forward nous, and experience to get to the right spot and then convert for a goal.
In the past three weeks, against quality opposition including top-of-the-table Adelaide and top-four aspirants Collingwood, Gunston has kicked 15 goals, including his bag of seven on the weekend against the Demons.
Gunston's strong form this season has him averaging 12.7 disposals, 3.2 goals, 3.3 marks inside forward 50 and 7.6 score involvements per game as he puts forth a powerful case to receive his second All-Australian jacket.
Gunston's career-best season has come off the back of his impressive off-season, where he headed over in a contingent of 10 players from the Hawks to train at Exos Sports in Dallas, Texas.
While in the twilight of his career, Gunston trained hard with his teammates to continue to work on his agility and speed, which had seen back issues plague him over the past few seasons at Hawthorn and Brisbane, where he spent 2023.
Through his work at the training centre in Dallas and also his work with the high-performance team at Hawthorn, headed by high-performance manager Peter Burge, Gunston has been able to stay on the park this season, missing just one game since he came into the side for the Round 2 clash against Carlton as a substitute.
Gunston's career-best form this season has him on the verge of extending his AFL career, with the Hawks looking to secure his signature for 2026, in a positive sign that the club are confident his renaissance can continue to flourish in the Hawthorn line-up.
As Hawthorn looks to go deep in September and secure their 14th Premiership flag, Gunston's All-Australian form will be a massive reason behind the Hawks' premiership tilt.
