With Opening Round less than seven weeks away and with injuries to two of Hawthorn's key forwards putting them in doubt for the start of the 2025 AFL season, one wily veteran has shown that he is ready to step up and help lead the exciting Hawks forward line.

Jack Gunston has returned to 2025 pre-season training for the Hawks with a point to prove as the Hawks look to make another push for finals football.

Since returning for training this year, it has been obvious to all who have been watching on at Waverley that this was not the sameย Gunston who had struggled with his body through pre-season training 12 months ago.

This version of Gunston was similar to the version who won the Peter Crimmins Medal back in 2020, showing all the hallmarks that have made him a regular standout during his 229 games to date for the Hawks.

The smooth running style, clean pick up of the ball off the ground and ability to get away from his direct opponent, coupled with a crisp kicking action for goal, had reappeared when some thought it was all but gone.

Gunston, who is out of contract at the end of the year, wound back the clock during Hawthorn's match simulation, netting himself three goals in a ten-minute period against the likes of young father-son selection Will McCabe and star recruit Josh Battle.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - AUGUST 02: Jack Gunston of the Hawks trains during a Hawthorn Hawks AFL training session at Waverley Park on August 02, 2024 in Melbourne, Australia. (Photo by Morgan Hancock/Getty Images)

The extra work that the strength and conditioning team has done with Gunston to strengthen his body after back and glute issues has meant that he is once again able to complete training at a high standard and be involved in all drills, rather than watching on from afar.

Last year Gunston struggled with his body during pre-season and was forced to run copious amounts of laps instead of being part of the main squad.

Without a full pre-season, Gunston surprised many Hawks supporters with his ability to get out on the park and contribute to the scoreboard, eventually notching 29 goals from his 18 appearances in the brown and gold last year.

He became a go-to man of the forward line, often given a negating role by coach Sam Mitchell to help nullify important opposition defenders including Liam Jones, Harris Andrews and Sam Taylor.

MELBOURNE, AUSTRALIA - JUNE 08: Jack Gunston of the Hawks celebrates a goal with teammates Luke Breust and Calsher Dear during the 2024 AFL Round 13 match between the Hawthorn Hawks and the GWS GIANTS at UTAS Stadium on June 08, 2024 in Launceston, Australia. (Photo by Dylan Burns/AFL Photos via Getty Images)

After taking on a mentor role with young Calsher Dear in 2024, Gunston has now taken on an official developmental role at the club, which will see him work to fast track the progress and forward craft of young talls Jasper Scaife and Max Ramsden, as well as Dear when he returns from his back stress injury.

The thought of a fit and healthy Gunston using his wealth of knowledge and ability to convert chances into goals will allow the Hawks to enter into their tough start to the year with confidence that the forward line will function and help them to achieve similar results the club reached during the 2024 season.