Toast All hail the Chief. New AFL legend inductee!

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As an all time great player, club CEO when we needed a steady hand and a very good media performer I can't think of anyone else with that kind of resume.

Still have fond memories of going to training at Glenferrie watching him practise kicking goals into that big net whilst the other players did laps.
Was lucky to do work experience at Glenferrie in 1995 and previously read he and George Stone would have their own separate session of goal kicking... marked a few that went over the net, absolute thrill. Jason had to walk sideways through the narrow hallways so others could pass, absolute unit. So lucky to start my HFC following with him in the goal square. Has done so much for the club, choosing Clarkson was a masterstroke on field. Agree with RoCo, best special commentator.
 
What set him apart for me was his chasing and tackling. No other FF of that era had his defensive, team first mentality. No coincidence that non have his collection of GF medallions either.

The true Hawthorn way.
I had a laugh the other night, I decided to watch Front Bar because Mick Molloy wasn't there, and they had Matthew Richardson instead. They showed some snippets of him stuffing up, and they also showed full backs running off him to create opportunities. When asked why he didn't chase, Richo said, "Full Forwards didn't do that back then". I thought, "Ever heard of Jason Dunstall"? :)
 
Hail to the Chief!

My favourite player of all time.
The most dependable forward ever to play the game - sustained excellence allied with consistent effort and selflessness.
I was truly lucky to grow up watching him play.

And he always went out of his way to credit the likes of Platten and Pritchard for their contributions to his personal success.
Such an admirable bloke.
 
A very close second to Dermie as my favourite Hawk from the 80s era.
Congrats Bunger.
Yes, very well deserved for 'The Chief'. As a kid, I was more of a Lockett fan but became a fan of both. Dunstall has to be one of the smartest footballers as well and was always a terrific media performer as soon as he entered that field.
You mentioned Brereton, obviously as a Bombers fan, in the 80's and early to mid 90's, I hated the man's guts, I don't anymore...lol! However, one thing that has peaked my curiosity is why Dunstall has become greater than Brereton in retirement? I remember that while both were at Hawthorn, at least in my memory, Dermie was rated higher than Dunstall. Personally, I never did but many footy scribes/insiders did and Dermie was often mentioned in the greatest centre half forwards of all time debates. Carey kind of killed off the argument for Dermie, when he came along. Perhaps due to the extinction of 100 goal a season full forwards, Dunstall is looked on with rose coloured glasses?
Dunstall is an absolute legend of the game but his greatness grew in retirement, Dermie not so much. Is it because of Brereton's less than stellar career at Sydney and Collingwood? I thought he was ok at Collingwood considering he was in the twilight if his playing days.
 

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Yes, very well deserved for 'The Chief'. As a kid, I was more of a Lockett fan but became a fan of both. Dunstall has to be one of the smartest footballers as well and was always a terrific media performer as soon as he entered that field.
You mentioned Brereton, obviously as a Bombers fan, in the 80's and early to mid 90's, I hated the man's guts, I don't anymore...lol! However, one thing that has peaked my curiosity is why Dunstall has become greater than Brereton in retirement? I remember that while both were at Hawthorn, at least in my memory, Dermie was rated higher than Dunstall. Personally, I never did but many footy scribes/insiders did and Dermie was often mentioned in the greatest centre half forwards of all time debates. Carey kind of killed off the argument for Dermie, when he came along. Perhaps due to the extinction of 100 goal a season full forwards, Dunstall is looked on with rose coloured glasses?
Dunstall is an absolute legend of the game but his greatness grew in retirement, Dermie not so much. Is it because of Brereton's less than stellar career at Sydney and Collingwood? I thought he was ok at Collingwood considering he was in the twilight if his playing days.
Dermott walked out on the club following a pay dispute in late 1993 saying what we offered him was insulting. His body was shot and he didn’t play a game that whole year.

So he got a ridiculous offer from Sydney and took the money (and the piss) and was cut after one year. Then convinced the Pies he was worth another fat contract.

Whereas Dunstall played every game as a Hawk and despite some shocking injuries in the last couple of years, got everything out of his body that he could. Had no issue with playing reserves either.

Very humble person. Club first, every time
 
Yes, very well deserved for 'The Chief'. As a kid, I was more of a Lockett fan but became a fan of both. Dunstall has to be one of the smartest footballers as well and was always a terrific media performer as soon as he entered that field.
You mentioned Brereton, obviously as a Bombers fan, in the 80's and early to mid 90's, I hated the man's guts, I don't anymore...lol! However, one thing that has peaked my curiosity is why Dunstall has become greater than Brereton in retirement? I remember that while both were at Hawthorn, at least in my memory, Dermie was rated higher than Dunstall. Personally, I never did but many footy scribes/insiders did and Dermie was often mentioned in the greatest centre half forwards of all time debates. Carey kind of killed off the argument for Dermie, when he came along. Perhaps due to the extinction of 100 goal a season full forwards, Dunstall is looked on with rose coloured glasses?
Dunstall is an absolute legend of the game but his greatness grew in retirement, Dermie not so much. Is it because of Brereton's less than stellar career at Sydney and Collingwood? I thought he was ok at Collingwood considering he was in the twilight if his playing days.

...why Dunstall has become greater than Brereton in retirement?

Short answer - he didn't.
If you rated Dermie higher than Jason at the time of Jason's retirement, you were in the minority.
Jason had elevated above Dermie by virtue of consistency, sheer weight of goals and longevity. When you have the number of great games that Jason had, you're bound to leave an indelible mark (even with his introverted nature). Same can be said for Lockett.

You could argue that if Dermie's body had held up better, and his career not been punctuated by suspensions, then maybe... Peak Dermie was certainly incredible - fantastic mark and menacing aggression that actually impacted games, often big ones.

All great old footballers lose prominence over time, I guess. I also spare a thought for the likes of Peter Matera, Mark Mercuri, Stewart Leowe etc who you barely hear a word about these days.
 
...why Dunstall has become greater than Brereton in retirement?

Short answer - he didn't.
If you rated Dermie higher than Jason at the time of Jason's retirement, you were in the minority.
Jason had elevated above Dermie by virtue of consistency, sheer weight of goals and longevity. When you have the number of great games that Jason had, you're bound to leave an indelible mark (even with his introverted nature). Same can be said for Lockett.

You could argue that if Dermie's body had held up better, and his career not been punctuated by suspensions, then maybe... Peak Dermie was certainly incredible - fantastic mark and menacing aggression that actually impacted games, often big ones.

All great old footballers lose prominence over time, I guess. I also spare a thought for the likes of Peter Matera, Mark Mercuri, Stewart Leowe etc who you barely hear a word about these days.
No, that's fair enough, glad you mentioned Peter Matera, that has always perplexed me. I reckon he was the best indigenous player I ever saw.
 
No, that's fair enough, glad you mentioned Peter Matera, that has always perplexed me. I reckon he was the best indigenous player I ever saw.
Quite possibly - although Franklin, Rioli and Burgoyne would rate higher on this board, of course.

I think Matera is the fastest player I have ever seen. And the things he could do at top pace ...
Definite correlation between the quality of an opposition player and how much I hate them - at least when I was growing up. Easier to appreciate them when they retire!

Nice to see your appreciation of Dermie and the Chief :thumbsu:
 
How many Goal Assists would be have given off?

I'd never want to change the way he played but reckon 1,250 could have been 1,500+ with the amount he created & gave away.
 
I'm sure I've said it before but I miss the days of the classic Full Forward. Lockett, Modra, Ablett and course our very own Dunstall. What an era that was. :thumbsu:

Well deserved accolade which was a long time coming.
Go back a bit further and you had Hudson, Wade and McKenna.
 
Quite possibly - although Franklin, Rioli and Burgoyne would rate higher on this board, of course.

I think Matera is the fastest player I have ever seen. And the things he could do at top pace ...
Definite correlation between the quality of an opposition player and how much I hate them - at least when I was growing up. Easier to appreciate them when they retire!

Nice to see your appreciation of Dermie and the Chief :thumbsu:
Funnily enough, I obviously hated Hawthorn especially through the 80's because you guys were so damn good. I actually grew to miss that Hawthorn era for a while. It really was a case of 'if you want to win the premiership, you have to beat Hawthorn', every club knew where it stood. It brought order to the competition.....lol!
 
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Quite possibly - although Franklin, Rioli and Burgoyne would rate higher on this board, of course.

I think Matera is the fastest player I have ever seen. And the things he could do at top pace ...
Definite correlation between the quality of an opposition player and how much I hate them - at least when I was growing up. Easier to appreciate them when they retire!

Nice to see your appreciation of Dermie and the Chief :thumbsu:
Dermie always rubbed me the wrong way, even all his years as a caller but as I've gotten older, I see method in his madness....lol!
 
No, that's fair enough, glad you mentioned Peter Matera, that has always perplexed me. I reckon he was the best indigenous player I ever saw.
Is it because Matera played for West Coast that he tends to be more forgotten than he should be?
 

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