Jason Dunstall

Jason Hadfield Dunstall (born 14 August 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).

Dunstall is arguably the greatest Australian rules footballer to come from Queensland.

Dunstall was one of the first of a generation of big bodied lead-up full forwards who could also out-wrestle opponents for position in a marking contest and was also an agile team oriented player.

He made his name as a full-forward during an era in which power forwards including Tony Lockett, Gary Ablett Sr.., Warwick Capper, Allen Jakovich, Simon Beasley, Saverio Rocca, John Longmire, Tony Modra and Peter Sumich dominated the league goalkicking.

He is one of only six players to have kicked over 1,000 career goals in the VFL/AFL, and only Lockett and 's Gordon Coventry have kicked more career goals.

He attended the Anglican Church Grammar School from 1977 to 1981.

At school he played soccer as a goalkeeper and also rugby union.

His junior Australian rules football was spent playing with the Coorparoo Football Club in the then Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL).

Whilst not immediately impressed by Dunstall's appearance, Allan Jeans became somewhat of a father figure over the course of the 1980s as his coach.

When a group of players was arrested after a night during an overseas trip, Jeans was called to the local police station to address their detention.

Jeans' advice to the officer has become a highlight of premiership reunion events - he reputedly advised the officer in charge he was free to shoot "him, him and him, but don't shoot the fat one" as he looked at his star full-forward.

In 1984, as a 20-year-old, Dunstall made his senior debut and enjoyed a stellar season, claiming the QAFL leading goalkicker award with 73 goals in the home and away season and kicking seven goals in Coorparoo's Grand Final win.

Dunstall was recruited to VFL club Hawthorn in 1985, touted as a new tall forward option, his recruitment largely overshadowed by that of promising West Australian recruit Steve Malaxos.

Dunstall made his 1985 VFL debut against Melbourne at Princes Park.

He had an immediate impact, kicking an impressive three goals and three behinds in his team's demolition of the Demons, however was third in the team’s goalkicking behind Dermott Brereton and John Kennedy.

He was dropped from the side three games later after a loss to Richmond however regained some form towards the end of the season finishing with 35 goals.

In his breakout game against Richmond, he would kick eight goals, and the media heralded the twenty-year-old Queenslander as a future star.

In 1987, expansion club the Brisbane Bears—in search of a marquee Queenslander—made a $2 million, 10-year offer to Dunstall, however despite the lucrative deal and the opportunity to return to his home stage, he turned it down, choosing to stay with the Hawks.

1988 was a special year for Dunstall.

In Round 19 against he brought up his first century of goals in a season.

He had kicked 98 goals going into the match, and Hawthorn supporters expected the required two goals to come sooner rather than later.

However, Dunstall would miss his first two shots and drop a few marks before putting through his first goal at the 17-minute mark.

The moment of truth came at the 30-minute mark of the first quarter when teammate Dermott Brereton kicked the ball high into the air.

It took a vicious bounce over Fitzroy defender Brett Stephens' head and landed in Dunstall's arms.

The goal was kicked and the fans came running onto the ground to congratulate only the second Hawthorn player after Peter Hudson to kick 100 goals in a season.

Dunstall kicked a further six goals for the game to finish with 8 goals.

He would finish the home-and-away season with 124 goals, winning his first Coleman Medal.

He also won his first club best and fairest award.

In the 1988 Grand Final massacre against, he kicked 7 goals.

Dunstall established his reputation as one of the best full-forwards in Australia during the 1989 VFL season.

He won his second straight Coleman Medal with 128 goals during the home-and-away season and finished third in the Brownlow Medal vote count.

He kicked ten or more goals in a match twice: In Round 16, he kicked 11 goals against, and 11 goals against in Round 22.

Dunstall added ten more goals during the Finals series, four of those in the epic 1989 premiership victory, to take his overall tally to 138 goals for the season.

He also won the club best and fairest award for the second straight year.

Representing Victoria in the State of Origin series, Dunstall won the Simpson Medal for best on ground in the match against Western Australia played in Perth.

1990 began promisingly enough for Dunstall.

In Round 1, in the Grand Final rematch against at Waverley Park, he kicked a then career-best 12 goals after being held goalless in the first quarter.

In an interview in 2011, champion footballer Wayne Carey regarded Dunstall as the best player he had seen and played against.

After finishing as a player, Dunstall has become a prominent football media personality, commentating matches for various radio stations in Melbourne and appearing regularly on Fox Footy as host of the show Bounce.

Dunstall was born and raised in Brisbane as one of three sons, his brothers are Harry and Nicholas.