Tim Watson suggesting Hawks should trade Gunston. Is the best 3rd tall in the game alongside Crows Tom Lynch. That position is not really a priority for us given our need for midfielders and attacking HB flankers but is only 25 and has family links.
TRADING Jack Gunston would allow Hawthorn to land early draft picks and start to rebuild in earnest, says Essendon great Tim Watson.
Triple premiership player Gunston is one of a number of Hawthorn players struggling for form in 2017.
On Thursday night against Port Adelaide, he accumulated a miserly seven disposals and failed to impact the scoreboard. The fault wasnāt purely Gunstonās, however, with Port racking up 37 more inside 50s than Hawthorn.
Despite this, the half forwardās performance was symptomatic of his season thus far, where all of his numbers ā particularly in front of goal ā have been down.
āIf you look at Hawthorn and where theyāre at, they need to get into the draft. They need to get in the early part of the draft,ā Watson told SEN.
āJack Gunston is an interesting conversation because heās one player that I think Hawthorn would be looking at saying, āokay, of the players on our list who has got some real currency? If weāre going to shake up our list, which players on our list have currency?ā
āJack Gunston would be one of those players.ā
At only 25, the 193cm forward would be a tantalising prospect for almost every club, particularly given his pedigree as a student of Alastair Clarksonās.
And with Hawthorn trading away its first draft pick to St Kilda in order to secure Jaeger OāMeara, he could hold the key to helping the Hawks hustle up the draft order.
The only complicating factor is that Gunston is contracted until the end of 2019, at which time heāll become a restricted free agent.
While Hawthorn has had great success in landing trades to help top up its list, the most recent instalment has faltered.
While the recruitment of Tom Mitchell has proved a masterstroke, OāMearaās knee remains problematic and fellow top up player Tyrone Vickery hasnāt yet worked out.
Unless the Hawks take a ruthless approach at the trade table, Melbourne legend Garry Lyon suggested the club would struggle to play finals any time soon ā rebuking Clarksonās comments that Hawthorn were in a similar position to 2009.
āI donāt think theyāve got the pillars in place that they did back then,ā Lyon said.
āThe pillars of success that drive you are the young hungry fit midfield, big key position forwards that are going to get the job done and a solid defence. I donāt think theyāre there.
āAnd the challenge is that theyāve given away their first round draft pick and their second one wonāt come until the mid 30s.ā
Lyon echoed Watsonās sentiments regarding Gunston, singling him out as one of Hawthornās struggling stars.
āIām staggered at where Jack Gunston is at,ā Lyon said.
āHeās not even treading water. Heās a forward playing in a team that got belted in the first half and didnāt score a goal so I get all that. But Iām not even basing it on last night.ā
Both Lyon and Watson agreed Clarkson was up for the challenge of rebuilding his list, even if the club was circumspect to use the dreaded ārā word.
āI get the sense heās up for the challenge of being part of all of this,ā Watson said.
āHe understands where theyāre at, he understands what it takes to get back where they want to be. Thereās nothing in his demeanour, nothing in the way heās going about his job, that suggests heās not up to the fight.ā