Photo by AFL Photos
On Tuesday June 18, Hawthorn great Jason Dunstall became the 32nd person elevated to Legend status at the Australian Football Hall of Fame in Melbourne. He was the very first Queenslander inducted into the Hall of Fame.
Starting his career at the Coorparoo Football Club as a 17-year-old full forward in 1984, he topped the QAFL goal-kicking (73 goals), kicked seven goals in the Roos’ grand final win, made a brilliant debut for Queensland, before being snapped up by Hawthorn.
Dunstall, a four-time premiership player, four-time best and fairest winner with the Hawks and four-time All Australian, is one of just six men in VFL/AFL history to have kicked more than 1000 goals.
Dunstall credited his success to his Hawthorn teammates and the Premiership sides he played in as part of as his greatest achievements in the game.
When his elevation to Legends status was announced in April, AFL Commission Chair Richard Goyder said the AFL Commission unanimously endorsed the recommendation of the Hall of Fame nominations’ committee at its meeting in Sydney last month, and his elevation was being announced now to enable the game to celebrate Dunstall and thank him for his enormous contribution.
“It is an enormous task to ask a new Legend to keep this news confidential for many months and we preferred for football to be able to celebrate him over the coming months, before his formal elevation in June at the Hall of Fame function,” Mr Goyder said.
“Jason is one just six players in VFL / AFL history to have kicked more than 1000 goals, sitting third on the all-time list behind only fellow Legends Tony Lockett and Gordon Coventry.
“As a four-time premiership player for Hawthorn, four-time club best and fairest, three-time Coleman Medallist and 12-time leading goalkicker for the Hawks, he is a Legend by any measure in our sport.
“It is extraordinary to think he kicked double figures in 16 separate games and his 17 goals against Richmond at Waverley in 1992 is the equal second-highest tally in a VFL/AFL game in history.
“Forwards have always held a special appeal for footy fans through the generations and he sits easily alongside the great goalkickers of the past like Coventry, Pratt and Coleman, and names across the game like Robertson, Naylor and Farmer.
“Football congratulates Jason on his brilliance and thanks him for everything he has given football, as our next official Legend of the Game.”
Jason Dunstall was the fastest of the six players in VFL/AFL history to kick 1000 goals, reaching the milestone in nine years and 142 days, nearly three years quicker than next-best Tony Lockett (12 years, 133 days).
Jason Dunstall’s career record is:
269 games for Hawthorn 1985-98, 1254 goals
Three games for Victoria, 14 goals
Four games for Queensland, 10 goals
One game for Allies, zero goals
4x Premierships 1986, 1988, 1989, 1991
4x best and fairest 1988, 1989, 1992, 1993
12x leading goalkicker 1986, 1987, 1988, 1989, 1990, 1991, 1992, 1993, 1994, 1995, 1996, 1998
3x Coleman Medal 1988, 1989, 1992
4x All-Australian 1988, 1989, 1992, 1994
Captain 1995-98
Hawthorn Team of the Century
Qld Team of the Century
E.J. Whitten Medal 1989
Alongside Dunstall, six new inductees were welcomed to the Hall of Fame – Michael Graham (SANFL/NTFL), Chris McDermott (SANFL/AFL), Ralph Robertson (deceased) (NSW Pioneer), Ray Schofield (deceased) (WAFL), Dane Swan (AFL) and Kelvin Templeton (VFL).
