Classy Hawthorn veteran Jack Gunston lauded for brilliant act of sportsmanship after Brisbane loss

Hawthorn veteran Jack Gunston has shown his class with a brilliant act of sportsmanship after his side’s heartbreaking preliminary final defeat to Brisbane.

The Lions and Hawks produced an instant classic at the MCG on Saturday night — a game so good that some are calling it the greatest in VFL/AFL history.

Brisbane lead by as much as 28 points early in the last quarter but gave the lead up before fighting back in the dying minutes of what was an all-time thriller.

Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Arrow

The lead changed four times in under 10 minutes but it was the Lions who got the last laugh after Hugh McCluggage kicked the go-ahead goal with seconds remaining before Kai Lohmann slotted one after the siren to extend the final margin to nine points.

Distraught Hawthorn players were stunned and in disbelief after having victory ripped from their grasp, while some — including James Sicily, Tom Barrass and Jack Ginnivan — even exchanged words with the umpires after the final siren.

Barrass ran towards umpire Hayden Meyer to join Sicily, who may look back with regret over his treatment of the whistleblower when the game was done and dusted, as the pair pleaded their case over the contentious holding the ball decision that gave McCluggage his match-deciding shot at goal.

But one man who did show grace and sportsmanship was Gunston, whose long-term connection with Lions coach Chris Fagan shone through the pain of his defeat.

Fagan and Gunston were both at the Hawks during their premiership era of 2013-2015 before the master coach lured the veteran goalkicker up north for one year in 2023.

Gunston played one season under Fagan at the Lions before returning back to Hawthorn the next year.

But he showed on Saturday night he hasn’t forgotten everything Fagan has done for him.

“I tell you what’s incredible: Jack Gunston’s run 70 metres to go over and shake Chris Fagan’s hand, and then gone back to the huddle,” Hamish McLachlan said on Channel 7 when he spotted the moment in the moments after the game.

Gunston then ran back over to his Hawthorn teammates, who were brought into a close huddle by coach Sam Mitchell.

Mitchell opened his post-match press conference with what he had told the players after the brutal loss.

“If you want to strive for great things, you will open yourself up for all sorts of emotion, the greatest of joy, and the deepest of pain,” the emotional head coach said.

The game slipped from Hawthorn’s grasp when a contentious holding-the-ball decision against defender Jarman Impey gave McCluggage a free kick and the Lion kicked the match-deciding goal with 18 seconds left.

The fiercely competitive mentor believed the performance had showed the football world Hawthorn could be considered a “legitimate” team.

But it was too early for Mitchell, who conceded this was the angriest he had been after a game, to consider how his players could reflect.

“I think we’re in a mourning phase, I don’t know, what’s the first part, is it anger? I think I’m still half in anger, probably sense it in my body language,” he said.

“What else, what’s after anger? I don’t know, last is acceptance and - I nearly said a bad word - I’m a long way from acceptance right now, so I’ll sit in anger for a bit longer. I’m sure all the players will too.”

Mitchell insisted plenty needed to go right for Hawthorn to reach an elusive grand final.

The Hawks won’t take long to turn their focus to improving their list.

Gold Coast spearhead Ben King is on the way as a free agent while the Hawks are determined not to miss out on contracted Essendon star Zach Merrett for a second-straight year.

Mitchell wouldn’t be drawn on Merrett in particular but made it clear Hawthorn wouldn’t be standing still.

“Between now and round one, our job is to improve our organisation as much as we can,” Mitchell said.

“So we will improve our playing list, we will improve our staff, we’ll improve our facilities, we’ll improve every part of our organisation to continue to make growth and go where we want to go.

“Because it’s not losing on the preliminary final weekend, because this feeling is the pits.”

With AAP

Click here to read article