Jack Gunston has paid an emotional tribute to his late father in Hawthorn’s dominant 46-point win over North Melbourne on Saturday.
The gun forward was returning to the Hawks line-up after taking a break to mourn the loss of his father Ray Gunston earlier this month.
Ray, a long-time AFL administrator and Essendon interim boss, suffered a heart attack at home and died aged 64.
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And Jack made a fitting return against the Kangaroos, kicking the opening goal of the game at Hobart’s Blundstone Arena.
He kissed his black bracelet and pointed to the sky, greeting his late father.
Gunston had an off day, kicking five goals from 17 disposals in a best-on-ground performance.
In a candid post-match interview, he called Hawthorn Football Club his “happy place” and paid tribute to his father, who he said loved watching him play.
“It’s good to be out here,” Gunston told Fox Footy.
“It’s good to be back there for the whole week and be normal, the lads pay you, just have a few laughs.
“It’s always nice to make a few. I also lost a few, and left some.
“I’m not the first person to go through (the death of a loved one). I came out here, I know this is the happy place for me and my dad, I loved playing football. He loved watching me play to football
“Coming here, it seemed normal and I was able to focus on football.
“The boys took care of me and looked for me a little further today.”
An emotional Gunston said he was grateful for the support of the Hawks and the wider AFL community in recent weeks.
“That’s the beauty of being at a football club, you have great support,” said the three-time number one player.
“My family has had a lot of support over the last two weeks.
“We’ve been incredibly grateful for everyone who has reached out to us. We’re lucky, some people go through this and don’t have the support that we’ve been lucky enough to have.”
Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell said Gunston’s mother was in the dressing room after the game and there were emotional scenes.
“She was excited, which made him and some of the rest of us, too,” he said.
“It has been a very difficult few weeks.
“Just seeing them here and being around everybody … I think it gives you a sense of belonging and I think that’s what it really needs.
“Football clubs are great places in times of need.”
Hawthorn dominated the game, taking an early lead and hitting with precision to run away with a 19.7 (121) to 11.9 (75) victory.
The Hawks have won three games in a row and climbed to 13th in the standings.
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