There are a lot of things that get better with age.
asserted
that → be → age
Fine wine, cheese and even a good pair of jeans can improve as the clock winds along.
asserted
clock → improve → jeans
Football players aren't meant to be in this class.
asserted
players → mean → class
They start to break down as they get old.
asserted
they → start → ?
The physical game takes its toll, with years of hits adding up.
asserted
years → take → hits
Players like Jack Gunston, however, are determined to prove this wrong.
asserted
this → prove → Gunston
Turning 35 next month, Gunston has preserved himself but actively gotten better.
asserted
Gunston → turn → himself
Gunston failed to top 60 season goals in the first 15 years of his AFL career.
asserted
Gunston → fail → career
Since turning 33, he has done it twice.
asserted
he → turn → it
Gunston's longevity has already seen him kick more than 35 per cent of his goals since turning 30, the sixth-highest rate among AFL-era players with over 500 goals.
asserted
him → see → goals
Gunston sits at the vanguard of a revival of a slice of old-school footy.
asserted
Gunston → sit → footy
The era of the stay-at-home lead-up forward was recently thought to have gone the way of the dodo, but its revival has been largely implemented by a rising young crop, alongside Gunston that is.
asserted
that → stay → Gunston
In his fourth stint, at a third club, Gunston is set to lead a Hawthorn forward line into a shot at its first grand final in 11 years.
asserted
Gunston → set → years
In its way stands his old club.
asserted
club → stand → way
It's a well-worn cliche that nobody knows what a player will become when their name is first read out on draft night.
asserted
name → wear → night
While pundits will be quick to offer a comparison to a current player, each develops on their own, at their own pace.
asserted
each → offer → pace
Gunston was tabbed by Adelaide on potential, more than what he had shown to date in junior football.
asserted
he → tab → football
One of the youngest in the 2009 draft class, Gunston was green, slight and seen as a work in progress.
asserted
Gunston → see → progress
But as would eventually be the story for the rest of his career, Gunston quickly exceeded expectations at West Lakes.
asserted
Gunston → exceed → Lakes
While the skinny frame and blond tips make him seem like a completely different player, Gunston's first goal — beating his defender for pace on the end of a full field rebound — bore a striking resemblance to his final evolution.
asserted
goal → make → evolution
Gunston has been blessed to never carry his burdens alone. His whole career has been spent forming multi-pronged partnerships with multiple All-Australian quality forwards.
asserted
career → bless → forwards
Most famous was his key role as one of five career All Australians in Hawthorn's legendary 2010s dynasty forward line, but before that he cut his teeth with Taylor Walker and Patrick Dangerfield.
asserted
he → cut → Walker
Most recently, he has partnered dangerous smalls, including current foils Nick Watson and Dylan Moore.
asserted
he → partner → foils
As the young Victorian was trialled all over the ground and worked on building fitness, there were more than just hints at the electric nature of his career to come.
asserted
Victorian → trialle → career
Most know what happened next at the Hawks: three premierships and plenty of acclaim.
asserted
what → know → acclaim
But the good times didn't last forever, and that boom period was followed by a fallow one.
asserted
period → last → one
Injuries, and a short-lived move to Brisbane, left Gunston's career at the precipice.
asserted
Injuries → live → precipice
His move back to the Hawks, and a shift in the way footy is played, has more than revived his career.
asserted
footy → play → career
The connection is made
asserted
connection → make → ?
Over the past two years, Gunston has effectively become a player reborn.
asserted
Gunston → become → years
Instead of the high-roaming beast pushing away from his match-up, the veteran now stays anchored closer to goal.
asserted
veteran → roam → goal
Gunston often sits in space light years from the play, wastelands usually ignored by forwards in years past.
asserted
Gunston → sit → years
Gunston has forged a fast connection with the Hawks' contingent of skilful young midfielders such as Jai Newcombe, Connor Macdonald and Josh Ward.
asserted
Gunston → forge → Newcombe
In some ways it resembles past great Jason Dunstall's bond with Platten and Jarman.
asserted
it → resemble → Platten
Hawthorn's set-up usually preserves this open space for Gunston to operate in.
asserted
Gunston → preserve → space
With this amount of grass, the 300 gamer gets the chance to deploy all the time-honoured tricks in his arsenal.
asserted
gamer → get → arsenal
Gunston feigns, feints and baulks his opponent into submission.
asserted
Gunston → feign → submission
He'll lead to one side before darting back.
asserted
He → lead → side
Without support, direct defenders can be trapped in the blender of his athleticism.
asserted
defenders → trap → athleticism
The connection between Gunston and his teammates is such that they know where he is going before his last decisive move.
asserted
he → know → move
…and 18 more, not listed.
The Aporia
