Inspired Hawk a man on a mission
STATISTICS meant little to Inverleigh forward Jak Kennedy-Hunt on Saturday.
The 28-year-old was the catalyst for his side’s 78-point thumping of North Geelong by booting nine goals and one behind from his 20 disposals and nine contested marks.
His accurate 23.1 in the past fortnight has brought his tally to 62, well clear of Bell Post Hill revelation Jayden Ettridge, who reached 40 thanks to his 13-goal haul on the weekend.
But the first-year Hawk instead paid an emotional tribute to his club. which had sold 200 blue beanies throughout the week for Fight MND — a foundation tackling motor neurone disease.
“My father passed away due to the disease last year and I just want to do everything that I possibly can to support the cause,” Kennedy-Hunt said.
“So I suppose I also want to support everyone around me when it comes to the issue from family to teammates as well.
“I can’t thank the Inverleigh Football Club enough. We put a function on Thursday night and everyone in the room bought and then put on the blue beanie.
“So that little bit of money goes towards Neale Daniher’s foundation and personally it means a lot.”
Balancing the emotions of his club’s generosity with the exhaustion of his duel against Darren Mathisen, the tall forward won the backing of coach Mark McDowell.
“He (Kennedy-Hunt) has added value to the club, not only as a skilfully talented footballer but also for his work off the field,” McDowell said.
“This fundraiser has raised a lot of awareness for our players who weren’t aware of it and Jak has been affected by it.” Dalton Grundell was the next player named in Inverleigh’s best players, finishing with two goals and a handful of assists.
“It helps when I’m able to combine with Dalton Grundell who is a very talented guy, a genuine top bloke and to be honest I don’t know why he’s at this level,” Kennedy-Hunt said.
“He’s still got a big future ahead of him at age 21 — you couldn’t have a better person to share the forward line with.”
Justin Di Blasio helped keep Jamie Pitman goalless at the other end. Di Blasio rounded off the side’s best players along with fellow captain Ryan Garrard, ball winner Blake Hutchinson and interleague medallist Mike Best.
“We’re not about ‘mes’ as we are about ‘wes’, it’s a team effort where we lock opposition down as a unit and that then gives license for guys like Mike Best to run off half back,” McDowell said.
Robert Logue was arguably the most unlucky Hawk not to be named in the best players with three goals, along with Nathan Mayes, who finished with 28 disposals.