Hawks told it’s time to rebuild

HAWTHORN should consider trading triple premiership hero Jack Gunston, according to the man who helped build the club’s golden era, former recruiter Gary Buckenara.

In the wake of the Hawks’ 51-point loss to Port Adelaide, coach Alastair Clarkson conceded his side was no longer in premiership contention.

Gunston failed to kick a goal on Thursday night and had a season-low seven disposals.

The performance underlined his struggles this season, in which he has produced just 10 goals from 11 matches.

Gunston has been held goalless five times.

Essendon great Tim Watson suggested the Hawks should trade Gunston in a bid to get back into the first round of the draft. The Hawks traded this year’s first-round selection last year (currently No.5), handing it to St Kilda to help secure Jaeger O’Meara.

Buckenara, who was part of the Hawks’ recruiting team when Gunston was traded to Hawthorn from Adelaide, supported the move — at the right price.

“Given what Jack has done for the footy club and been part of a really successful era, maybe that decision [is a good one] — to get back into the draft,” Buckenara said.

“You have to give up something to get something. You’re not going to be able to do it any other way unless you just want to back yourself in to be able to pick up the players you need with the picks that you’ve got.

“If someone came to you and offered a first-round [pick] then you’d look at it.

“But at the end of the day if you’re only going to get a second round pick then you’re better off keeping him.”

The Hawks did not have a first round draft pick last year either, trading their selection to Sydney for midfielder Tom Mitchell. While Buckenara would move Gunston on at the right price, he rejected suggestions the Hawks should offload more premiership players to rebuild the list.

“It’s not desperate [times] but ideally you do want to have picks in the first round of the draft because each round the success rate of first round picks to second round picks is quite significant and so on,” Buckenara said. “I don’t think they’ll have to do that because Hawthorn has always been very good with recruiting and list management.

“They’ll have a good plan in place and even though they don’t have any early picks Hawthorn has always been able to pick players later in the draft.”