{"id":2442,"date":"2026-04-06T17:19:27","date_gmt":"2026-04-06T11:49:27","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/jack-gunstons-behind-in-dying-seconds-allows-hawthorn-to-claim-easter-monday-thriller-against-geelong\/"},"modified":"2026-04-06T17:19:27","modified_gmt":"2026-04-06T11:49:27","slug":"jack-gunstons-behind-in-dying-seconds-allows-hawthorn-to-claim-easter-monday-thriller-against-geelong","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/banitoday.com\/hi\/jack-gunstons-behind-in-dying-seconds-allows-hawthorn-to-claim-easter-monday-thriller-against-geelong\/","title":{"rendered":"Jack Gunston’s behind in dying seconds allows Hawthorn to claim Easter Monday thriller against Geelong"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Hawthorn’s Jack Gunston has kicked a behind in the dying seconds to defeat Geelong by one point in an Easter Monday classic.<\/p>\n
Gunston emerged the match-winner after briefly being forced off the ground with a hamstring issue as Hawthorn recorded a 13.14 (92) to 14.7 (91) winners at the MCG.<\/p>\n
After Mitch Lewis’s goal levelled the scores with 51 seconds left on the clock, Gunston hit the post with a close-range volley to put Hawthorn ahead after a frantic goalmouth scramble in the dying seconds.\u00a0<\/p>\n
“I hate points, but it’s a nice one,” he told Channel 7 after the game.<\/p>\n
“It was pretty frantic there and we were trying to just hit it forward, get it forward, get a boot on the ball and [I] hit the post.”<\/p>\n
Gunston continued his tremendous late-career renaissance by kicking 3.4 against Geelong, bringing his season’s tally to 16 goals in four matches, trailing only Gold Coast’s Ben King (19).\u00a0<\/p>\n
Shannon Neale marked and kicked his fourth goal with less than two minutes left to give Geelong a six-point lead, before Lewis repeated the feat at the other end to draw Hawthorn level.<\/p>\n
Then Hawthorn skipper James Sicily \u2014 who played through a right shoulder injury \u2014 took a huge contested mark in defence and kick-started an end-to-end play that finished with Gunston scrapping the winning point.<\/p>\n
Josh Ward (29 disposals) provided a superb presence around the ball, especially in the first half while Connor Macdonald (26) was excellent when it counted.<\/p>\n
For Geelong, Bailey Smith (33 disposals) worked tirelessly in midfield, with support from Max Holmes (27 disposals) and Tanner Bruhn (26) while Tom Stewart was strong down back and Mitch Edwards held his own in the ruck.<\/p>\n
Follow the live blog below for a recap of all the action as it happened.<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n