Hawthorn premiership heroes must prove they can play just as well in a lesser team, Jon Anderson writes

HAWTHORN’S Luke Breust, Jack Gunston and Isaac Smith are struggling and now face a huge test. Are they genuine stars or were they just in the right place at the right time? SEE THE NUMBERS

Isaac Smith didn’t have his best game in the loss to Gold Coast. Picture: Getty

NOTHING can ever detract from the triple premiership tag that sits comfortably on Hawthorn players such as Luke Breust, Jack Gunston and Isaac Smith.

In all three cases those players were key components in extraordinary sides. But in some ways their biggest test is ahead of them and that it is to prove they can be equally as good in a less than extraordinary side.

And as it stands they and several of their teammates are failing that test as the Hawks come off their worst start to a season in 20 years.

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Gunston has seen enough of the ball but as yet hasn’t registered a goal, Smith is well below peak levels and Breust has had a nightmare start to the season.

As you would expect with a team at 0-3, they have plenty of mates but in the cases of Luke Hodge, Shaun Burgoyne and Josh Gibson, Father Time is an obvious factor.

It’s the younger types who should now be accepting the load and you can add Cyril Rioli and Ben McEvoy to that bracket

Some numbers behind the Hawks’ struggles.

When the Hawks were a great side in the late 1980s they had some very useful bit-part players in Chris Wittman and Paul Abbott, two who were unable to play as well when they joined other clubs.

They were good enough to retain their spots in one of the competition’s best ever sides, yet they couldn’t find enough of their own ball elsewhere.

Breust, Gunston and Smith are now being asked the same question and their responses will ultimately determine their reputations.

Triple premiership players yes, but beneficiaries of being in the right place at the right time or Hawks who played well irrespective of ladder position.

Jack Gunston is yet to kick a goal this year. Picture: Michael Klein

Gary Ablett Jr is a perfect case in point. Tipped to struggle by some when he left a champion team to joint a fledgling outfit, he actually raised the bar.

Chris Judd did the same when crossing from West Coast to Carlton.

Agreed, they are champions, whereas Breust, Smith and Gunston are at least a level below.

That hasn’t stopped Dayne Beams, James Kelly or more recently Caleb Marchbank from moving to lesser standard sides and still producing high levels.

Like the Hawthorn trio, Kelly is a triple flag player. Unlike them at present, he hasn’t let his performances drop despite playing in a team of less quality.