Hawk veteran Shaun Burgoyne still climbing mountains

Hawthorn star Shaun Burgoyne might be about to start his 19th AFL season, but the veteran still has mountains to climb.

HAWTHORN star Shaun Burgoyne might be about to start his 19th AFL season, but the veteran still has mountains to climb.

The 36-year-old today broke the monotony of pre-season time trials and weight sessions with a walk up kunanyi/Mt Wellington and is eyeing off the AFLX later this month.

The 358-game, four-time premiership champion and proud indigenous player ascended Mt Wellington as part of a cultural walk with Hawthorn’s community camp in Tasmania.

“It is always important to know when you go somewhere what’s happening there and the history there,” Burgoyne said.

Hawthorn football player Shaun Burgoyne enjoying some fresh mountain air on Mt Wellington/kunanyi. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

“For myself, that is very important. I like doing these things and I think also it is good for other players and staff members to come along and it gives them a little bit of history as well.”

Burgoyne will be vice-captain of the Deadleys in the AFLX tournament — a shortened version of Aussie rules — on February 22.

Hawthorn football players Rosie Dillon (VFLW), Mitchell Lewis, Ben McEvoy, Aboriginal guides Rocky and Theresa Sainty and Shaun Burgoyne. Hawthorn players will partake in a cultural walk to a local waterfall on Mt Wellington/kunanyi. Picture: RICHARD JUPE

“We are in the middle of the hardest training phase of our season and anything to break that up and have a bit of fun and AFLX is that,” he said.

“We want to play with the best players in the game and we get a chance to do that. I did that a few years ago with international rules and we are doing that now.

“It gives the fans a bit of a taste of what the best players can do when they come together and hopefully the fans come out and enjoy the night too.”

Originally published as Hawk veteran Shaun Burgoyne still climbing mountains