Hindsight is a beautiful thing, and in the world of football, we as fans tend to get caught up in the events of days gone by.
Every footy fanatic has that one player that they long to see take the field, however long gone their days of handling a Sherrin may be.
Whether it be Daicos or Doull, Ricciuto or Richardson, fans can usually point to a single figure that captured their imagination during their formative years of watching AFL football.
SEE ALSO: If your AFL team could bring back one player - Part 1
Similar to our 'If your club could steal one player...' series, this trio of pieces will go through all 18 teams in the league, pointing at the weak spots in their best 22 and picking one of four past players to slot into their lineup and remedy their club's ailments.
We continue today with the second six teams of the competition based on alphabetical order.
Option 1: Jason Dunstall
It's hard to say anything about 'The Chief' that hasn't already been said. The man was an absolute weapon, booting an astonishing 1254 goals in a mere 269 games.
Despite being undersized for a key forward, his solid build meant that he rarely met someone that was his match.
His trophy cabinet was marvellously stacked with three Colemans, four flags, seven All-Australians and four club best-and-fairests meaning that he is up there with the most decorated Hawks of all time.
He is third only to the great Coventry and Lockett in total goals and is remembered by many who played against him as the best player to ever boot a Sherrin.
Option 2: Shane Crawford
Shane Crawford was one of the most impressive midfielders of his generation, dazzling fans whether they be neutral or Hawthorn faithful.
At only 174cm, 'Crawf' was by no means a physically gifted player by AFL standards, however, the one thing that he had in spades was pure gut-running. It was impossible to count the number of times he received the ball cleanly off the pack and burst through to hit up a lead or shoot for goal.
Winning the Brownlow in 1999, as well as four All-Australians and Peter Crimmins Trophies, Crawford would finally complete the clean sweep in 2008 when his beloved Hawks won the flag.
Crawford is fondly remembered by Hawks fans as one of their favourite sons and is a fine example for any skipper anywhere to draw from.
Option 3: Leigh Matthews
The great Leigh Matthews may be the best non-full forward attacker of all time, with his efforts as a mid-forward quite remarkable all things considered.
Matthews, in his 17 seasons at Hawthorn, managed 915 goals in 332 matches - an astonishing total for someone who divided his time between roving duties and forward pocket.
With four VFL premierships, a staggering EIGHT Peter Crimmins Trophies, one Coleman Medal and six club leading goalkicker awards, 'Lethal' would likely have an entire floor of his house dedicated to silverware.
Now a prominent media figure, Matthews is able to share his footy wisdom with all who listen, and we're all far more knowledgable for it.
Option 4: Peter Hudson
A player with one of the best goal-to-game ratios of all time, Peter Hudson was electric back in his day.
Averaging a staggering 5.6 goals per game over the course of his career, Hudson played only 129 games for the brown and gold, slotting a staggering 727 majors in that time.
Winning four Colemans and a flag to boot, Hudson played his opponents off the park week in and week out. Even in the years where he only played a single game in 1972 and '73, he managed eight majors in each of those encounters.
If Hudson somehow played for another two seasons, then there is no doubt that he would've cracked the big 1000 and entered rarified air.
Verdict
At the minute, it's the key forward stocks that the Hawks are lacking in with Jack Gunston being out for an extended period of time and youngsters in Jacob Koschitzke and Mitch Lewis still coming along.
Therefore, it's got to be 'Chief' that comes in for the Hawks, with Dunstall certain to boot big bags of goals in his time in the forward-line. With Sam Mitchell needing a good start in 2022, Dunstall would no doubt make his side overperform as well as provide invaluable experience to the aforementioned young keys.
