The unlikely Hawk following in the footsteps of champion teammates

Hawthorn father-son rookie Calsher Dear is proving to be the unlikely piece in the Hawks' push for a September return in 2024.

The son of club great and 1991 Norm Smith Medal winner Paul, Calsher Dear was no certainty to follow in his father's footsteps to be picked up by the Hawks last November through the National Draft.

A starring role in the Sandringham Dragons' grand final win last year capped off a year of promise for the teenager, who loomed as no guarantee to fetch a bid by the club his late father played 123 games for come draft night.

However, Dear - proving to be a built different addition to Mitchell's squad - has gone from an outside draft chance to a key member of arguably the most form side of the AFL with a week left in the home and away season.

Dear would be the 56th prospect selected at the 2023 AFL Draft, joining the brown and gold alongside top five pick Nick Watson, fellow father-son draftee Will McCabe, and South Australian Bodie Ryan.

Of the four, Dear looked the most unlikely to feature at AFL level in his maiden season under coach Sam Mitchell given his raw standing and needed development and size before being handed a debut.

But a nine-goal run across four VFL games for Box Hill, coupled with senior forwards Mabior Chol (suspension) and Mitch Lewis (injury) becoming unavailable, Dear was handed an unlikely debut in Round 8 against the Western Bulldogs.

Positioned in attack alongside 450-goal key forward Jack Gunston to help lead an undermanned Hawks attack, Dear rose to the occasion to boot two goals from eight disposals and five marks in an upset win, which would only be Hawthorn's second for the season so far.

Dear has played all but one game since under Mitchell, having missed Round 17 due to load management, to become a staple in an up-and-coming, exciting Hawthorn side.

The first-year forward has only gone goalless in four of his first 14 games, contributing 19 majors for the season to rank sixth for his side and first among players to debut in 2024.

Dear's bright start even has him ahead of some of the more notable father-son key forward selections still playing today.

Before turning into an All-Australian defender, Collingwood captain Darcy Moore left an impact in attack for the Magpies after being recruited as a key forward, while Joe Daniher looked lively in his first few outings as a Bomber.

West Coast sharpshooter Jake Waterman, who is enjoying a breakout year with the Eagles, had a fruitful early patch in the royal blue and gold, while Bulldogs tall Sam Darcy is another who has quickly become one of the most promising key position players in the league.

None booted more goals than Dear in their first 14 games at the elite level, with Dear's 19 being four ahead of the next best in Darcy (15 goals) - who is the only Rising Star eligible player in 2024 to be averaging more goals per game than Dear. Moore (14) managed a goal per game across his first 14 appearances for Collingwood, with Waterman (13) and Daniher (11 goals) trailing.

His 19 goals from 14 games matches the output from Gunston in the early stages of his career, with the now-veteran kicking the same amount of goals in as many games before defecting to the Hawks from Adelaide. 

Gunston has gone on to have eight separate seasons with 30 or more goals under his belt, needing just three more majors this year to make it nine for his career.

Should Dear continue his goalkicking run this weekend against North Melbourne, he will become the Hawks' sixth player to boot 20 or more majors for the year, with veteran Luke Breust also just two goals away from the benchmark. 

Breust certainly knew how to have an instant impact at AFL level, kicking 30 goals in his rookie season back in 2011. The crafty small forward averaged 1.76 goals per game from his 17 appearances as a first-year player, although was afforded a pair of pre-season games before making the step up to senior level.

The patience paid off for Hawthorn however, with Breust kicking 40 or more goals in his next five seasons - three of which were premiership years under former coach Alastair Clarkson. 

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