Jason Hadfield Dunstall (born 14 August 1964) is a former Australian rules footballer who played for the Hawthorn Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL).
Originally from Queensland, Dunstall was one of the first of a generation of big-bodied, lead-up full-forwards who could also out-wrestle opponents for position in a marking contest, while remaining an agile, team-orientated player. He was a full-forward during an era in which power forwards—including Tony Lockett, Gary Ablett Sr., Warwick Capper, Allen Jakovich, Simon Beasley, Saverio Rocca, John Longmire, Tony Modra and Peter Sumich—dominated the league goalkicking. He is one of only six players to have kicked over 1,000 career goals in the VFL/AFL, and only Lockett and Collingwood's Gordon Coventry have kicked more career goals. In an interview in 2011, champion North Melbourne footballer Wayne Carey regarded Dunstall as the best player he had seen and played against. In 2024, he was promoted to be one of just 32 Legends in the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
After finishing as a player, Dunstall became a prominent football media personality, commentating matches for various radio stations in Melbourne and appearing regularly on Fox Footy as the host of the show Bounce.
Dunstall was born and raised in Brisbane as one of three sons; his brothers are Harry and Nicholas. He attended the Anglican Church Grammar School from 1977 to 1981. At school, he played soccer as a goalkeeper, as well as rugby union. His junior Australian rules football was spent playing with the Coorparoo Football Club in the then-Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL). He grew up supporting the Carlton Football Club due to Coorparoo wearing the same jumper and aspired to one day play for the VFL club.
In 1984, as a 20-year-old, Dunstall made his senior debut and enjoyed a stellar season, claiming the QAFL leading goalkicker award with 73 goals in the home-and-away season and kicking seven goals in Coorparoo's Grand Final win.
Attracting interest from the VFL, Dunstall approached Carlton; however, the club appeared to not be interested. He instead received an offer to train with Fitzroy, but reserves coach Brian Walsh was not impressed, choosing to recruit fellow Queenslander Scott McIvor instead. Dunstall was recruited to VFL club Hawthorn in 1985, touted as a new tall forward option, a recruitment which was largely overshadowed by the hype of West Australian recruit Steve Malaxos.
Although coach Allan Jeans was not immediately impressed by Dunstall's physical appearance, he became somewhat of a father figure over the course of the 1980s. When a group of players was arrested after a night out during an overseas trip, Jeans was called to the local police station to address their detention. Jeans' advice to the officer has become a highlight of premiership reunion events; he reputedly advised the officer in charge he was free to shoot "him, him and him, but don't shoot the fat one" as he looked at his star full-forward.
Dunstall made his 1985 VFL debut against Melbourne at Princes Park. He had an immediate impact, kicking an impressive three goals and three behinds in his team's demolition of the Demons; however, he was third in the team's goalkicking, behind Dermott Brereton and John Kennedy. He was dropped from the side three games later after a loss to Richmond; however, he regained some form towards the end of the season, finishing with 35 goals. In his breakout game against Richmond, he kicked eight goals, and the media heralded the twenty-year-old Queenslander as a future star.
In 1987, expansion club the Brisbane Bears—in search of a marquee Queenslander—made a 10-year offer of A$2 million (equivalent to $5,480,000 in 2022) to Dunstall. Despite the lucrative deal and the opportunity to return to his home state, he turned it down, choosing to stay with the Hawks.
1988 was a special year for Dunstall. In Round 19, against Fitzroy, he brought up his first century of goals in a season. He had kicked 98 goals going into the match, and Hawthorn supporters expected the required two goals to come sooner rather than later. However, Dunstall missed his first two shots and dropped a few marks before putting through his first goal at the 17-minute mark. The moment of truth came at the 30-minute mark of the first quarter when teammate Dermott Brereton kicked the ball high into the air. It took a vicious bounce over Fitzroy defender Brett Stephens' head and landed in Dunstall's arms. The goal was kicked and the fans came running onto the ground to congratulate only the second Hawthorn player, after Peter Hudson, to kick 100 goals in a season.
Dunstall kicked a further six goals for the game to finish with 8 goals. He would finish the home-and-away season with 124 goals, winning his first Coleman Medal. Dunstall became the first Queenslander to win the Coleman Medal in 1988 and also won his first club best and fairest award. In the 1988 Grand Final massacre against Melbourne, he kicked 7 goals.
Dunstall established his reputation as one of the best full-forwards in Australia during the 1989 VFL season. He won his second straight Coleman Medal, tallying 128 goals during the home-and-away season, and finished third in the Brownlow Medal vote count. He kicked ten or more goals in a match twice: in Round 16, he kicked 11 goals against Collingwood, and in Round 22, he kicked 11 goals against St Kilda. Dunstall added ten more goals during the finals series, four of those in the epic 1989 premiership victory, to take his overall tally to 138 goals for the season. He also won the club best and fairest award for the second straight year. Representing Victoria in the State of Origin series, Dunstall won the Simpson Medal for best on ground in the match against Western Australia played in Perth.
1990 began promisingly enough for Dunstall. In Round 1, in the Grand Final rematch against Geelong at Waverley Park, he kicked a then career-best 12 goals after being held goalless in the first quarter. Hawthorn went on to thrash the Cats by 115 points. In Round 4 against Brisbane Bears at Princes Park in wet conditions, Dunstall kicked 8 goals, bringing up his 500th career goal in the process, as the Hawks won by 82 points. But in Round 9 against Melbourne, Dunstall was injured in the first quarter. He fell heavily on an opponent's boot and sustained a serious injury at the front of his head. He was taken from the ground and admitted to The Alfred Hospital. At that stage of the season, Dunstall had kicked 41 goals. The injury would cause him to miss the next four matches. After his return in Round 14, he kicked a further 42 goals, including 11 goals against Collingwood in Round 20. On a television program after the 1990 AFL Grand Final, Leigh Matthews said that he was glad Hawthorn got knocked out of the finals, because Dunstall always seemed to kick a huge number of goals against the recently crowned premiers.
Dunstall kicked 82 goals in 1991, including six in the Grand Final as Hawthorn claimed their 9th Premiership. They were unable to defend the premiership in 1992 after they lost to West Coast in a closely contested Elimination Final. But Dunstall enjoyed arguably his most successful season on an individual level. He won his third Coleman Medal after kicking 139 goals during the home-and-away season (six more in the Elimination Final took his season tally to 145), and finished second in the Brownlow Medal vote count.
In Round 7, Dunstall kicked a career-best 17 goals against Richmond, just one goal short of the VFL/AFL record held by Fred Fanning of Melbourne.
Dunstall reached his century of goals against Geelong in Round 16 at Kardinia Park with his fifth goal of the match just before half-time. He ended the match with 9 goals and beat three opponents as Hawthorn won by 19 points.
Dunstall's outstanding season was recognised with his third club best and fairest award, as well as his first selection in the All-Australian team at full-forward.