In heartwarming news for Hawthorn fans, father-son draftee Calsher Dear will make his debut against Brisbane at Marvel Stadium on Sunday.
Dear's story is a special one, following in his late father's footsteps to pull on the brown and gold in his honour.
Dear's father played 123-games for the Hawks and was the Norm Smith medallist in the 1991 premiership victory over West Coast.
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In 2022, Paul Dear passed after a battle with pancreatic cancer.
A year later, his son was drafted with pick 56 in the 2023 class.
Now, just six months later, he'll make an emotional debut.
The 18-year-old was pulled aside by Hawthorn mentor, forward Jack Gunston, who let him know the good news.
Gunston and Dear have a special bond that is forged through loss.
The veteran Hawk also lost his father back in 2022, just days before Dear's dad passed on.
"Couldn't have picked a better bloke to tell me," Dear said of Gunston on Friday.
As for his dad, Dear thinks he would have been pretty chuffed, but knows he's still watching and expecting a solid game.
"I can't wait, hopefully I do him very proud and he doesn't get too mad about how I play, up there," he said.
"I'm very excited, super happy."
https://twitter.com/HawthornFC/status/1786225934426894411
It's Hawthorn's second debutant in 2024, with Dear following small Nick Watson.
"I think having someone like him come into the club creates a bit of a buzz and a bit of energy, which is very exciting," coach Sam Mitchell told reporters on Friday.
The Hawks have won just a single game so far in 2024, hoping to take down the Lions.
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