News Hawk for life, Luke Breust. Signs to 2025. Kicks 500 goals!

[The Spirit of Cricket]

Can't believe people think Betts is/was better than Breust.
One played second fiddle to Taylor Walker, the other had to make do with crumbs behind Franklin, Roughead, Gunston, Rioli.

betts certainly isn't better now but he's definitely on the same tier as Breust of 2010s small fwds

 

[MinerBoy]

I posted some comparative data a few years ago when Betts mania was at full throttle and there was all the talk of "greatest small forward ever". I haven't updated the spreadsheet since about 2018, although I still have the info saved somewhere, but their career comparatives stacked up very favourably for Breust even back then.

 

[Flukey!]

Can't believe people think Betts is/was better than Breust.
One played second fiddle to Taylor Walker, the other had to make do with crumbs behind Franklin, Roughead, Gunston, Rioli.

Betts was good at Carlton but great at Adelaide.
130 odd games and over 300 goals with the Crows.

His highlights reel is as good as anyone's.

So I can absolutely understand why many people would pick Betts over Bruest.
We would naturally favour Luke because he is ours.

 

[SSSSSS]

Can't believe people think Betts is/was better than Breust.
One played second fiddle to Taylor Walker, the other had to make do with crumbs behind Franklin, Roughead, Gunston, Rioli.

Betts had the higher peak but Breust has him on longevity.

 

[The Spirit of Cricket]

I posted some comparative data a few years ago when Betts mania was at full throttle and there was all the talk of "greatest small forward ever". I haven't updated the spreadsheet since about 2018, although I still have the info saved somewhere, but their career comparatives stacked up very favourably for Breust even back then.

to that point, i was reading this article last night when trying to think if anyone else was in the same tier as Betts, Breust and Cyril

The stats files: You think Betts is best? Hold that thought

Hawthorn sharpshooter is in line for his second All Australian

www.afl.com.au

Lecras and milne great small fwds but for whatever reason i don't think of LeCras as the same type of player as punky/betts cyril, and milne is the era before. The article also mentions guys like Stevie J (hardly comparable, midfielder/ medium fwd anyway), and Lindsay Thomas (LMAO! IN THE SAME BREATH AS CYRIL!)

 

[MinerBoy]

to that point, i was reading this article last night when trying to think if anyone else was in the same tier as Betts, Breust and Cyril

The stats files: You think Betts is best? Hold that thought

Hawthorn sharpshooter is in line for his second All Australian

www.afl.com.au

Lecras and milne great small fwds but for whatever reason i don't think of LeCras as the same type of player as punky/betts cyril, and milne is the era before. The article also mentions guys like Stevie J (hardly comparable, midfielder/ medium fwd anyway), and Lindsay Thomas (LMAO! IN THE SAME BREATH AS CYRIL!)

Yeah I think Milne has an argument to be the best of the lot but has that oppo dislike unlike Betts who is loved generally.

SJ and Toby Greene are interesting case studies. Absolute guns. Not pure small forwards but easily could be.

Agree on LeCras and on Thomas lol.

 

[KermitJagger]

Yeah I think Milne has an argument to be the best of the lot but has that oppo dislike unlike Betts who is loved generally.

SJ and Toby Greene are interesting case studies. Absolute guns. Not pure small forwards but easily could be.

Agree on LeCras and on Thomas lol.

Milne didn't contribute much besides goals kicked. Great sneak, but not a great modern small forward. Breust will be the best and most consistent by the time his career is done.

 

[MinerBoy]

Milne didn't contribute much besides goals kicked. Great sneak, but not a great modern small forward. Breust will be the best and most consistent by the time his career is done.

I agree with regards to Breust obviously but I think you're way off saying Milne isn't a great.

Like, love or loathe him his record was outstanding.

 

[KermitJagger]

I agree with regards to Breust obviously but I think you're way off saying Milne isn't a great.

Like, love or loathe him his record was outstanding.

He's a great, for sure - but in his era. I don't think he offers as much as the more modern great smalls do which is why I don't rate him as high.

The modern small forward has to juggle being selfless, applying pressure, tackling and kicking opportunistic goals. Milne only had the one remit, to kick goals.

 

[stillahawk]

When he first started out, I had a discussion with another hawk fan about him. I thought he was lazy and didn't work hard enough.
Happy to say I was wrong.

Breust has a knack of making something difficult look easy. His footy IQ is elite. I liken him to a cookie-cut European basketball player in the 90's.
Fundamentally sound, clean ball handling skills, non- plussed, hardly flashy but still has that arsenal kept in their pocket (comes out on display when called for) Just an all round great, highly effective player.

Hardly gets the plaudits or recognition that Betts receive but I happily take Breust over Betts every day of the week (twice on Sundays.)

 

[WillowSF]

When he first started out, I had a discussion with another hawk fan about him. I thought he was lazy and didn't work hard enough.
Happy to say I was wrong.

Breust has a knack of making something difficult look easy. His footy IQ is elite. I liken him to a cookie-cut European basketball player in the 90's.
Fundamentally sound, clean ball handling skills, non- plussed, hardly flashy but still has that arsenal kept in their pocket (comes out on display when called for) Just an all round great, highly effective player.

Hardly gets the plaudits or recognition that Betts receive but I happily take Breust over Betts every day of the week (twice on Sundays.)

I thought Breust was soft when he started & wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of the AFL but I was so wrong. His first half of the 2014 Grand Final is underrated. Two big time goals when we needed it & set the tone of the day. One on one he is superb with clean hands & elite foot skills. He can apply defensive pressure, kicks goals, is a strong contested mark & rotates through the mid field. Luke is a Cadillac. This one’s easy…definitely one of the best small forwards of all time.

 

[Tassie Cryptik]

Leigh Matthews says hold my beer to today's small forwards.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

I thought Breust was soft when he started & wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of the AFL but I was so wrong. His first half of the 2014 Grand Final is underrated. Two big time goals when we needed it & set the tone of the day. One on one he is superb with clean hands & elite foot skills. He can apply defensive pressure, kicks goals, is a strong contested mark & rotates through the mid field. Luke is a Cadillac. This one’s easy…definitely one of the best small forwards of all time.

He was a little bit, from memory he may have dropped from a final in 2011 ? probably due to lacking that hardness. He sure did fix it up rather briskly though.

 

[The Chad and I]

Betts was good at Carlton but great at Adelaide.
130 odd games and over 300 goals with the Crows.

His highlights reel is as good as anyone's.

So I can absolutely understand why many people would pick Betts over Bruest.
We would naturally favour Luke because he is ours.

They basically played through Betts and Taylor at Adelaide.
Breust has played 4th and 5th fiddle at Hawthorn throughout his career.
Breust is a superior all-round footballer.

 

[Yardie]

Has the media finally caught on to how brilliant this bloke is?

They are aware that he came from a rugby background......

 

[threesixpio]

They forgot the most important stat. He has the most o’s ever in a surname

Brooooooooooooooooooooooost

 

[TheFourPillars]

I thought Breust was soft when he started & wouldn’t be able to handle the pressure of the AFL but I was so wrong. His first half of the 2014 Grand Final is underrated. Two big time goals when we needed it & set the tone of the day. One on one he is superb with clean hands & elite foot skills. He can apply defensive pressure, kicks goals, is a strong contested mark & rotates through the mid field. Luke is a Cadillac. This one’s easy…definitely one of the best small forwards of all time.

He was a little bit, from memory he may have dropped from a final in 2011 ? probably due to lacking that hardness. He sure did fix it up rather briskly though.

Breust was dropped after his game against the cats in the 2011. Ducked his head twice going for a mark did not return for the entire final series if I remember correctly

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Breust was dropped after his game against the cats in the 2011. Ducked his head twice going for a mark did not return for the entire final series if I remember correctly

Yep that's it I think, didn't play the SF vs Swans or the Prelim vs Pies. It certainly was a wake up call about standards for him as he never looked back in 2012.

 

[WWSD]

2021: 19 games - 33 goals (1.75)
2022: 16 games - 34 goals (2.12)

Breust has kicked 1 more goal than last year despite playing three less games. With another five more games left to play, he’s on track for a 45-50 goal season. He ain’t done yet.

 

[toomanysquibs]

They are aware that he came from a rugby background......

Low hanging fruit comment of the year!

He's not as quick, not as agile and losing his feet just a little more often than he did previously, but he's still good enough to tear open a game played at the standard this one was.

True Hawthorn great, in the best and possibly even worst Hawthorn forward lines we've rolled out during the past 30 odd years.

Massively underrated by people inside and outside our supporter base (trade him - really??).

Bruest deserved multiple All-Australians more than he has, but really who cares. The numbers don't lie, he's a star amongst a team of stars in the best forward line rolled out this century.

 

[KermitJagger]

Interesting stat time, no player has ever kicked 50 goals and laid 100 tackles in a season - Breust has the best effort with 54 goals and 99 tackles in 2018.

 

[HODGEYROAD]

Just has that forward know-how and rarely gets injured. He'll probably play at a reasonably high level for another 3 seasons until he's 35.

 

[Billyc]

He will be the last man standing from our great sides. Given the role he plays and his durability, I don’t see why he couldn’t continue for another 3-4 seasons beyond this one.

 

[TylerDurden]

If he keeps up this form, he could be AA this year.

 

[dermott]

I won’t bother with stats but from my observations Bruest is one of the most accurate goal kickers from any angle that I have seen. He rarely seems to miss.
He has many other attributes but I suspect accuracy is especially important for a small forward.