Hawthorn champion Luke Breust spoke to the media on Thursday after announcing he will retire at the end of the 2025 season.
Speaking on his career, the three-time premiership player reflected on his time at the club, where he was a five-time Hawthorn leading goal kicker and was named All Australian twice.
The 34-year-old will see out the rest of the season as the Hawks make a run for finals, with Breust to play his 307th game on Saturday against Melbourne at the MCG.
The milestone will see 'Punky' rise to equal-third on Hawthorn’s all-time games-played list – a record he’ll share with premiership teammate, and now Senior Coach, Sam Mitchell.
We summarised the key points from his press conference on Thursday below.
On his retirement
“It still hasn’t probably sunk in just yet. But I’m so grateful to have spent 17 years at this great club. Still a little bit of work to do, in the next hopefully four to six weeks. Eventually, (I’ll) get a chance to sit down, take stock and reminisce. I’m sure I’ll appreciate more of it then, but it’s hard to look that far ahead just now. So grateful that I had the opportunity to play at the highest level for so long and do things that I’ve done in the game.”
On what Hawthorn means to him
“It’s half my life, 17 years, I’m 34, so it’s literally half my life at this place. (Hawthorn) were the first ones to take a chance on me way back when as a rookie and completely changed my life for the better. I wouldn’t be the person, the father, the husband I am today without this joint. So many people in it are such good people, and I’ve had such good relationships over a long period of time that it’s why you play footy. I think it’s the thing I’ll cherish the most out of it is the relationships you build over a significant period, and looking forward to taking them into the future.”
On the three premierships
“Looking at those (Premiership Cups), I think about hard work, I think about sacrifice. I think about how good that group was, and how special it is to be a part of that group. The three minutes after the final siren goes on Grand Final day, you’ll never feel anything like that in your life. I’ll take that into the future and know how special that was.”
On his friendship with Jack Gunston
“It’s been amazing to have Jack back. We are the fiercest rivals, but at the same time, best mates. I think everyone needs a guy in your career that gets the best out of you, and he was certainly that for me. We competed on absolutely anything and everything. He’s been so important to my career and my development. We’ve been able to build off each other or just work together to get the best out of each other. I’m so happy this year with the way he’s playing, and the year he’s been able to put together has been pretty special.”
On what’s next for him
“Hopefully get some time in the off-season just to chill out a little bit and get away for a holiday and reminisce and share some time with some family and friends. And then I’d love to stay in footy. I think I’ve got a fair bit to offer in terms of knowledge; I’ve been in the game for a long period of time. Fortunately, been pretty good at my position, hopefully there’s someone out there that’s looking for that expertise, and I can give my knowledge and that back to the game and the club.”
Watch Breust's full press conference below
Watch what Sam Mitchell had to say about Breust below
