Who is Calsher Dear? 18-year-old son of late premiership hero set to make Hawthorn debut against Western Bulldogs on Sunday

Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell says Calsher Dear, son of the 1991 Norm Smith medallist Paul Dear, has come from “a long way back” as the teenager prepares to make his rookie debut against the Western Bulldogs on Sunday.

Dear was taken with pick 56 in 2023’s draft, and Mitchell said he didn’t seem physically prepared enough,but had developed at an impressive rate, allowing him entry into the senior side. The coach on the 18-year-old’s abilities said:

“He’s come from a long way back, he has really grown enormously physically and in his confidence around the group.

“I think he’s just grown in such a great space, and I think Jack Gunston has got to take a lot of credit because he’s just worked closely with him along with Adrian Hickmott, the forwards coach.

“I think he’s got two main attributes, one is his marking ability, but also his follow-up work … he’s always getting after the opposition, he’s quite mobile in that way once the ball hits the ground

In the upcoming match against the Bulldogs, Jack Gunston and Calsher Dear will be the main go-to forwards for the Hawks. Mitchell admits that Liam Jones, the Bulldogs' top defender, has a clear strength advantage over the newcomer.

Andy Collins, who played in the 1991 grand final alongside the boy’s father, one of Collins’ closest friends said that he felt some fuzziness upon hearing that Dear, whom he has been coaching in his role as Hawthorn’s head of development, would debut this weekend. Speaking on Dear, he said:

“He’s a 196 centimetres versatile sort of forward. He has a terrific lead. He has an extraordinary leap. He’s pretty good on ground ball tackling.

“And Calsher has had some really good moments at VFL level, but he’s far from a finished product at the moment.

But hopefully – and we’ve seen it before – he can come on the footy field and get involved game and that would be a wonderful experience for him.

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Calsher Dear’s AFL debut will be one of the season’s most emotional moments

AFL debuts are often gripping moments for concerned parties and fans alike. Calsher Dear’s runs out for Hawthorn against the Bulldogs on Sunday just might move one some to tears.

The teenager is the son of Hawk icon Paul Dear, who lost the battle to cancer in 2022, at the age of 55. Paul's most memorable AFL moments came when he lead the Hawk to glory in the 1991 Grand Final day.

Expressing his hopes for the young Dear, Hawthorn boss Rob McCartney said:

“This weekend Calsher gets to experience this wonderful emotion as he pulls on the brown and gold for the first time just as his father, Paul did in 1987,

“As an 18-year-old key-position player we know Calsher is a developing talent and, whilst we need to be patient, we're excited to see him take his first step at AFL level.”