PREMIERSHIP defender and best and fairest winner Josh Gibson will play game 150 in tonight’s blockbuster against Essendon at Etihad Stadium.
After playing 65 games with North Melbourne from 2006-2009, Gibson joined the Hawks via a trade and has since become one of the league’s premier defenders in his 83 games with Hawthorn.
“You start out just wanting to play one game and to reach 100 is super special but to reach 150, it’s an exciting moment,” he told hawthornfc.com.au
Having just turned 30, Gibson is one of Hawthorn’s most experienced players but sees the lighter side in becoming one of the side’s elder statesmen.
He was drafted at 22 after playing for VFL side Port Melbourne and believes he lives the adage of getting wiser with age.
“That’s what I keep telling people – I’m like a fine red wine - well that’s what I tell the coaches anyway when it’s contract time,” he joked.
But that’s not necessarily untrue.
In his eighth year of AFL football, Gibson has arguably the best year of his career working in tandem with Brian Lake and Ben Stratton.
In Hawthorn’s premiership year, he won the Club’s best and fairest the Peter Crimmins Medal, joining the likes of Leigh Matthews, Peter Knights, David Parkin, Jason Dunstall and Shane Crawford.
“It was very special to win the flag last year and to win the best and fairest was, well I’m still speechless,” he said.
“To be help up there with some of those past winners who are champions of the Club, I was very humbled and honoured to win the award.”
Under the tutelage of defensive coach Luke Beveridge, Gibson believes his game has thrived and his performances reflect that. His last two seasons for Hawthorn in particular have been outstanding.
“(My game) changed a fair bit but I think it’s just evolving,” he said.
“We’ve got a really good coaching group here and ‘Bevo’ our defensive coach, since he’s come on in 2012 has opened my eyes up to different ways to play.
“Over the last couple of years I’ve tried to add that to my game - the key is you’ve always got to be evolving because the game is always changing and we feel we’ve added a couple of things to my game.
“I’m continuing to try and work on the parts I’ve had my whole career and it’s definitely helping me to still play good footy.”
A member of the Club’s leadership group for a third season, Gibson is now in a different stage of his career, less concerned with his own game and more focused on helping develop those around him.
With a number of young defenders like Taylor Duryea, Derick Wanganeen, Angus Litherland and Kurt Heatherley on the list, Gibson wants to help develop them into league players.
“The success of the group comes from how much pressure you’ve got pushing from below and we’ve got a fantastic group of young guys who are really putting pressure on the older blokes,” he said.
“It creates a good environment here and keeps people on their toes and helps the team strive for success.
“We’ve got some really young and exciting defenders coming through and I really want to start seeing them getting senior games.
“We saw Wanganeen playing last weekend and ‘Gus’ (Angus Litherland) has been very close (to playing).”
But the changing of the guard won’t happen quickly if he's got anything to do with it.
“I’m helping to develop those guys and grooming them to take my spot but not obviously right away, maybe in about 10 years,” he joked.
