29 November 2007 Herald Sun
Jon Ralph
HAWTHORN football director Jason Dunstall has endorsed the club's drafting of Stuart Dew, but says the former Port Adelaide forward may have to endure constant taunts about his weight.
Former Port Adelaide forward Stuart Dew
Former Port Adelaide forward Stuart Dew, 28, trains with his new club Hawthorn at Waverley Park yesterday. He was selected at pick No. 45. Picture: Michael Dodge
Dew yesterday stepped out for training with his new club at Waverley Park, just four days after being controversially selected at pick No. 45 by coach Alastair Clarkson.
The 28-year-old, who played 180 games with Port before retiring after the 2006 season, has been told he must hit strict weight requirements if he is to play senior football next year.
After a year in which he travelled to the US with former girlfriend Teresa Palmer, Dew reached 120kg. But he has told friends he is back down to 99kg and needs to lose another 6kg by next season.
Hawthorn said this week Dew was at 104kg and needed to lose another 10kg.
The club is determined to play down any friction caused by Clarkson's decision to draft Dew against the wishes of the match committee.
But Dunstall, who endured good-natured taunts over his ample haunches during his career, said Hawthorn was well placed to take a punt on a player such as Dew.
Dunstall said Dew would be used to constant discussion about his frame.
"He had that when he was playing at Port Adelaide," Dunstall said yesterday.
"People will always be talking about it. I don't think the weight is as important as whether he's getting his hands on the footy or not.
"He has been working very hard and he won't have too much to worry about (the weight), but people will say it whether you are or aren't overweight. It will be like water off a duck's back. We know he can play, absolutely we know he can do it."
Dunstall said talk that Dew's selection indicated the club thought it was close to a premiership was ill-founded.
"I don't know where people get that from. We are still the youngest team out there and we just lost three of our more experienced blokes, so a 28-year-old is hardly going to upset the list," Dunstall said.
"Most people thought it wasn't a particularly deep draft, so (pick) 45 is a pretty big gamble whichever way you go."
Hawthorn refused to comment about Dew yesterday, but list manager Chris Pelchen said on radio that Dew had been training up to five times a day to lose weight.
"Ultimately the decision for Stuart to come to the club was pretty much given to Clarko," Pelchen said on Sport 927.
"While I do have the right of veto, I also respect what the coach's needs are. That is why we made the decision. There wasn't quite the angst some people associated with it.
"The first discussion with Alastair and Stuart was in early September. It would be fair to say with his weight at that time over 120kg, Alastair explained we wouldn't consider him until he got himself fit.
"Stuart played in his last season at 107 kilos, and (Port Adelaide) listed him at 90kg.
"But from 24 onwards he was always over 95kg, so we are trying to get his body back to the level he was at when he was 24 or 25 years of age."
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taken over the nick name" fat f***" from whitnall.......
