Jason anounced his big decision while hosting his television show Live and kicking on Wednesday the 26th of August. Jason said"It's got to a very difficult stage. I guess the injuries over the last couple of years  in the last two years I've had two knee reconstructions and a broken collarbone - it starts to take its toll, not only on yourself but also on your family.

 "I just think when you weigh up the pros and cons of playing another year, it just seemed to me to be the right time to get out." Dunstall said that his television and radio commitments had a big influenced his decision to retire. "Obviously it's just got to the stage where if I played it would be one more year, and the way the training schedule is now, you'd have to devote all your time to that.

 "With what I'm doing here at Channel Seven and also at Triple M, it's just become too hard to do both. It's impossible, I think, to sacrifice all that I'm going to do in the future for one more year of footy. So I do hope people understand that."

Dunstall said he made up his mind a couple of months ago after breaking his collarbone against Carlton. His plans before then were to try to play another year.
He is now bracing himself for what will be the most emotional send-off for Hawthorn since Leigh Matthews after the 1985 grand final. "Saturday will be hard. I'd be surprised if I didn't shed a tear or two," he said.