Over the years, history worldwide has had a funny way of slipping into overdrive on 1 August.

But for SUNS newcomer Aidan Schubert, 1 August 2026 was most special. It was the realisation of his childhood dream and the start of his AFL journey.

Schubert made his AFL debut for Hawthorn against North Melbourne. It was his first and last game in Hawthorn colours before he was traded to the SUNS on Monday.

And while the AFL debut of the 195cm red-headed key forward from Gawler on the northern outskirts of Adelaide isn't exactly an international headline story, it did fall on the anniversary of some monumental world events.

On 1 August 1790, the first census was conducted in the US. In 1861 the US charged income tax for the first time, and in 1896 the first Olympic Games in Athens closed.

Television was broadcast in colour for the first time in 1953 and, in 1971, the first email was sent. In 1981 it was a day of double history as IBM launched the first personal computer and MTV (Music Television) was launched to revolutionise the music industry.

It's Swiss National Day, World Lung Cancer Day, World Scout Scarf Day and, in the US, National Mustard Day. In the southern hemisphere, 1 August is the official horse's birthday.

And this year, in Hawthorn's 90th and last 'home' game at York Park, Launceston, which had been a home away from home for the club since 2001, Schubert became the 16th AFL player this century to debut on 1 August.

Next year he'll be the second SUNS player for whom this date holds fond memories, with Joel Jeffery having debuted in red and yellow on 1 August 2021.

It's been a bit hit-and-miss. The retired Danyl Pearce (258 - Port Adelaide and Fremantle), Tom Rockliff (208 – Brisbane and Port Adelaide) and Liam Jones (205 – Western Bulldogs and Carlton) were unqualified successes. Likewise, current pair Tim Membrey, now a 222-game veteran at Collingwood after stints at Sydney and St Kilda, and Melbourne's Jake Bowey, who played his 100th game in the recent finals.

Jeffery (75) and West Coast's Harry Edwards (57) are pushing towards 100 games after Collingwood's Matt Scharenberg (41) was on track until cut down by injury.

But the other six 1 August debutants, largely unknown to a lot of SUNS fans, combined for just 25 games – Melbourne's Cameron Hunter (2), North Melbourne's Marcus White (2), Richmond's Robert Hicks (3), Fremantle's Justin Bollenhagen (4), Adelaide's Kieren Strachan (7) and North Melbourne first-round draftee turned prominent player agent David Trotter (7).

Schubert leaves Hawthorn as one of 87 one-gamers among 985 players all-time since the club joined the VFL in 1925, and joins the Gold Coast club that has had only two one-gamers – Marc Lock and Leigh Osborne – among 162 players in 16 years.

Lock, a zone selection from Southport, was captain and best and fairest in the SUNS Under-18 development side in 2009 and captain of the VFL side in 2010. He played in the club's first AFL game in 2011.

Osborne, a 2012 rookie draft pick from Frankston, played Round 22, 2013 against St Kilda at Marvel Stadium ... and never again.

That won't be Schubert, who joins the SUNS after an outstanding junior career which skyrocketed after the 2025 Australian Under-18 Championships.

Before the carnival, even by his own admission, he was a draft 'maybe'. But as Fox Sports' Ben Waterworth wrote on 12 November, seven days before the draft, he was a big thing.

"Arguably the two biggest bolters off the back of the national championships ultimately turned into the two highest-rated key-position prospects in this year's AFL draft class," Waterworth wrote.

Working with "intel" from recruiters across the country, he identified Dean as "a top-10 certainty and the best tall defender", and tagged Schubert as "the best key forward" after a brilliant showing for South Australia at the carnival.

He suggested Schubert had "roared into first-round calculations" after an outstanding performance at the Australian Under-18 Championships, noting he had "traits which lean towards shaping as a long-term developable type, and the character to suggest he'll be in a hurry once he hits the top level".

Schubert finished fourth in voting for the Larke Medal, won by Essendon draftee Dyson Sharp, and was named at full forward in an All-Australian side that included SUNS pair Dylan Patterson and Koby Coulson.

A couple of days later, on the well-regarded Rookie Me Central website, they suggested Schubert's ability to chop out as a second ruck boosted his value.

They forecast he would "land in the latter half of the top 10" and tipped Adelaide to draft him at No.14 as a long-term replacement for the retired Taylor Walker if St Kilda did not pounce at No.7 and Sydney went past him at No.9.

It was a life-changing period 12 months in the making and had a big "I'll show you" ring to it.

Having played in the 2024 AFL Under-17 Futures game, Schubert was left out of the AFL 2025 Academy squad and later admitted he "wanted to prove some people wrong."

He set himself a torturous fitness program which delivered at the 2025 Draft Combine when he ran 6min 21sec for the 2km time trial, eighth best overall and easily best by a tall.

After the carnival, still six weeks out from the 2025 SANFL finals, Schubert asked Centrals coach Paul Thomas, a 269-game six-time Centrals premiership player and Magarey Medallist, if he had a chance to play at senior level. The response wasn't what he hoped for.

"He (Thomas) said I had a few things to work on and wasn't ready for the level yet," Schubert said later.

"A little bit with my leading patterns, just needed fine-tuning a bit was the major one.

"I wanted to try and prove him wrong. I feel like I played some good footy after that and played with a bit of freedom. I wanted to have fun with my footy for the last few weeks of junior footy."

Five weeks later, Schubert kicked three goals from 14 disposals, six marks and 14 hit-outs in his first game in the SANFL Reserves, and a week later he made his SANFL senior debut in a final. All that after he'd kicked 28 goals in 13 games to win the SANFL Under 18 MVP.

Fast forward to night one of the draft on 19 November 2025. After the SUNS claimed Zeke Uwland at No.2, Dylan Patterson at No.5, Jai Murray at No.17 and Beau Addinsall at No.18, and before they picked up Coulson at No.46, Schubert went to Hawthorn at No.23.

He was the third tall drafted after 193cm Dean went father-son to Carlton at No.3 and 200cm Cooper Duff-Tytler went to West Coast at No.4.

And he was one of three players drafted by Hawthorn from Centrals, which was home to recently retired SUNS favourite Nick Holman after his early delisting by Carlton and before his second-chance opportunity on the Gold Coast.

Centrals teammates Cameron Nairn, who played Rounds 11, 12, 13 and 15 at AFL level this year, went at No.20 and Matthew LeRay, yet to play in the top side, went at No.56.

Centrals is the club which also produced Hawthorn Brownlow Medallist John Platten, Port Adelaide and Hawthorn premiership player turned SUNS coach Stuart Dew, West Coast captain and games record-holder Shannon Hurn, Port Adelaide 280-game premiership player Justin Westhoff, and 2026 AFL grand finalists Darcy Fort (Brisbane) and Isaiah Dudley (Fremantle).

The Schubert profile in the 2026 AFL Guide noted he was drafted before his 18th birthday (on 21 December) and said: "He presents well as a target in attack with his clean hands overhead, aerobic capacity and versatility being features of his game, highlighted by strong stints in the ruck throughout his junior career."

He made a quick transition to life in Melbourne and, on 22 June this year, still five weeks before his AFL debut, Schubert signed a two-year contract extension through to the end of 2029.

Said Hawthorn National List and Recruiting Manager Mark McKenzie at the time:

"Aidan has been a constant contributor for Box Hill at VFL level this season, booting 16.17 while averaging 12 disposals and 4.6 marks per match across his opening 10 games.

"With his athletic profile and strong aerial ability, he possesses all the traits needed to develop into a genuine key forward in the years ahead.

"He has demonstrated his dangerous scoring ability as a young forward while continuing to hone his craft at the level ... he still has significant growth and development ahead of him, and we're excited to see what the future holds."

Schubert's 1 August debut came as an injury replacement for Mitch Lewis in Round 21. It was third-placed Hawthorn, looking to lock up a top-four spot, against 13th-placed North Melbourne in a desperate battle for a wildcard spot.

North Melbourne led by 17 points at quarter-time and by one point at three-quarter time before going down by 16 points.

Despite it being almost five months after Carlton's Harry Dean became the first of 92 debutants for the season in Opening Round, Schubert was the eighth-youngest at 18 years, 223 days. Dean finished as the youngest at 18 years, 112 days.

Schubert played 62% game time for six kicks, five marks (three inside 50) and three handballs (nine disposals) for two behinds. He had four hit-outs, one tackle and one goal assist. He did his job.

He wore jumper No.29 that was made famous at Hawthorn by 184-game 1983, 1986 and 1988 premiership player Russell Greene, and also worn in 94 of his 95 Hawks games by Tom Murphy, who wore No.29 in his 18 games at the SUNS in 2013-14.

Seven weeks later, on 20 September, he played what turned out to be his last game as a Hawthorn-listed player for VFL affiliate Box Hill in the VFL Grand Final. He had 11 possessions and a goal in a 23-point win over Geelong.

Playing alongside him was Brodie McLaughlin, who was a key member of the SUNS' 2023 VFL premiership side after joining the club as a pre-season supplementary selection, and 2017-18 SUNS player Jack Scrimshaw.