Luke Dunstan (St Kilda - Pick 18)

[TwoTowers]

Kristian from Footy Tragic had Dunstan going at pick 14. He rated all our picks highly.

LUKE DUNSTAN

Height: 184cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 29/1/1995

Recruited from: Woodville West Torrens

I feel like Luke Dunstan is being sorely underrated among circles alongside his ‘D’ brother in Trent Dumont. I don’t know if it’s the TAC Cup-centric Victorian media, the fact they aren’t flashy, or a bit of both. I feel a bit the same with Dom Sheed and Blake Acres. Maybe I’m overrating these guys? I find that difficult to comprehend though if you’re going by the National Champs at the very least.

Dunstan’s a left-footed inside midfielder who’s been on the radar for a long time now and sometimes I forget he’s only 18 years old. He played 13 matches when he was 15 years old in Woodville West Torrens’ U/18 team where he averaged 19 disposals. He’s played lots of high level footy at a very young age and he also showed what he was capable of at last year’s National Championships where he averaged 21 disposals and 4 clearances from his two matches. This year as captain of the South Australian team it was much the same where he played five matches averaging almost 23 disposals, 4 clearances, 4 tackles and 4 inside 50’s.

You know what you’re going to get from Dunstan week in, week out. To be honest I’ve hardly seen him play a bad game, and although he may not have the ceiling of some of the other prospects, he just gets the job done no matter what level he’s playing. He had 22 disposals in his SANFL debut this season and from his three games he averaged 21 disposals and kicked 3 goals including 7 score assists. He cemented his place in the team before his season was ended by a leg injury.

I’m always careful with comparisons because they’re never exact, but if I were to picture Luke Dunstan in the AFL, I’m probably thinking Jordan Lewis.

Dunstan’s bread and butter is the contest. He craves the contested ball and most of the time he’ll win it and dish it off effectively. His tackling is very good and makes them stick. If Dustin Martin is known for the ‘don’t argue’ well then Luke Dunstan will be known for the ’50 metre handball’. Well, not quite, but he can literally handball it about 30 metres into space out of a stoppage. He’s got great power and he’s just someone you’d love to have in the trenches. He plays like a general out on the field. He was born to lead and he plays like it. He’s not the most skilled, flashiest or fastest player out there, but as I said, he just gets the job done.

His run and spread is actually pretty good. He’s not one of those players that you want to hide once the ball is out in space. He works back into defence nicely and chops off some incoming passes and isn’t too bad a mark for his size. Dunstan has lots of critics about his disposal but I honestly don’t even think it’s that bad. He’s got a slightly high ball drop but his style is fine and when he sticks to his limitations he’s actually a nice kick. I don’t find his kicking reputation too dissimilar to that of Beau Waters early in his career. Waters used to over-complicate things and the errors looked bad but now he’s much more complete and that just came with a cooler head. I’ve seen Dunstan hit up players on the lead plenty of times entering the forward 50 and on the wings. I have no issue here.

Dunstan can provide a bit of versatility in that he can rest forward. He’s generally good for almost a goal a game and he looks really comfortable up there. No matter where he is on the ground, he’ll create a contest and he’s also a decent mark for his size as I mentioned before.

Athletically is probably the area he struggles most. He was injured so he didn’t test at the Combine, but I’d say his endurance would not cause a great deal of concern and his speed would just be around average.

Dunstan’s stepped up to whichever level he’s played at continuously and contributed considerably. He’s the type of player every team needs and he also has sensational leadership qualities to go with a cool head. I think Dunstan is a ripper to be honest, and I think he’ll have a long and successful career in the AFL. He probably won’t win any Brownlow’s but he’ll be one of the first picked every week.

[Solar]

He has a year to soak up everything he can learn form lenny and carry the torch. Great pick, very much what we need.

[skeptic]

pretty rapt with this selection

reasonable size, already has some weight on him

IMO a good get

[BigMart]

Good solid selection

[Ross who?]

Over the moon with this guy. Physically ready to go straight in next year. In and under, Just what we need IMO.

[St Ick]

Over the moon with this guy. Physically ready to go straight in next year. In and under, Just what we need IMO.

Agreed. Jack Steven will love this kid in our side!

[mick13]

Stoked we got him. Was yelling his and Acres names at the screen when Geelong and Freo took players I'd never heard of.

[Con Gorozidis]

Sounds awesome

[Wrote for Luck]

love it. love the highlights of this guy. love the interview. question is do we still grab Weller?

[St Ick]

Stoked we got him. Was yelling his and Acres names at the screen

Did the same thing! Mother in law just couldn't understand why I was doing a Tom Cruise jumping on the couch after they called it!

[Old Mate]

Love this selection. Dunstan's a pure footy player. Not an athlete, far from it. Leadership qualities and extremely team orientated. A Cameron Ling type without the shite face.

[St Ick]

Love this selection. Dunstan's a pure footy player. Not an athlete, far from it. Leadership qualities and extremely team orientated. A Cameron Ling type without the shite face.

U find him attractive there Old Mate? while he is a footballer first, athlete second, I don't think he is below average athletically by any means, just not outstanding. He is a beast and I reckon will do an Ollie Wines next year.

[Old Mate]

Love this selection. Dunstan's a pure footy player. Not an athlete, far from it. Leadership qualities and extremely team orientated. A Cameron Ling type without the shite face.

U find him attractive there Old Mate? while he is a footballer first, athlete second, I don't think he is below average athletically by any means, just not outstanding. He is a beast and I reckon will do an Ollie Wines next year.

He's a good looking rooster compared to Ling haha. Nah we did very well with this selection as well as the others. Brilliant draft by us. Let's just hope they develop accordingly.

[stinger]

Love this selection. Dunstan's a pure footy player. Not an athlete, far from it. Leadership qualities and extremely team orientated. A Cameron Ling type without the shite face.

U find him attractive there Old Mate? while he is a footballer first, athlete second, I don't think he is below average athletically by any means, just not outstanding. He is a beast and I reckon will do an Ollie Wines next year.

He's a good looking rooster compared to Ling haha. Nah we did very well with this selection as well as the others. Brilliant draft by us. Let's just hope they develop accordingly.

yep....congratulations st kilda...well done.....counting curran///that's eight new guys on the list for next year...hope they grow and develop together......

[Munga]

He's already had both hips done and a knee. He might go like a bull out of a gate, but it might not be the longest career.
Having said that, Roo's knee has been bone on bone for 10 years!

[MCG-Unit]

Very good selection - Luke Dunstan 184/83 left footer, contested ball beast, plus a great tackler

[Sainternist]

Welcome to St Kilda FC, LD!

[savatage]

Welcome to St Kilda FC, LD!

Curb your enthusiasm a little....

[Con Gorozidis]

Built like a tank cuntry kid
Captain of under 18 National Champion
Hell of a lot to like

[savatage]

Carries himself like a leader!

[Verdun66]

Built like a tank cuntry kid
Captain of under 18 National Champion
Hell of a lot to like

Where's Spelly?

[Con Gorozidis]

Seriously - that was a genuine mistake/typo.
The 'o' on my keyboard is actually broken.

[Verdun66]

Seriously - that was a genuine mistake/typo.
The 'o' on my keyboard is actually broken.

Made me laugh tho.....

[Sainternist]

Welcome to St Kilda FC, LD!

Curb your enthusiasm a little....

Well spotted, Sav.

A PRETTY GOOD nickname I thought. No good?

[Fidelis]

I read Quigley's mock draft and rate him as a good judge. He had Dunstan at 9 and says:

Luke Dunstan
DOB 29/1/95 Ht 184 Wt 83

Dunstan and Scharenberg with the driving forces in SA team which won the Champs this year and is probably not getting the attention he deserves. He was the SA capt and was the fulcrum around which the midfield operated. He is one of those players who you don’t fully appreciate from watching on TV and I thought he was more impressive live where I got a better impression of how he worked on and off the ball and how he interacted with his team mates. He was lauded for his leadership abilities on the AIS tour to Europe this year and I can understand why. He leads both by voice and example and if I was going to pick anyone in this draft to be a future captain at AFL level it would be Dunstan. He makes his team better and that is an underestimated quality in a game which many casual observers reduce to stats. If I was looking to add some leadership to my playing group I would have no trouble reaching a bit for Dunstan.

At the Champs he was an All Australian and, with Scharenberg was named the SA MVP. He averaged 22 disposals per game and really stood up when the team needed it. In SA last year he dominated the under 18s as a bottom ager averaging 27 disposals per game and this year played 4 SANFL reserves (averaging 24 disposals per game) before finishing the year in the firsts. He returned to the SANFL seniors in round 18 and in the three games that followed averaged 21 disposals and he picked up 3 goals in round 19. He has stepped up to excel at every level he has played at and there is no reason to think that he will not do the same at AFL level.

Dunstan is an inside out midfielder who can go forward and be effective. Dunstan is one of the best inside players in this draft. He is a physical player who really imposes himself on the contest and goes hard for the ball or the man with the ball. His hands are pretty clean in contested situations but I would not put him in the elite category and he can fumble a bit. In the clearances he also tends to be standing still a bit when he gets the ball and when he gets the ball he is grasped or tackled regularly. When he is in the tackle he is strong and composed and does not give out panic handballs. He keeps his arms free pretty well and takes good options which are not always the first to appear. I would suggest that up against stronger AFL players he might struggle a bit initially being not particularly agile or quick but as he gets stronger he could play much the same game. Defensively in the contest he is good and tackles aggressively.

Up forward he has been pretty effective and he reminds me a bit of Swanny up forward albeit he lacks Swan’s pace. He leads hard, is strong and holds his ground well, can take a mark, is dangerous at spillages and is generally a good shot for goal. I have my doubts about how effective he will be up forward in the AFL where the defenders are virtually all going to be taller and quicker than he is and judge the ball coming in just that bit better than he has faced to date. It’s all about expectations I think. He will be a part timer that can go forward for a rest and is dangerous enough that teams will have to match him up. That has value in itself.

Athletically he seems pretty middle of the road. Endurance looks good without being elite (in the 14s I expect) and he seems to get around the park well and his spread is reasonable. I noted at the Champs that he covered a lot of ground when the game was on the line and would pop up deep in defense when needed. I think his tank will be fine. Agility and pace I expect to be on the poor side for a midfielder. I am thinking 3.10 to 3.20 in the 20m and there are plenty of AFL mids who tested in this range. Like most inside mids he is not a leaper.

Dunstan does have a bit of an unusual body shape having a long torso and short legs and arms. Despite that he often seems to play taller than he actually is and after watching him live I was surprised he only measured in at 184cm. I was expecting a measure of about 188.

Skills wise he has a very big weapon which I have not really heard anyone comment on and that is his long handball. Being a Brisbane supporter I hark back to Michael Voss who was one of the best handballers in the game and could drill out a quick 30m handball to set the man away and that is the kind of thing that Dunstan can do as well. His powerful handballs will go 25m from nothing and hit a man in stride. He set up a couple of goals at the Champs in the games I saw with this and he can get them away from tight situations as well which is a big plus.

His kicking has improved a lot over the last year but it can still be a bit of a mixed bag. He has a bit of an unusal style with a high release but he is generally effective. He is a natural left footer and like most left footers is fairly one sided. He is serviceable off his right but not really any more than that. On the left he has good penetration and is actually a very good long kick and he hits his targets very nicely at distance. A bit surprisingly he is not so good at short to intermediate distances where his kicking can at times be slightly over or under hit. His short kicks usually get there but they are often not pretty. As I said though he has improved his kicking a lot over the last year and given the improvement so far there is no reason to think it will not continue to improve.

I struggled for a comparison at AFL level and have seen a few which were thrown up like Ball and Mitchell. They have some merit but I would probably go with Scott Thompson with the handballing and leadership skills of Luke Hodge. Dunstan may not have the ceiling of a few of the top prospects this year but he floor is probably higher and his intangibles elevate him as well in my eyes.

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