Luke Dunstan - 100 Games

[St Chris]

Congrats Luke for getting to 100 games.

You are playing the best footy of your career.

But.....you are not terribly convincing when the questions about your contract came up: https://www.saints.com.au/video/2019-07 ... -100-games

After seeing this I'm not 100% sure Luke will be with us next year.

[SaintPav]

Thought he said was fine.

What did you want him to say?

[desertsaint]

All good from what i heard. well spoken young man. Well done on a hundred games, given more of himself than most in that time and hope he's rewarded properly by the club, becoming a very good inside mid.

[Goose is king]

Luckily Adelaide don’t need a player like Dunstan. Would be a massive shame to lose him now that he has become a vital part of our future core

[bigcarl]

Starting to play very good football. Not as one-dimensional as I’d originally thought.

[saynta]

Still could be a future captain.

[tedtheodorelogan2018]

Has become a good player. Must keep. Priority. Get it done Gallagher.

[KingSaint]

Could be that we share the same surname...or the fact that l get some enjoyment from hearing the commentators calling the name Dunstan...and he's wearing a St Kilda jumper...but l have always liked this kid.

Like a few others...he has taken his game to a new level this year.

Perhaps its just my childhood dream that Dunstan would lead the Saints to a flag.

[oldie60]

Congrats to the MANBOY. Seems to be playing to his strengths and also prepared to back himself. Did captain his Sth Aust carnival side.

[B.M]

Well done to him

Still does not win enough footy to be a frontline midfielder. Skills are very average and of course, his ability to spread is not good.

He does put his head over the footy and cracks in.

He’s a solid B Grader.

[Rubyjo]

We are a better team with him in it.. Hard as nails getting better.

[B.M]

We’d be an even better team if he couldn’t make the team.

[desertsaint]

bugger me, why you taint congratulatory threads with your little critical asides i don't know.
the lad was thrown to the lions as our hard inside mid when still a teenager. had a harder intro than any saints player i know since luke ball. should have been in the vfl a lot more helping develop whilst his body matured enough to handle the physicality of his role.
been very good for us in patches as a result of too much work early. he'll go on from here to be a vital midfield cog in our machine, if he isnt already. we're a better team with him in there, now and in the future.

[saintspremiers]

Well done.

Fair effort by the manchild

[fugazi]

bugger me, why you taint congratulatory threads with your little critical asides i don't know.
the lad was thrown to the lions as our hard inside mid when still a teenager. had a harder intro than any saints player i know since luke ball. should have been in the vfl a lot more helping develop whilst his body matured enough to handle the physicality of his role.
been very good for us in patches as a result of too much work early. he'll go on from here to be a vital midfield cog in our machine, if he isnt already. we're a better team with him in there, now and in the future.

No shame in being a solid B grader.
Has had some good games of late and looks fitter than ever.

[Ghost Like]

bugger me, why you taint congratulatory threads with your little critical asides i don't know.
the lad was thrown to the lions as our hard inside mid when still a teenager. had a harder intro than any saints player i know since luke ball. should have been in the vfl a lot more helping develop whilst his body matured enough to handle the physicality of his role.
been very good for us in patches as a result of too much work early. he'll go on from here to be a vital midfield cog in our machine, if he isnt already. we're a better team with him in there, now and in the future.

No shame in being a solid B grader.
Has had some good games of late and looks fitter than ever.

Agree with you both. Struggling to think of team, even a premiership team with only A & B+ graders.

Pity our tilts at flags in 97, 2010 & 2011 didn't bottom out at solid B graders.

[fugazi]

Even the great Brisbane teams of 2001-3 had Aaron Shattock and Tim Notting in there....otherwise wall to wall A graders, elites and Brownlow medallists

[The_Dud]

Playing very well at the moment, and I think he’s only going to continue to get better

[Spinner]

Well done to him

Still does not win enough footy to be a frontline midfielder. Skills are very average and of course, his ability to spread is not good.

He does put his head over the footy and cracks in.

He’s a solid B Grader.

I think he has been good this year. Easily in the top half of our players this year.

[supersaints2]

bugger me, why you taint congratulatory threads with your little critical asides i don't know.
the lad was thrown to the lions as our hard inside mid when still a teenager. had a harder intro than any saints player i know since luke ball. should have been in the vfl a lot more helping develop whilst his body matured enough to handle the physicality of his role.
been very good for us in patches as a result of too much work early. he'll go on from here to be a vital midfield cog in our machine, if he isnt already. we're a better team with him in there, now and in the future.

Agree 100%, wrote about his role and it's impingement many times ... No coincidence hi is improving now with Steele around.

[supersaints2]

Well done to him

Still does not win enough footy to be a frontline midfielder. Skills are very average and of course, his ability to spread is not good.

He does put his head over the footy and cracks in.

He’s a solid B Grader.

Come on BM in your previous encarnation you called him to be delisted constantly, you don't get to 100 games if your no good

[barneyboyz]

bugger me, why you taint congratulatory threads with your little critical asides i don't know.
the lad was thrown to the lions as our hard inside mid when still a teenager. had a harder intro than any saints player i know since luke ball. should have been in the vfl a lot more helping develop whilst his body matured enough to handle the physicality of his role.
been very good for us in patches as a result of too much work early. he'll go on from here to be a vital midfield cog in our machine, if he isnt already. we're a better team with him in there, now and in the future.

Bugger me, finally someone with a little nouse.

I would say that Luke is just starting to be (genuinely) fit enough to do the job, that as you mention, he has been asked to do since starting. Gresh is the next one that's building to a similar level.

Much gets talked about the fact we need outside players, and we do, but if we win a flag any time soon, Luke will most likely be an integral part of it, provided he stays.

[magnifisaint]

He's already a good player that's only going to get better. One sided yes but so was Libba and he won a Brownlow. Tough as teak.

[mad saint guy]

I've been a massive critic since he stagnated after his first season but I absolutely agree that he's playing the best footy of his career right now and he's looking like he's going to forge a solid AFL career. He's playing with a much more attacking mindset right now, looks fitter than ever and his clearance work has lifted massively.

Is the rest of his career is with us? I'm not sure. But if he keeps up his current form then I'm sure the club will offer him a decent contract unless he is a part of a deal to land a bigger fish.

[saynta]

I've been a massive critic since he stagnated after his first season but I absolutely agree that he's playing the best footy of his career right now and he's looking like he's going to forge a solid AFL career. He's playing with a much more attacking mindset right now, looks fitter than ever and his clearance work has lifted massively.

Is the rest of his career is with us? I'm not sure. But if he keeps up his current form then I'm sure the club will offer him a decent contract unless he is a part of a deal to land a bigger fish.

Damn sight quicker these days too. Say a player flash through a pack at high speed last Saturday night and got the pleasant surprise of my life to see no 7 on his back.