#14 LUKE DUNSTAN Height: 184cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 2 !1!
!1 #ec$%ite& '$(m: W((&)i**e We+t T($$e,+ I feel like Luke Dunstan is being sorely underrated among circles alongside his D brother in Trent Dumont. I dont know if its the TAC Cup centric !ictorian media" the fact they arent flashy" or a bit of both. I feel a bit the same with Dom #heed and $lake Acres. %aybe Im o&errating these guys' I find that difficult to comprehend though if youre going by the (ational Champs at the &ery least. Dunstans a left footed inside midfielder whos been on the radar for a long time now and sometimes I forget hes only )* years old. +e played ), matches when he was )years old in .ood&ille .est Torrens /0)* team where he a&eraged )1 disposals. +es played lots of high le&el footy at a &ery young age and he also showed what he was capable of at last years (ational Championships where he a&eraged 2) disposals and 3 clearances from his two matches. This year as captain of the #outh Australian team it was much the same where he played fi&e matches a&eraging almost 2, disposals" 3 clearances" 3 tackles and 3 inside -4s. 5ou know what youre going to get from Dunstan week in" week out. To be honest I&e hardly seen him play a bad game" and although he may not ha&e the ceiling of some of the other prospects" he 6ust gets the 6ob done no matter what le&el hes playing. +e had 22 disposals in his #A(7L debut this season and from his three games he a&eraged 2) disposals and kicked , goals including 8 score assists. +e cemented his place in the team before his season was ended by a leg in6ury. Im always careful with comparisons because theyre ne&er e9act" but if I were to picture Luke Dunstan in the A7L" Im probably thinking :ordan Lewis. Dunstans bread and butter is the contest. +e cra&es the contested ball and most of the time hell win it and dish it off effecti&ely. +is tackling is &ery good and makes them stick. If Dustin %artin is known for the dont argue well then Luke Dunstan will be known for the -4 metre handball. .ell" not ;uite" but he can literally handball it about ,4 metres into space out of a stoppage. +es got great power and hes 6ust someone youd lo&e to ha&e in the trenches. +e plays like a general out on the field. +e was born to lead and he plays like it. +es not the most skilled" flashiest or fastest player out there" but as I said" he 6ust gets the 6ob done. +is run and spread is actually pretty good. +es not one of those players that you want to hide once the ball is out in space. +e works back into defence nicely and chops off some incoming passes and isnt too bad a mark for his si<e. Dunstan has lots of critics about his disposal but I honestly dont e&en think its that bad. +es got a slightly high ball drop but his style is fine and when he sticks to his limitations hes actually a nice kick. I dont find his kicking reputation too dissimilar to that of $eau .aters early in his career. .aters used to o&er complicate things and the errors looked bad but now hes much more complete and that 6ust came with a cooler head. I&e seen Dunstan hit "
up players on the lead plenty of times entering the forward -4 and on the wings. I ha&e no issue here. Dunstan can pro&ide a bit of &ersatility in that he can rest forward. +es generally good for almost a goal a game and he looks really comfortable up there. (o matter where he is on the ground" hell create a contest and hes also a decent mark for his si<e as I mentioned before. Athletically is probably the area he struggles most. +e was in6ured so he didnt test at the Combine" but Id say his endurance would not cause a great deal of concern and his speed would 6ust be around a&erage. Dunstans stepped up to whiche&er le&el hes played at continuously and contributed considerably. +es the type of player e&ery team needs and he also has sensational leadership ;ualities to go with a cool head. I think Dunstan is a ripper to be honest" and I think hell ha&e a long and successful career in the A7L. +e probably wont win any $rownlows but hell be one of the first picked e&ery week.