14. Lynden Dunn

[RandB]

MFC: Pre-season update: Sylvia to Blease

14. Lynden Dunn

Lynden’s in outstanding condition. His body composition is probably as good as it’s been throughout his career. He’s really capitalised on a strong finish to the 2012 season with how he’s approached his summer. Lynden had some slight hamstring tightness, which restricted his training for two weeks before Christmas, but he has been very positive about his rehabilitation.

– Jade Rawlings

 

[Eth]

MFC: No looking back for Dunn

“I had a chat with Neeldy (Mark Neeld), halfway through [last] season and he said ‘we’re thinking about playing you down back this week’,” Dunn told melbournefc.com.au.

“I said ‘it’s fine’. The coaches put it out there … and it just snowballed from there.

“So here we are now, I’m a defender.”

And it’s been a move that’s produced strong results.

Not only did Dunn play 13 of the final 14 rounds – he missed round 16 against Fremantle at Etihad Stadium due to suspension – he also became a mainstay of the backline.

His rebound, ability to set-up attacking chains and metres gained from defence became important components of his game. And he was rewarded for his strong second half of the season performance with 10th place in the club’s best and fairest. It was the first time Dunn finished in the top 10 at Melbourne.

 

[syl]

Lynden Dunn Pre-season Report 2013:

Dunn has been an enigma wrapped in a riddle since being drafted to the MFC in 2004. Debuting in 2006, there has a constant debate about his best position and he has been tried in basically every position on the park. He has always been a 'tryer' but has never had the consistent impact supporters expect and demand and has been one of the longest serving whipping boys of the club.

Mark Neeld has shown every confidence in Lynden Dunn whilst most supporters abandoned him, he obviously saw potential in Dunn as a defender more than a forward where he played under Bailey. Now approaching two years in to training with the defensive brigade, he finally looks settled and confident in his right to be there.

He, along with Sylvia and Watts, was one that finished 2012 very strongly after an ordindary beginning to the season averaging 18 disposals after the midyear bye. He was amongst the first of the struggling demons' to really buy into Neeld's plans and this was acknowledged with him finishing in the top 10 of the Melbourne best and fairest, something he had never acheived previously.

Word around town in the last 6 months was that Neville Jetta and Dunn had been doing extra training off their own bat over the pre-season break, being spotted running the Tan or at the paddock doing work amongst themselves, trying to get the best out of themselves under Mark Neeld's guidance.

Dunn has had a very solid pre-season, ticking every box internally within the club and excelling on the park as well, I expect him to take more leaps forward as he embraces his position as a rebounding defender and 3rd man up as his confidence grows on the back of all of his hard work. This is especially important with the defection of Rivers to the Hawks, with him needing to now fulfill this role to allow Watts' to use his decision making as the quartback of the team.

Get set for a big year from Dunn as he continues to build on this solid platform, set to play his 100th match in round 1 versus Port at the MCG.

 

[syl]

I shall take d33my 's approach and devote only 3 lines of haiku to Dunn's performance:

one hundred games in
turnover after turnover
goddamn potato