Traded Luke Dunstan

Remove this Banner Ad

Manimal_Dunstan

Cancelled
10k Posts
Aug 9, 2012
10,680
8,233
AFL Club
St Kilda
Player Advocate 2016: Hayes4PM
Player Advocate 2017: Jackie_Chiles

Welcome Luke Dunstan!

Born: 29/1/1995
Height: 185cm
Weight: 83kg
Club: Woodville-West Torrens
Position: Midfield

Get more information on Luke Dunstan via the link: http://www.saints.com.au/news/2013-11-21/pick-18-luke-dunstan

DUNSTAN%20Luke.png


Emma Quayle said:
22. LUKE DUNSTAN
(Woodville W Torrens, 184cm, 83kg)
Dunstan is a strong, hard-to-move midfielder who can be depended upon. Keeps his feet, wins clearances and makes life easier for his teammates. He'll get the footy, then find them. He's not fast - that's been the biggest knock on him - but you'd pick him knowing how hard he's going to work to improve everything. A really good player, in most areas. Could captain an AFL team one day.

Read more: http://www.theage.com.au/afl/afl-news/the-lads-most-likely-20131116-2xo46.html#ixzz2lHgrhB47
Woodville West Torrens Talent Manager Shane Grimm via Inside Footy said:
Luke has had a big couple of years and this (draft) has probably been a long time coming given he's been in our system since he was 15. Has had a lot of injury concerns (hip operation last year) in that time, but this year he managed himself well. Played just one game before the national championships and he was outstanding in those and that surprised me a little bit given how little footy he had played going in. An inside midfielder he shows creativity and his leadership is first class as well. I reckon he could go to a club and play straight away given he's been living the life of a professional footballer for the last year. He worked part-time but this year was all about concentrating on his footy.

SANFL -- Avg 21.0 disposals a game @ 79.4% Disposal Efficiency
SANFL Res -- 23.8 @ 82.1%
SANFL U18's -- 30.0 @ 80.0%
U18 Nat's -- 22.6 @ 69%
Knightmare said:
Power Rankings for 2013:
*Potential A-graders*
1. Jack Martin (WA - Mid) – Gold Coast via minidraft.
2. Thomas Boyd (VIC - KPF)
3. Jesse Hogan (WA - KPF) – Melbourne via minidraft.
4. Blake Acres (WA – Mid/Util)
5. Luke McDonald (VIC - UTIL – NM F/S)
6. James Aish (SA – Mid/Def)
7. Jack Billings (VIC – Fwd/Mid)
8. Matthew Scharenberg (SA – Def)
9.Kade Kolodjashnij (TAS – Util)
10.Marcus Bontempelli (VIC – Util)
--
*Potentially high level footballers*
11. Matt Crouch (VIC - Mid)
12. Dominic Sheed (WA – Mid/Fwd)
13. Luke Dunstan (SA – Mid/Fwd)

#18 St Kilda (via Hawthorn) – Luke Dunstan (SA –Mid/Fwd)
Height: 185cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 29/01/1995
Recruited from: Woodville-West Torrens
Style: Scott Thompson (Adel)
Player comparison:
Range: 13-35
Profile: Dunstan is a dominant inside midfielder with a strong body. Has future captain potential having captained SA through the u18 championships and is highly regarded for his leadership abilities. Has played plenty of senior SANFL footy and has played some strong footy. He’s a big time accumulator and a natural inside ball winner with the ability to win the clearances. He has very clean hands and that ability to be that real inside distributor with his work in close by hand as good as you’ll find really working to dish it off to those outside runners and get others involved. Not only is Dunstan an exceptional inside player but he can also swing forward, take a mark and hit the scoreboard when given the opportunity and I expect he will continue to be a very damaging player at the next level. Opinions on his kicking vary, but by position I’ve mostly been happy with what he’s done not only finishing but also hitting his targets around the field showing that he can lower the eyes and hit a target but then also has shown that he has some penetration and hurt factor at times when given the time and space to execute. He’s not an athlete but in saying that his pace is sufficient. He also has shown that he can read the play well behind the ball.

Footy Tragic said:
#14 – 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.



Quigley said:
9

“Wah, wah, wah”. “No freaken way we pass on Aish if he is here.” “ Pass on Bontempelli are you crazy.” If you want a particular player do your own mock. Melbourne need mids and ones that can win their own ball. Dunstan is a high character guy who is really underrated on here I think and whichever teams ends up with him is going to get a bargain. I think he fits the Roos style very well and he is the kind of player who will make the other young Melbourne talent better. By the sounds of it they are taking Freeman here though. He is a reach but his athletic qualities do make him intriguing.


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.
Offsider said:
Pick 15: Sydney Swans – Luke Dunstan
Height: 185cm, Weight: 83kg, DOB: 29/01/1995
Club: Woodville-West Torrens (SA)

The Swans pick up the next best player imo in Luke Dunstan, he will be able to play a role from year one imo and might be a part of their midfield rotation, although probably just depth. Luke is a very good all round mid and has the capability to play well on the inside yet also spread well and find the ball on the outside. He is a natural ball winner whose best position is as a midfielder, yet he has shown and should continue to develop his ability as a forward to take his game to the next level. His U18 champs were very good and showed his ability to find the ball as averaged over 22 disposals and won a good mix of contested and uncontested ball. He has also gone superbly in the SANFL seniors and shown. He is a very well rounded mid, and by all reports is an excellent leader too, and should become a valuable part of the Swans midfield.

Strengths
  • Inside/outside game – Luke has a very well rounded game in that he is good inside at winning clearances and spreads well from the contest and finds the ball in space. His clearance work is above average, but not elite, he is strong over the ball and is capable of bursting through clearances. His outside game is good in that he finds a fair bit of the ball in space and seems to dispose of it reasonably well, although he does lack a little hurt factor.
  • Footy Smarts – Luke looks like he has above average footy smarts, he reads the ruck taps well spreads to the right spots and seems to make good decisions. He is a very good accumulator of the ball and has no problem racking up disposals.
  • Hardness – Dunstan doesn’t take a backwards step and always goes in hard at the ball. He is a good tackler and works hard to keep the ball in contested situations.
  • Leadership – Luke has captained the South Australian U18 side this year to victory, coaches have also raved about his leadership skills and his willingness to push himself.
  • Marking – Luke is a great mark for a midfielder and this should translate to AFL level very well and could potentially make him a dangerous proposition as a forward. He is strong through the core and seems to absorb contact well which helps him a lot.
  • Endurance – Luke looks to have above average endurance as he gets round the ground well, finds a fair bit of the footy
  • Power – Although Luke has only average speed and endurance, he appears to have a fair bit of power and core strength. He has a good initial burst, and an above average vertical leap too imo. He is very good at standing in tackles and getting the ball out by hand.
Weaknesses/Areas of Improvement
  • Lacks hurt factor – Dunstan lacks a bit of hurt factor with his disposal imo. He can go sideways a bit and prefers to either bomb it to a contest or chip it short. Also he uses the handball more than most and handballs it almost as much as he kicks it. In saying that I was impressed that he did kick 3 goals in a senior SANFL game recently.
  • Kicking – Not a true weakness but an area that is definitely capable of being improved imo. He is good over short distances but can struggle to pin point those 40m + passes and rarely attempts them preferring to kick long from what I have seen.
  • Athleticism – Luke is an average athlete, he is not particularly fast and likely to break lines, nor is he ridiculously agile. He does have a good first step though and is reasonably quick off the mark which is evident in contested situations.
  • I don’t believe that Luke will become an elite player, for mine he is more that number 2 or 3 even 4 best mid who will still be very good and a vital player for their team.

Snoop Dogg said:
# 20
Luke Dunstan - WWT / 185cm / 83kg / ‘95
Another kid I really like. He is a competitive beast this kid and he is the type of player that you can stick anywhere and rely on him to turn a game with an effort that inspires. Been an elite performer at every level and has shown the scouts what he can do amongst men. Very good inside the contest and is a very good user of it out of traffic. He is a lovely kick and has superb hands for his size. Probably sounds like a Luke Hodge and that is pretty fair albeit Dunstan doesn’t have great pace but he makes up for it in many ways.


Chris25 said:
13. Carlton - Luke Dunstan (185cm, 83kg midfielder - Woodville)

The captain of the South Australian side, if a team was after leadership and a future captain then Dunstan would likely be the first player picked in the draft. I'm finding him to be one of the harder players to place in the draft. His peformances over the last 18 months would suggest him to be a very early pick, in the SANFL U18s in particular he has just dominated. Consistently picking up 30+ touches and being named in the bests pretty much every week, as a 17 year old he was often overshadowing his older teammates. And he has carried that form through to the Championships this year. But something makes me think he could slide, just a tad. I'm not sure his kicking is quite as good as some people are making it out to be, I suppose he gets it done but its not always pretty to look at. The fact that he, more often than not, makes the right decisions certainly makes his disposal look a little better. But a 185cm inside midfielder who can also take a strong mark is always in demand, and you can afford him one slight weakness.
 

Log in to remove this ad.

Smoke_Me_AKipper

Norm Smith Medallist
Aug 17, 2009
5,703
8,779
Melbourne
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Tottenham; Philadelphia Eagles
Yeah very happy with Luke - we need an extractor of the ball along with Ross. Good leadership too from what I've read and we need that...
 
Played local footy in the seniors for the same club as Luke a couple of years ago - was in the colts. Was big back then too, looked 16 going on 26. Never seen him play because he was injured, but they sat him on the bench and had him on the teamsheet so he could qualify for finals.
 
http://www.afl.com.au/news/2013-11-01/20-days-to-the-draft-meet-luke-dunstan

STRENGTHS
You get what you see with Dunstan. He's an accumulator, one who finds possessions, and just keeps getting more. He's good in close, and has the talent of flicking handballs around. Dunstan has a strong body, clean hands and good vision. What he does better than most midfielders is shift forward, where he knows how to find some space and kick a goal. In those four senior games for Woodville West Torrens, Dunstan kicked three goals, had three goal assists and seven score assists, showing he is smart in attack.

WEAKNESSES
Dunstan probably doesn't have the leg speed to break away from stoppages. That said, he does tend to get out in space to call for the ball, and his spread from contests hasn't appeared to be much of a concern. His kicking can be a little loopy at times and lack penetration.


PLAYS LIKE
With his skillset, Dunstan is not dissimilar to Melbourne midfielder Nathan Jones. He works hard, wins the ball, and has an ability to dig in. Both muscly types, Dunstan will offer a cool head at any contested or stoppage situation.

BOTTOM LINE
Ready to play and would be expected to see senior action in his first AFL season. He bullocks through, gets the ball and gets going.
 

(Log in to remove this ad.)

How the Phantom Drafters saw him

Knightmare power ranking: 13 *Potentially high level footballer*
Knightmare draft: Pick 18 (St Kilda)
Rahul power ranking: 13
Rahul: Pick 13 (Carlton)
Quigley: Pick 9 (Melbourne)
Snoop: Pick 20 (Gold Coast)
Cotters: Pick 13 (Carlton)
Chris25: Pick 13 (Carlton)
Quayle: Pick 18 (St Kilda)
Twomey: Pick 18 (St Kilda)
 

Jezzarayman

All Australian
Oct 11, 2012
664
1,410
Moorabbin Oval 2021
AFL Club
St Kilda
Other Teams
Hampton Rovers
Pick 18 – Luke Dunstan
"He was captain of SA under-18s this year and they won the championships, and he was very impressive in his leadership and the way he played his football. His attack on the ball is equal to any of the under-18s this year. He's fearless and his work rate is extremely high. They certainly had him rated more highly than 18 and while that can sometimes be a familiar story, there's no doubt our guys were delighted with Luke. There's no doubt playing SANFL senior football is an advantage." - Chris Pelchen
 
Back