Brisbane co-captain Josh Dunkley has delivered a heartfelt response when asked how he felt about former teammate and beloved Western Bulldog Tom Liberatore retiring.
Dunkley was teammates with Liberatore at The Kennel from 2016-22, won a drought-breaking premiership together in 2016 and remain good friends to this day.
Speaking on Fox Footy's AFL 360 on Tuesday night, Dunkley said Liberatore has been keeping a close eye on the Lions' performances recently.
"(Liberatore) is a great friend of mine as well. He actually texted me the other day during the game when I missed a shot, a little snap out of a stoppage I think it was," Dunkley said.
"He sent me a message saying, 'You've gotta kick through that one mate'. He is a funny man Libba. I think he might have been at the pub on the beers."
Liberatore has been a Western Bulldogs star for more than a decade and has battled through difficult injuries to become a favourite son of the club. And a player who supporters from opposition teams have even fallen in love with.
Dunkley said Liberatore has always been an incredible team first player.
"He is one of the ultimate teammates. We all hear about the stories and stuff he went through after that Grand Final. But his ability to just be the person he is, he gave absolutely everything to the team," he said.
"He is such a great man and one of the ones I really looked up to as a kid. Got the opportunity to play alongside him for a few years there and play against him as well. An absolute champion of our game and I hope he gets the love he deserves."
