Brisbane midfielder Josh Dunkley will vie for his third AFL premiership and take part in his fourth AFL Grand Final in five seasons on Saturday.
The 28-year-old Lions barometer is highly valued internally for the role he plays, which allows Brisbane's dynamic midfield to thrive.
One of Brisbane's strongest in the semi-final in particular, the Lions have made the grand final in each of his three seasons at the club after a grand final followed by best and fairest honours to conclude his time at the Western Bulldogs.
That semi-final performance was particularly noteworthy, as Matt Rowell got the better of Josh Dunkley earlier in the season before Dunkley's 18-tackle outing inspired his side home.
Dunkley has polled Garry Ayres Medal votes in five of his nine finals for the Lions, with his fierce competitiveness perfect for the high pressure nature of finals.
“Watching the Lions throughout the finals I thought they were really impressive, and I feel I can add to that and bring in some finals experience of my own,” Dunkley told Brisbane media following his move in 2022.
“I want to be someone that can stand up in big moments and in big games, so I will try to do that to help the Lions go that next step.”
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan quashed any doubt over his fitness following a minor ankle injury in the preliminary final.
Voted the AFLPA Most Courageous player in 2025, Fagan said Dunkley is often a lighter trainer given he often gets banged up, and that was no different this week.
The fact Dunkley has played at least 24 games in each of his three years up north is a testament to his preparation, given the bruising, fearless brand of footy he plays.
“He's a fantastic finals player for the way he goes about it and there's no mistake that he's been at our club for three years and made three grand finals,” Fagan said on Friday.
“He's made a huge difference to our team in terms of performance on field and culture off field.
"He's a pretty demanding sort of guy and he sets a great example.”
The Lions leadership group member was an All-Australian squad member in 2025 and is one of the most underrated recruits of recent times, with Brisbane giving up Pick 21 in the 2022 draft for him, as well as three future selections.
It proved a shrewd pickup in multiple ways; it allowed Brisbane to take the next step and finally reach the grand final and win a premiership after perennially contending, and given the Lions were playing with a different draft currency at the time, needing to find points to match bids for first round pickups Will and Levi Ashcroft and Sam Marshall was the priority, minimising the net loss of those selections.
Often sent to quell the impact of opposition playmakers at stoppage, he could be set to go toe-to-toe with Geelong captain Patrick Dangerfield on Saturday, who is coming off a generational preliminary final.
He also could have a role to play if Geelong look to work over dual Brownlow medallist Lachie Neale, returning from a calf injury.
Dangerfield was asked about potentially lining up on Dunkley at the captains' press conference on Friday and noted the offensive attributes Dunkley, alongside his stoppage work which Fagan and the Lions value enormously.
“He's the best defensive midfielder in the competition and probably the best I've ever seen,” Fagan said earlier in the year.
“The way he values that part of the game is just incredible.
“He's a calm sort of person, his leadership qualities are really high.”
