The brother of a three-time AFL premiership player is pleading with clubs to give him another chance in the top flight.
Former Melbourne Demon Kyle Dunkley, the brother of Brisbane co-captain Josh, is adamant he is better positioned than ever to impact at the level.
Dunkley is currently playing for Brisbane's VFL side, rejuvenated after a season of local footy last year and confident he has attributes to add to an AFL club.
While aware the prospects of Mid-Season Draft selection on Tuesday are remote at best, his explanation about nominating for a six-month contract offers a great insight into his self-belief.
“If I was talking to a club, I'd be happy to say that if I can't crack into a team within six months, I'm happy to shake hands and call it even and go our separate ways but I have the confidence in my body and game that I could break in if I'm given that opportunity,” Dunkley told Zero Hanger.
Since his Dees stint, Dunkley has played at Essendon VFL, Northern Bullants and the Lions VFL and has spent time away from the game as a result of injury and enjoyment.
Now aged 25 and having overcome various obstacles, his time at four different semi-professional clubs, one AFL club and several local clubs has equipped him with a strong dose of perspective which is unlocking his best footy.
“I spent a bit of time away from the game focusing on things outside of footy that then led me to get back into training and really enjoying it,” Dunkley said.
“It's one of those things where if you're not enjoying it, you can step away but then you end up missing the competitiveness, the challenge and one for me is that I've always been competitive and loved a challenge.
“I've dealt with a lot of things players in the past haven't dealt with so if adversity comes my way, I think I'm well equipped to deal with these things.”
On two separate occasions, Dunkley has felt close to being re-listed before injuries got in the way: during his stint at Essendon in 2021, when he injured his shoulder, and in 2024 when he required a post-season ankle reconstruction.
Dunkley hit a low after the first injury, before deciding to follow brother Josh up to Brisbane.
“I fell out of love with footy a little bit and thought ‘maybe this is not for me.' I didn't do a pre-season that year (2022) just due to enjoyment,” Dunkley recalled.
"If you're not confident in your body, what's the point in putting yourself out there?
“After being delisted and getting myself to a position where I thought I would probably be close to getting an opportunity and doing my shoulder, I suppose I lost belief and fell out of love with the game.
“Coming up to Brisbane was one of the best things for me. It was a fresh start and training with the AFL boys was a great opportunity where I've learned a lot.”
Kyle lived with Josh, widely renowned for his preparation and recovery, for 12 months when he first moved up in 2023 which was a wake-up call about the professionalism required to thrive at the top level.
“Living with (Josh) taught me all about the one percenters and he's the type of guy, if he will get one per cent better on something, he will spend time and money on it and if he doesn't at least he's tried and he's taught me about how to have a healthy lifestyle outside of footy,” Kyle said.
After spending last year playing local footy due to a combination of an injury-interrupted pre-season and coaching opportunities, Dunkley was adamant to ensure he exhausted every avenue to return to an AFL list before it was too late.
Accepted back into the Lions' VFL side ahead of the season, he is once again playing consistent footy after a strong pre-season where he worked closely with Brisbane boxing coach Chris Rose, leant into swimming and was immersed the Lions AFL squad.
“I feel like I'm in a better position now than what I have been in the last couple of years in terms of my footy, body and opportunity and I do understand that as each year goes by, you get older and things look more unlikely," Dunkley said.
As well as having greater confidence in his body, Dunkley also points to key areas of his game he has improved since his time at Melbourne.
Drafted to the Demons as a midfielder, Dunkley was used as a high forward, an unfamiliar role, but with greater experience under his belt, he believes he could now offer great utility value, having been played across all three lines and having greater inside-outside balance than his time on a list.
“Back then, I was an 18-19-year-old kid, so I look at the way I played footy back then and go ‘what the hell are you doing?' so I've grown in game sense and running patterns,” Dunkley said.
“I definitely feel like now, I'm much more see ball get ball where I used to be more stand off-ish. Early days at the Dees I didn't want to tread on toes.
“It's a hard one for players coming into the system because you're training with and around your idols growing up so I think now I've earned the respect around the footy club to train and play the way I want to play.
“Overall as a player, my contest work has got better, I do more touch so my hands are better and even last week's game I started to see the change in my game where I am becoming a one-touch player. It's rewarding to see that on game day.
“I'm a more versatile player. If there's different scenarios in game where if I need to change position, it doesn't play on my mind, I just think ‘let's go'.”
The advent of mature-aged pick-ups has opened the door for more seasoned state league contributors, with an increasing number of clubs this year expressing a desire to pick proven state league performers after the success of Tom McCarthy, Milan Murdock, Angus Anderson, Roan Steele and more across the past 12 months.
Across the course of a 30-minute conversation, Dunkley spoke with appreciable candour, having compartmentalised what has come previously. His desire for self-improvement and an unwavering self-belief are common threads which permeate.
“The positive at the moment is that with Tassie coming in, it creates more opportunity. I'm probably at a point where I recognise ‘you know what, it is my last opportunity to have a crack'," he said.
