Andrew Dunkley
1992 - 2002
217 games
11 goals

To many, Australian football is more than just a sport. It is a way of life and a source of unending passion. As a boy growing up in Victoria's South Gippsland region, Andrew Dunkley immersed himself in the game. His grandfather, Arthur Dunkley, was St Kilda's head trainer for many years, and his uncle, Bob Murray, played in the Saints' 1966 premiership-winning side. Understandably, he dreamt of playing in red, black and white.

Dunkley played in the Devon Football Club's 1987 premiership team as a teenager before moving to Moorabbin himself. He spent time in the Saints' Under 19s and reserves teams, but club officials told him to look elsewhere for senior opportunities. Dunkley later described the news as "the biggest kick up the arse in my life."

Downtrodden but determined, Dunkley joined Tasmanian State League club North Launceston in 1989, finishing runners-up in two of his three seasons there. However, during his first year in Tasmania, he suffered a badly broken leg that required three surgeries and threatened to end his career. At the time, his form had piqued the interest of Collingwood, Fitzroy, and North Melbourne. In typical, gritty fashion, he accepted the challenge that his recovery presented and set to work on returning to footy.

Dunkley knew that AFL clubs were tracking his progress but had yet to learn that the Sydney Swans would select him with pick 56 in the 1991 National Draft. Content in Tasmania, he resisted the Swans' efforts to lure him north until their fullback Stuart Wigney broke his leg early in the '92 season. He eventually agreed to move, playing two reserves matches before debuting at 23 years of age, in Round 4 against Footscray, holding his spot for the remaining 18 games of the year.

However, Sydney struggled on and off the field, and Dunkley was still determining if he'd made the right call. "There were numerous times in those early days when I thought that this footy stuff was overrated," Dunkley told Mike Sheahan on Open Mike. "I came from a winning culture in Tasmania, and even as a junior being pretty successful, to what was a bit of a rabble. It was an interesting time. It took me four years to work out what the song was, so that wasn't great."

Swans coach Ron Barassi played him in various roles, including ruck and half-forward flank, before an injury to veteran defender Neil Cordy prompted Dunkley to volunteer for the vacant fullback role—one that he'd never coveted but later described as one he loved; playing a critical team role brought out the best in him.

The club began an arduous rebuild, and Dunkley played in just seven wins in his first 57 games in red and white. With his ability to read the ball in flight and impeccable timing to spoil or mark, he impressed in his new position. Dunkley soon became accustomed to playing on the game's best full forwards, and some of the best to ever play became regular adversaries. He used the stimulation of stopping Ablett, Dunstall, Carey, and Lockett as motivation, inspiring his teammates to aim higher.

In 1995, Lockett became a teammate, but in the Round 15 win over the highly-fancied North Melbourne, Dunkley began to gain deserved kudos from the football public. Keeping Wayne Carey to two goals on the MCG also drew his coach's praise. "I singled Andrew out to the players after the game, and a cheer erupted when I mentioned his name," Barassi said.

In his autobiography Swan Song, Bloods Legend, Paul Kelly also highlighted that performance and Dunkley's growing influence on the improving Swans team. "Dunks had become a father only two weeks before to a daughter, Lara, and that was just one aspect of the maturity he was bringing to the club. He was big, strong, and durable, and no one, not even Wayne Carey, could outmark him. Dunks had given great service until now, but he became captain of the backline and, in my opinion, the best fullback in the AFL from that day onwards."

They narrowly missed the '95 finals, but the Swans took the competition by storm under new coach Rodney Eade, surging to the minor premiership and, after a nailbiting win over Hawthorn in the SCG's first-ever AFL final, faced Essendon in the preliminary final. Lockett kicked the winning score after the siren, and pandemonium spread throughout the Sydney Cricket Ground.

"We got in the rooms and sang the song; it was pretty special, and then I got tapped on the shoulder and told I might be in trouble," Dunkley told Mike Sheahan. It was a Saturday night game, and the club and I found out late on Wednesday afternoon that I had been reported for an incident with James Hird from behind the goals video."

The Swans argued the charge had come too late, giving them inadequate time to prepare their defence, and took the matter to court. This action was enough to delay the tribunal hearing, enabling Dunkley to play his 100th game in the AFL's Centenary Grand Final against North Melbourne. But the stress over the court action overshadowed any sense of celebration for Dunkley, and his performance suffered. "It should have been the best week of my life. Instead, it was one of the worst," he later said.

Despite the disappointment, Dunkley played an outstanding season—his first as vice-captain—finishing runner-up in the Swans' best and fairest. In 1998, regarded as one of the competition's most exceptional defenders, he represented Victoria. As the Swans grew into a consistent, finals-contending team, Dunkley remained a key figure, captaining the club in over 30 matches while Kelly suffered a string of injuries between 1999 and 2001.

Late in the 2002 season, Dunkley announced his retirement in front of his closest friends, family and teammates at his testimonial lunch in Melbourne. In a highly emotional event, Paul Roos, Daryn Cresswell, Kelly and Lockett formed a panel to speak about their mate 'Dunks', and tears flowed when the rugged fullback called it a day. Fittingly, he finished his career by being chaired off in front of the red and white faithful, alongside his great mate Paul Kelly, who was also playing his final AFL match.

Upon retiring from the game, Dunkley returned to his South Gippsland roots, purchasing a farm near Yarram, where he and his wife Lisa raised three champion sportspeople of their own, and the achievements of Lara, Josh and Kyle provide them with untold pride and joy.

While his awkward but effective kicking technique drew unwarranted attention throughout his 11-year career, Dunkley's aerial prowess made him such an impenetrable force. Ever reliable and an invaluable teammate, he was a true linchpin, excelling in the high-pressure, high-stakes role of fullback. The Sydney Swans recognised Dunkley's outstanding contribution to the club in 2011 with his induction into the Swans Hall of Fame.