As Josh Dunkley prepares to go all-in on winning a second straight AFL grand final, his former club the Western Bulldogs and once-suitor Essendon will be sitting back shaking their heads.
Widely renowned as the ultimate teammate, the 28-year-old has known nothing but success since his move to Brisbane at the end of the 2022 season.
Dunkley’s AFL journey began in dream fashion, winning a premiership in his debut season with the Western Bulldogs in 2016. Five years later, he endured the sting of a grand final defeat to Melbourne at the back end of the Covid era.
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By then, the inside bull had already asked out of Whitten Oval once — a 2020 trade request to Essendon that never materialised.
The Bombers believed Dunkley was worth one top-10 draft pick as a 23-year-old — not two as the Bulldogs requested — and he was held to the remainder of his contract.
That year, Essendon went into the 2020 draft with three first-round selections: 6, 7 and 8. They selected Nik Cox, Archie Perkins and Zach Reid.
Two years later, it was Brisbane who the star desired to join. The Lions had to give up pick No.21 in the 2022 draft, as well as a first, second and fourth-round pick (tied to Geelong) for the following year. The Dogs did get two future third-round picks back in return, one of which was used as part of an trade that saw them also part ways with Lachie Hunter (Melbourne).
The Western Bulldogs selected Charlie Clarke with the aforementioned pick No.21, who played one match at senior level.
Brisbane’s high-profile recruiting of Charlie Cameron in 2017, Lachie Neale in 2018 and Joe Daniher has ultimately paid huge dividends, with all three playing in last year’s premiership.
But since October of 2022, Dunkley has been as steadfast as any in Chris Fagan’s side; arguably giving him the title of the Lions’ most underrated recruit in the last decade.
The inside bull has continued to deliver week-in, week-out amid a star-studded Brisbane midfield filled with both youth, experience and plenty of accolades.
His biggest hiccup in 2025? A head-to-head clash with newly-crowned Brownlow Medallist Matt Rowell in Round 20, where the Sun got off the chain. A rare occurrence on Dunkley’s watch.
Rowell amassed 37 disposals (23 contested), 15 clearances, 12 tackles, 10 score involvements, 730 metres gained, seven inside 50s and one goal assist in a clash that unsurprisingly saw him poll three Brownlow votes on Monday.
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Seven weeks later, Dunkley walked into Fagan’s office before their do-or-die semi-final against Gold Coast with one thing in mind. Redemption.
“He was waiting for this opportunity; he’s an extreme competitor. He doesn’t like lowering his colours to anyone, even though that happens from time to time,” Fagan told AFL 360 after his side’s eventual 53-point win.
“He was pretty quick to come in last week and say: ‘If you’re okay with it, I want to take Rowell’. That’s the pathway we went down, and he didn’t let us down.
“We always know with Josh, that we can go to it (a head-to-head match-up) in the middle of a game, and he’ll do his best to get the job done.”
Three-time Brisbane premiership player Jonathan Brown added later to On The Couch: “I think Dunks was ‘stung’ by that (Round 20) match-up, so he came with a purpose. He just made sure that every time Rowell got the ball, he was going to be attacked, harassed an physically confronted.
“Monday, he went in there and said: ‘I’ve got to make amends for what I did in Round 20’ — and that’s exactly what he did.”
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The Sale product ended up breaking an AFL record for the most tackles ever in a finals match (18), quelling Rowell most of the night while also finding the ball 20 times himself.
“This wasn’t a game that was played inside a lot … to be able to stick 18 tackles in a game that was largely in translation, that just elevates that performance even further in my mind,” Collingwood legend Nathan Buckley added.
Three-time premiership Tiger Jack Riewoldt finished by saying: “That’s astronomical, 18 tackles. You saw the difference (at) stoppage between Round 20 and this game, and that was off the back of Rowell and Anderson. He had his pants pulled down by Matt Rowell last time.”
Seven days later, Dunkley brought his A-game once more against Collingwood in his side’s penultimate match of the season, setting the tone defensively with four first-term tackles and 10 for the match.
Josh Dunkley of the Lions poses for a selfie with a fan after winning the AFL Preliminary Final match between Collingwood Magpies and Brisbane Lions at Melbourne Cricket Ground on September 20, 2025 (Photo by Robert Cianflone/Getty Images)Source: Getty Images
Now, with back-to-back grand finals behind him and a third premiership within reach, Dunkley’s career is beginning to look more and more like one of football’s great success stories — all before the age of 30.
For a man once caught in trade limbo, Dunkley now stands as proof that the right sliding door can lead to football immortality.