At a glance:

  • Luke Dunstan has been assisting St Kilda's AFLW side this season, helping coach and mentor the midfield group.
  • The 26-year-old praised the team's willingness to learn and the improvement shown over a short amount of time.
  • Dunstan's coaching journey began last season while he was sidelined with a pectoral injury.

A season-ending pectoral injury, away from home in St Kilda's Noosa hub and hours of onerous recovery on the horizon.

It was a pretty bleak picture for Luke Dunstan in the early stages of last season, but the 26-year-old found a way to make something from nothing.

While recovering from his debilitating injury, he decided to venture into the coaching ranks, joining Development Coach Ben McGlynn in scouting the opposition and working on centre bounce strategy.

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Now, Dunstan – currently undertaking a Level Two coaching course – is offering his insight and experience to St Kilda's AFLW side and assisting women’s midfield coach Dave Carden.

"I’ve been throwing in some ideas for training, and then match days as well," Dunstan told AFL Players.

"I’ve been sitting on the bench helping the girls out with a bit of direct feedback as they come off.

"Peta Searle has just told me to give them any feedback that I see, and the girls will love it.”

Luke Dunstan calls out from the bench during Round 4. Photo: Corey Scicluna.

The team's openness to feedback is consistent with their willingness to learn – a factor the women's team excels at when compared to the men, Dunstan says with a laugh.

"I can’t speak highly enough of how they just want to learn. A bit different to the boys, they actually listen to their coaches.

"I haven't really worked closely with the girls in previous years, but I think you can see from just watching some of the games that have been played this year, they’re definitely improving.

I think a big part of that comes from their willingness to learn and want to improve and get feedback from coaches.

- Luke Dunstan

St Kilda’s talented youth, who have benefitted from stronger pathways through the junior ranks, have caught Dunstan's eye this season, particularly Georgia Patrikios.

Drafted with pick No.5 in the 2019 Women's Draft, the classy midfielder burst onto the scene last season to claim St Kilda’s Best & Fairest (a joint recipient), the AFL Players’ Best First-Year Player and a spot in the AFLPA 22Under22 team.

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And she reminds Dunstan of another St Kilda young gun.

"She reminds me a bit of Hunter Clark from the boys' side," he said.

"Everything slows down around her; she’s got heaps time and is a really good decision-maker, so she’s only going to get better.

"Obviously from watching her on TV you don't really get to know her much on a personal level, but she's pretty laid back and easy going, which is cool to see."

With a raft of up-and-coming stars continuing to emerge from junior pathways into the AFLW, Dunstan now has a front-row seat to the competition’s growth and believes its critics are steadily being silenced.

"In another three or four years’ time, they’re going to have improved so much again, so those critics, I think, will be shutting their mouths," Dunstan said.

"I think the more years go on with the girls that have come through the junior ranks, it'll make a big difference.

"It’s awesome for them and they’ll be able to see how much they’ve improved since the time they came into the competition."

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