Welcome to the Western Bulldogs: Josh Dunkley

[bulldogtragic]

Big bodied midfielder, can rotate forward. Son of Andrew Dunkley.

Two year deal.
Moderate salary.
No picks.

Welcome Josh.

[alwaysadog]

Reminds me of a player we once had.

[Hotdog60]

I heard he does a few stints in the ruck as well. Could be a good back up to English.

[Bulldog Revolution]

Premiership player - his best is a devastating combination of power and blunt physicality - kicks a cracking goal and is a beast defensively

We love you Josh

[choconmientay]

That was a steal ;)

[The Pie Man]

Will be intent on establishing himself on the inside in 2021, a chastening experience like this could really be the making of him.

But in the meantime, one of the best openings to a thread ever :D

[The Bulldogs Bite]

Geez we suddenly have strong ruck stocks.

[jeemak]

Apparently super professional, team oriented and fits Bevo's flexibility mantra which is great!

[choconmientay]

Geez we suddenly have strong ruck stocks.

do you mean by adding AT to release Caleb to the back line? :D

[comrade]

PROS:

Big bodied
Handsome
Bont's best mate
Good at footy

CONS:

Blog writing

[Grantysghost]

Two questions.

1. Does he have any siblings?
2. Weblog?

Be a perfect get if he ticks these apparently non related boxes.

[Doc26]

Big bodied midfielder, can rotate forward. Son of Andrew Dunkley.

Two year deal.
Moderate salary.
No picks.

Welcome Josh.

I also hear he has a brother.

[westbulldog]

Welcome back Josh. Do not put him the ruck ever again Bevo.

[Funke disco]

This day just keeps on giving!

[Bulldog4life]

Welcome back Josh. Do not put him the ruck ever again Bevo.

I am 100% sure this won't happen again. Plus more time in the guts is a given.

[azabob]

Not sure what to make of it all now it is said and done.

Bridges will need to be mended. Time will tell how it all ends.

[bornadog]

Not sure what to make of it all now it is said and done.

Bridges will need to be mended. Time will tell how it all ends.

Nah he will be right.

[Bulldog4life]

Nah he will be right.

Similar to Papley. Players forgive very quickly. Most realize it really is a business these days. They won't begrudge him.

[comrade]

“Josh, all will be forgiven as long as you wipe that blog from the internet forever”

[Twodogs]

After Adam Trealor streams into the forward line and puts us ten goals up as the time clock ticks into time on in the 2021 grand final I'd love to see Bevo summon Josh into the centre square to take his only ruck contest for the whole season just for the lulz.

[GVGjr]

Nice little snippet on Dunkley on SEN by Mitch Wallis

Dogs deputy has faith in Dunkley (https://www.sen.com.au/news/2021/02/18/hes-definitely-got-the-respect-back-from-the-team/)
Mitch Wallis says Western Bulldogs midfielder Josh Dunkley has regained the respect of his teammates, after his request to move to Essendon went unfulfilled.

The son of former Dogs captain Stephen, Wallis was this week appointed the Dogs’ vice captain, while the leadership group Dunkley joined last season was scrapped.

“It was a bit sticky there for a while, I must be honest,” the 28-year-old told SEN Drive on Thursday afternoon.

“You want to support him as a person, but you understand the challenges he will face.”

Wallis dismissed any notion that Dunkley’s heart won’t be in it at Whitten Oval.

“Josh will never back down on his application to training and his professionalism to his footy,” he asserted.

“That’s the caring person that he is.”

Wallis believes Dunkley has “definitely got the respect back from the team,” but suggested the matter won’t be put to bed until he pulls on the hoops again.


“He’s in our best 18, he’s going to play a lot of time in the midfield, but it’s about earning that respect on game day, and really buying into our team,” he added.

“Which he’s done, and I had every faith he was going to do, but we’re still waiting for Round 1 when he can put on the colours and fight in the right spirit.

Tim Watson believes Dunkley may have been in the frame for the vice-captaincy were it not for the scuppered move to Tullamarine.

“Dunkley wanted out of there, he wasn’t happy with some of the things he was seeing and the way the place was operating,” Watson told SEN Breakfast on Friday morning.

“Do you put the two of those together in any way?”

“You couldn’t have voted for Josh Dunkley as a leader of your footy club,” Lyon agreed.

[Twodogs]

Tim Watson believes Dunkley may have been in the frame for the vice-captaincy were it not for the scuppered move to Tullamarine.

“Dunkley wanted out of there, he wasn’t happy with some of the things he was seeing and the way the place was operating,” Watson told SEN Breakfast on Friday morning.

“Do you put the two of those together in any way?”

“You couldn’t have voted for Josh Dunkley as a leader of your footy club,” Lyon agreed.

There aren't many people in football I despise more than Tim Watson. I care nothing for his opinion about anything to do with our football club.

He can get *!*!*!*!ed as far as I'm concerned.

[azabob]

There aren't many people in football I despise more than Tim Watson. I care nothing for his opinion about anything to do with our football club.

He can get *!*!*!*!ed as far as I'm concerned.

But he’s not wrong though, is he?

[GVGjr]

There aren't many people in football I despise more than Tim Watson. I care nothing for his opinion about anything to do with our football club.

He can get *!*!*!*!ed as far as I'm concerned.

I'm with you on Watson, he's passive aggressive and doesn't stand behind his own comments. He undermines a lot of things to Essendon's benefit

[bornadog]

But he’s not wrong though, is he?

He is wrong because he fails to mention the dollars that Dunkley was attracted to.

[Hotdog60]

Tim should look at his own club and ask why so many have left?

[Twodogs]

But he’s not wrong though, is he?

Maybe about the vice captaincy but Snowy on the tram could have told us that Josh was next in line for that. I don't believe he has any great insight to what Dunkley did or didn't think about how we were operating. Watson would only know what he was told about us by Essendon and Dodoro, not by Josh Dunkley.

He would be better off worrying about his own shambles of a club and how they cost his son a Brownlow medal.

[Twodogs]

I'm with you on Watson, he's passive aggressive and doesn't stand behind his own comments. He undermines a lot of things to Essendon's benefit

They don't call him wispy for nothing. Whispers here and whispers there.

[jeemak]

It's not that out there to suggest Dunkley didn't like how he was being played, or that there were a few individuals he didn't think were getting the most out of themselves. However, whether that be the case it's pretty obvious the major reason he wanted to leave was because he wanted bigger dollars and to be the number one inside mid.

The likes of Watson can emphasise the former as much as they like. For some reason nobody like him ever just wants to publicly say the money was better and the opportunities were better, especially when they have a vested interest in defending a club that when push came to shove wasn't prepared deliver what they promised to get a deal done.

[GVGjr]

It's not that out there to suggest Dunkley didn't like how he was being played, or that there were a few individuals he didn't think were getting the most out of themselves. However, whether that be the case it's pretty obvious the major reason he wanted to leave was because he wanted bigger dollars and to be the number one inside mid.

The likes of Watson can emphasise the former as much as they like. For some reason nobody like him ever just wants to publicly say the money was better and the opportunities were better, especially when they have a vested interest in defending a club that when push came to shove wasn't prepared deliver what they promised to get a deal done.

I think it's very reasonable to suggest there were some valid reasons why he was looking to break a good contract and long term commitment for a substantially better financial offer from Essendon. I don't quite get why players chase bigger dollars in an effort to get to Essendon but that's their choice

On paper it looks like we have addressed the ruck issue for Dunkley as it will likely fall to Bruce to back up English with Martin a chance as well
The midfield minutes is something else though as Treloar's arrival could complicate that

The area that concerns me the most though is the notion that he wasn't happy with the commitment from some of the team mates
As the vice captain last year you would hope that the assistant coaches listened to him if he thought the efforts or focus of the players needed to lift but if Watson is correct it was one of the reasons why he was keen to move

The positives are that he's fronted up with the right attitude and lets hope his best football is still to come

[jeemak]

Another way of looking at it is that as vice captain it's incumbent on him and other leaders to drive the standard and bring team mates along with him. If as a leader he's not capable of doing that then he wasn't suited to the job.

When I think about this part of the story it just seems implausible that standards were so poor and so far beyond fixable that they contributed in a material way to the vice captain wanting to leave the club. That narrative suits Essendon well though, you know, a club that needs to gaslight its members and media acolytes into thinking they're great and a destination of choice for committed footballers - which funnily enough - is something they've actually not been known for in recent times.

[GVGjr]

Another way of looking at it is that as vice captain it's incumbent on him and other leaders to drive the standard and bring team mates along with him. If as a leader he's not capable of doing that then he wasn't suited to the job.

When I think about this part of the story it just seems implausible that standards were so poor and so far beyond fixable that they contributed in a material way to the vice captain wanting to leave the club. That narrative suits Essendon well though, you know, a club that needs to gaslight its members and media acolytes into thinking they're great and a destination of choice for committed footballers - which funnily enough - is something they've actually not been known for in recent times.

It was his first year in which would have been a development year so I don't think it's unreasonable that he should have received support from the assistant coaches but if he wasn't up to it we've at least made the adjustment

[Bulldog4life]

https://www.sen.com.au/news/2020/11/03/western-bulldogs-left-furious-with-reports-over-josh-dunkley/

WESTERN BULLDOGS LEFT FURIOUS WITH REPORTS OVER JOSH DUNKLEY
The Western Bulldogs have been left furious by reports that Josh Dunkley’s motivation to leave the club was because of cultural issues, according to SEN Chief Sports Reporter Sam Edmund.

Despite having two years left on his contract, Dunkley has reportedly told senior officials at the Dogs of his interest in leaving the club to take up a multi-year offer at Essendon.

Edmund shed some more light on the developing situation between the talented on-baller and Western Bulldogs, saying the club were “furious” with some reports in previous days.

“I’ve spoken to the Dogs on Josh Dunkley and they are furious,” Edmund said on SEN Breakfast.

“They are furious with a report a couple of days ago that said that Josh’s main motivation to leave Whitten Oval was because of long-standing culture issues that have been left to fester for years – the Dogs have rubbished that completely.

“The facts are that Josh Dunkley wasn’t happy with the Lachie Hunter indiscretion earlier this year and no one at the club was obviously, but he was also disappointed at different things in hub life this year and some of the standards that came to be.

“But that was widespread in the competition, in that the footy professionalism wasn’t where it would normally be.

“If Dunkley has an issue with one or two players that aren’t as professional as they need to be, it shouldn't be assumed that he feels there's long-standing cultural issues that have been going on for years.

"Dunkley isn’t considering leaving for cultural reasons - the reasons he is because he’s been sold the massive midfield dream. He’ll be the big banana in there.

"The lure of that, plus a big contract that conservatively speaking is worth $700,000 a season.

"And also the lure of playing with his brother Kyle is unbelievable. They are very close – the whole family is.

"He is still torn. He has days he leans to Essendon and days he leans to staying."

Essendon is currently on the lookout for a big-bodied midfielder to support the likes of Zach Merrett, Andrew McGrath, Dyson Heppell and Darcy Parish, with Dunkley appearing to fit the bill.

The Bulldogs have recently expressed their intention to hold the 23-year-old to his contract.

[1eyedog]

This is like written in 1946.

[bornadog]

This is like written in 1946.

During the whole saga it was reporters trying to make up things about the club to get a story. We all know the reason he looked at moving ie $700,000 reasons.