Former Saint Luke Dunstan had levelled some heavy accusations at St Kilda, hinting that he didn’t feel valued or happy at the club and saying coaches had formed opinions of him that couldn’t be changed.
The 26-year-old has been delisted despite a career-best year in 2021 and expressed his disappointment with the way the Saints handlded his situation.
After being on the outer to begin 2021, Dunstan worked his way into the seniors following strong VFL form to be one of the Saints’ best players in the back half of the season.
That was reflected in Sunday night’s Brownlow Medal count, where he polled 11 votes to be a clear second on the club’s leaderboard behind superstar captain Jack Steele.
Dunstan said he felt like he had much more to give, but wasn’t afforded enough opportunities by his former club and his coaches.
“We had the exit interview a couple of weeks ago and I think even if I was to get offered a contract I probably wouldn’t have taken it anyway,” he told Sportsday.
“I was probably ready to move on with the next phase of my life if it was that it was going to be another 12 months there.
“I guess the injury didn’t help, last year I missed most of the season with injury, but at times certain coaches get opinions of players and once they get opinions it’s pretty hard to change them.
“It’s been pretty tough mentally over the last couple of seasons, having to work so hard to get back into the team and to play some good footy and then get dropped for the last round was pretty disappointing.
“It has taken its toll mentally and if I was going to have to go through another 12 months of it I would have preferred to just to move on and go and start the next stage of my life.
“Obviously I want to keep playing footy and I think I’ve got a lot left to offer as I’m only 26, so I’m not that old.”
Dunstan also described his relationship with coach Brett Ratten which perhaps limited his opportunities.
“I wouldn’t say I didn’t get on with him, he’s a good fella, I think it’s pretty clear that he didn’t rate me, which is fine,” he added.
“It’s hard to change opinions of coaches and that’s footy, so I’m not holding that against anyone.
“I just need a fresh start and a clean slate and I’ll find a bit more motivation.”
Coming off his best season in the AFL, Dunstan is obviously keen to keep his career going.
When asked what the most important aspect he’d look for in a team, he responded that he wants to be “valued”.
“For me it’s just about being in a happy environment where you feel valued as a player and as a person, and just feel a part of something would be the biggest thing,” he said.
“I’ve had a fair bit of time to think about it over the course of the season, knowing that I was on the outer at the start of this year I was pretty keen to move on and try and get an opportunity elsewhere.
“I wouldn’t put any limitations on it, I’d be happy to go anywhere. I’m really keen to try and go somewhere else and get a bit of a new lease on life.”
Where would he like to end up?
“I guess coming from a team that hasn’t had a lot of success in my time of being there, it would be nice to go to a club that is contending and have a good culture in terms of winning,” he said.
“I’d love to go there (to Essendon), my good friend Nick Hind went there last year and we all saw what he did this year, so that would be nice.”
He played 116 games for the Saints after being drafted with pick 18 in 2013.
The Saints’ struggles in the first half of the year cost them a spot in the top eight in 2021, failing to live up to expectations after making the semi finals the previous year.