Inside midfielder Luke Dunstan overcame a challenging first half of the season to finish the year as well as anyone at Linen House Centre, building some momentum into 2018 in the process.
After being dropped three times in the first 15 rounds, the South Australian returned to the senior
The 22-year-old was one of St Kilda’s best players in his return against Sydney at the SCG in Round 18, where he collected a then personal best 29 touches, before bettering that mark on two occasions in the last fortnight of the season, including a haul of 32 against West Coast in Round 22.
After never previously being left out of any team across his football journey, Dunstan overcame adversity in 2017 to demonstrate why he is so highly regarded for his character.
With the arrival of Jack Steele and Koby Stevens last October, plus the presence of Seb Ross and David Armitage when he is fit, along with Dunstan, the Saints possess a raft of quality ball winners at the coal face.
Can Dunstan carry his finish to the year into the pre-season and become one of the more improved midfielders in the game next season?
Performance of the year:
Round 22 v North Melbourne: 32 disposals, 11 contested possessions, six clearances, six tackles and three goal assists
Alan Richardson's views:
“I think it was a real year of growth for Luke where he learnt a lot about himself and we learnt a lot about him,” Richardson said.
“He learnt what it takes to prepare at the elite level and how to not let previous performance impact your next performance.
“Luke was able to work through that period to become a really strong and consistent player for us in the latter part of the year.
“In the absence of David Armitage, Luke was really important for us around the contest with his aggression and combative nature, which is second to none at the club.
“If you have a long career you’re going to have many occasions where you get challenged and he was able to work through that, which was really pleasing.
“I reckon we’ve ended up with a better player and a player that better understands himself and understands how to deal with adversity.”
The numbers:
Games: 16
Disposals: 21.6
Contested possessions: 8.4
Tackles: 4.9
Clearances: 4.1
Inside
