Josh Dunkley

Joshua Dunkley (born 9 January 1997) is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Western Bulldogs from 2016 to 2022. Dunkley is a three-time premiership player; he played in one in his debut season with the Bulldogs in 2016, which broke a 62-year drought for the club, and two with the Lions in 2024 and 2025. He won the Charles Sutton Medal with the Bulldogs in 2022 and the Merrett–Murray Medal with the Lions, along with the Robert Rose Award, in 2025. Dunkley will serve as Brisbane Lions co-captain from the 2026 season.

Personal life Dunkley was born in Sydney, the second of three children to footballer Andrew and his wife Lisa. After Andrew retired from AFL football in 2002, the family returned south to country Victoria and lived on a farm near Yarram in the Gippsland region. During his time playing for Gippsland Power, Dunkley developed into a promising leader (being the team captain in his final year), and his strong overhead marking skills, along with his ability to win the contested ball, had many comparing him to Sydney star Luke Parker. He also spent time with Sydney's youth academy and played six games for 's VFL team in 2015. Sydney chose not to match the bid. After losing players like Nick Malceski and Adam Goodes, the club were looking for players with strong kicking skills and although Dunkley was under serious consideration, it was felt that his kicking skills needed improvement. He thus became the first player under the new father–son drafting rules to have a draft bid placed on him which was not matched by his father's former club.

He graduated from Gippsland Grammar School in 2014 and spent 2015 working at the school as a teacher's assistant prior to being drafted.

In 2020, Dunkley was introduced to Australian netballer Tippah Dwan through his sister, netballer Lara Dunkley, and the pair have since maintained a high‑profile presence across the AFL and Super Netball communities, frequently noted for supporting each other’s careers during interstate moves and competitive seasons; the couple announced their engagement on 1 January 2026, sharing the news on social media.

AFL career

Dunkley made his AFL debut in round 1, 2016, against . He scored his first AFL goal in that match. After his performance against in round 20 where he recorded nineteen disposals, four tackles, three clearances, and three inside-50s, he was the round nomination for the Rising Star. Dunkley would then go on to play in the club's finals campaign, showing composure beyond his years on the biggest stage. He kicked two goals in the 47-point upset of in the elimination final in Perth. Then the following week against in the semi-final, Dunkley was rated among the Bulldogs' best players, kicking a crucial goal in the second quarter as well as gathering 23 possessions in a memorable 23-point win. In the heart-stopping preliminary final win against , Dunkley again recorded over 20 possessions, and in the grand final, he gathered 15 disposals and seven tackles. At 19, he was the youngest player in the premiership side.

Following a best-and-fairest season for the Bulldogs in 2022, Dunkley requested to be traded to the Brisbane Lions. He was traded on the final day of trade period.

Dunkley was part of the Brisbane Lions 2024 premiership-winning team, and again in 2025. In doing so, Dunkley became a three-time premiership player, and is a premiership player at two different clubs.

Statistics Updated to the end of round 22, 2026.

215 !! 83 !! 93 !! 2312 !! 2645 !! 4957 !! 1012 !! 1360 !! 0.4 !! 0.4 !! 10.8 !! 12.3 !! 23.1 !! 4.7 !! 6.3 !! 62