THE AFL’s first Mid-Season Rookie Draft in 26 years has allowed a number of young footballers to fulfil their childhood dreams.
Kyle Dunkley is one of those men.
Dunkley was selected by Melbourne with pick No.3 in Monday night’s Draft, providing him with an opportunity to play in the big time as of Round 11.
The newest Demon recruit has always aspired to be an AFL player, and after missing out on selection at last year’s National Draft, the 18-year-old is finally on an AFL list.
“It’s a dream come true really,” Dunkley told Melbourne Media.
“It’s crazy to think that what happened four to six months ago, how I was feeling then to how I’m feeling now, it’s unbelievable.”
While being overlooked at the end of 2018 was disheartening, Dunkley never gave up on his dream.
Instead, he used the disappointment of missing out to fuel him for this season.
“I didn’t give up hope,” he said.
“The following Monday I was out at Footscray – started training VFL there.
“I was straight into pre-season and just wanted to get the best out of myself and hopefully push for this year.”
Dunkley has been representing Gippsland Power in the NAB League competition early in 2019, while also playing two games for Footscray.
The versatile midfielder impressed with three goals on debut in the VFL, and says that performance at the MCG, along with a solid workload off the field, has helped him keep the faith in his own ability.
“After doing the VFL pre-season I had a lot of confidence to do with my strength and my fitness that I had built over the pre-season,” Dunkley said.
While all young footballers aspire to make an AFL debut, the new Demon has put no pressure on himself at this stage of his career.
“I’m just happy to be here,” Dunkley said.
“Obviously it’d be nice to play, whether that’s this year or next year or whenever it is, but I’m just here to get the best out of myself.
“I’ll put my head down and work as hard as I can, and we’ll just have to wait and see what happens.”
Just 14 hours after being recruited by Melbourne, Dunkley arrived at AAMI Park for the first time on Tuesday morning, meeting his new teammates and coaches before getting stuck into life as a professional athlete.
But the AFL environment is nothing new for the Dunkley family, as the Demon’s brother Josh (Western Bulldogs) and father Andrew (Sydney) have both had plenty of experience at the top level.
“It’s nice having them giving feedback to myself, whether it’s after a game or just an ongoing conversation throughout the week,” Dunkley said.
“It’s good to have Josh and dad there to guide me along the way.”
Dunkley is a welcome addition to the red and blue and will be pulling on the number 48 for his new club this season.
