Josh Dunkley reveals secret ankle injury requires surgery after winning AFL grand final

Star Brisbane Lions midfielder Josh Dunkley played in his third AFL premiership with an ankle injury that will need surgery.

Dunkley was hurt in last week’s preliminary final win over Collingwood and revealed he carried a grade-three syndesmosis injury into the grand final win over Geelong.

While he was obviously restricted and played in great pain, Dunkley still had his moments as the Lions weathered a fierce first half before kicking away.

Dunkley grinned sheepishly post-match when asked about his injury, before admitting the severity of what he took into the grand final.

“That’s a six-to-eight-week injury — under the knife normally, the next week,” Dunkley admitted.

“I got a call from the doc (early this week) and he said to me ‘you’re not going to miss, we’ll get you up for it’.

“That’s part of being an AFL player, you put up with injuries.”

Dunkley added he will undergo a shoulder reconstruction next Tuesday, but afterwards will also need an ankle operation.

All the pre-game Brisbane injury focus had been on Lachie Neale’s calf and Jarrod Berry eventually being forced out because of another dislocated shoulder.

Then Brandon Starcevich left the game in the third term with a head knock.

But Dunkley was also one of the celebrated “cockroaches” coined earlier this month by coach Chris Fagan. Despite repeated injuries through the season, these Lions just cannot be killed.

Syndesmosis injuries are graded from one to four, with four the most serious.

“Fages brought that up a couple of weeks ago and it’s lived on,” Dunkley said of the cockroaches tag.

“It wasn’t about the kicks, marks and handballs for me, it was more about the leadership and helping our guys just go to work.

“We’ve got 10 weeks to get better now in the off-season. I will do anything for this club.”

Asked how he was feeling, Dunkley said: “not great — I will admit that. It’s worth every bit of pain.”

This was his fifth grand final, after playing in the Western Bulldogs’ 2016 premiership and their 2021 losing grand final.

He was traded to Brisbane at the end of 2022 and this is his third-straight grand final at the Lions.

“It’s crazy, I can’t really believe it,” he said of being part of three premiership teams.

“It’s a special group. Our ability to continue to get to work and learn and get better as a group ... it’s a team effort, this one.

“I’m a big believer that everything happens for a reason. So it’s nice to be standing here today, but I am very grateful for the opportunity to go to Brisbane.

“I’m very grateful for the Bulldogs as well — I wouldn’t be the person or player I am today without the Dogs.”

Dunkley said the midfielders learned their lessons from the qualifying final loss to the Cats.

“It was very hot, that’s for sure. They brought the contest in the qualifying final and taught us a bit of a lesson in there,” he said.

“For us to be really able to weather that storm was important.

“Lachie Neale coming on gave us a bit of a different look as well.”

Co-captain Harris Andrews said Dunkley is a “winner” who has been huge for the Lions.

“The way he puts his ego on the hook each and every week, he’s the best teammate in the world,” Andrews said.

“I could not speak more highly of him as a footballer.

“He’s a warrior. He’s tough, he’s resilient, his mindset is incredible.”