A flag ‘worth every bit of pain’; Josh Dunkley to undergo two big surgeries after grand final heroics

As Brisbane star Josh Dunkley considered the multiple surgeries he will require in the off-season, it was put to him in the Lions rooms after Saturday’s premiership triumph that he was harder to kill off than a cockroach.

Now a dual-premiership midfielder, the former Bulldog has proven hardier than the despised insect, a player capable of excelling on footy’s biggest stage despite carrying significant injuries.

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While the selection focus centred on whether Brownlow Medallist Lachie Neale would be able to perform in the grand final — and boy, what a performance his was — less considered was the fact that Dunkley was carrying an injury himself.

After the Lions defeat of Collingwood last Saturday, Dunkley left Melbourne wearing a moon boot to protect an ankle that will require surgery, he revealed amid the bedlam in the Brisbane rooms on Saturday night.

Despite carrying a Grade 3 syndesmosis injury into the grand final, the Lion was able to gather 16 disposals and lay five tackles in a brave performance. But this Brisbane campaign has been built on self-belief and he was confident he could deliver.

“Fages brought that up a couple of weeks ago, and it has lived on, and I am sure it is going to be brought up again when we have a meeting soon,” he said.

But that surgery can wait, not just because of the celebrations that will continue to the Brunswick St Oval in Fitzroy on Sunday and then at Brighton Homes Arena in Springfield later in the evening.

Before the ankle is operated on, the 28-year-old will undergo another on the left shoulder that has troubled him for a while, with that to be carried out on Tuesday.

Just so anyone reading this is aware, Dunkley was at pains to insist the injuries were not a big deal and that the focus should be on the broader Brisbane effort, which was brilliant as they defeated Geelong by 47 points.

There will be barrels of ink spilt on his champion team and his teammates, so it does no disservice to touch on the bravery of the hardened midfielder either. Dunkley was always willing to pay the price stemming from playing in the decider.

“We’ve got ten weeks not to get better in the off-season and I’ll do anything for this club, because they have given me this opportunity,” he said.

“(It didn’t) feel great. Not great at all. I might be sitting down later but it is worth every bit of pain that I went through.”

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Dunkley, who has had a significant impact with the Lions since moving north, said he underwent a scan last Sunday and was advised by the medical staff that while he would require surgery, they would be able to make sure he played the grand final.

“(The doctor) said to me, ‘You are not going to miss. We will get you up for it,’” he said.

“I have to get another couple of surgeries now, but that is part of being an AFL player. You put up with the adversity, but I don’t want this to be about me. I want this to be about the group. The group has overcome adversity all year, and for younger guys to come in and play their role is so special, so special.”

In terms of the severity of the ankle injury, he said it was “up there”. The shoulder he is having surgery on requires a reconstruction.

“Nothing beats the shoulders, to be honest, but the ankle, playing with this was pretty painful,” he said.

“I can do them both at the same time. It will be the shoulder first and then the ankle after that, because I can walk a little bit. I am sure it will be pretty sore tomorrow, but I’ll be fine.”