DUNELL, Frank

A fine utility player, Frank Dunell played on the forward line, the wing and in defence after coming from Windsor-Zillmere. He had represented Queensland three times before joining Essendon.

He began his career as a full-forward, replacing the injured Terry Daniher was injured, then

graduated to the wing but found it hard to get a regular game. A broken arm restricted him to only one senior game in 1981.

He spent much of his first four seasons in the Reserves where he was the leading goalkicker in 1979 and in 1981 was awarded the Best in Finals award (tied with Roger Merrett).

He was fast, an ambitious high-mark and a particularly dangerous snap for goal and became a regular player as his consistency improved.

He was in the forward pocket in the 1984 premiership team. He was also in this role in the night premiership win in that year.

He was an emergency in the 1985 premiership team and was a member of the Reserves premiership side in 1983.

After the 1984 premiership win, his medal was proudly worn in the County Court by his father-in-law, a Judge of that court. This was an Essendon first.

In 1987, he was cleared to the newly-formed Brisbane Bears, where he played 15 games in two injury interrupted seasons.

He is believed to be the first Queenslander to win a VFL/AFL premiership and represented that state in 1979 and 1988. He was named a member of the Queensland team of the century.

He returned to Melbourne after his retirement and took up coaching in the VAFA. He has coached St Bernard's (where he took them from B Grade to A Grade after winning the B Grade premiership), North Old Boys, Old Essendon, Old Melburnians and Old Geelong. He was the senior coach of the VAFA Under 23 team and in 2005 took the All Australian Amateur team to Ireland to play against the All Ireland team.

His son, Sam, played eight games for St Kilda from 2012 to 2014.