FORMER Saint Luke Dunstan will play on in 2022, being acquired by Melbourne as an unrestricted free agent.
The Demons get a 26-year-old who fell out of favour at St Kilda but showed he still had plenty to offer at senior level with an excellent stretch of games last season.
Dunstan played 12 games in 2021, averaging 25 disposals, six clearances and five tackles, and also polling 11 Brownlow votes.
Following his parting with the Saints, Dunstan told Melbourne radio station 3AW he would have moved on even if offered a contract, saying he felt coach Brett Ratten "didn't rate me".
Dunstan played 116 games in eight seasons for St Kilda.
Melbourne list manager Tim Lamb said he was excited to add more midfield experience to the premiers.
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"We came into this Trade Period looking to re-stock the midfield area and Luke fits the bill perfectly," Lamb told Melbourne Media.
"We are really happy that Luke has chosen to make the move to our club.
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"With Nathan Jones retiring and Aaron vandenBerg moving on, we have lost a considerable amount of experience out of our midfield group.
"Luke is a proven performer at the highest level and finished this season in exceptional fashion polling 11 votes in the Brownlow Medal.
"We think Luke’s best football is ahead of him and just as importantly, Luke is a terrific cultural fit for our club."
