Robbie Dunn

 

NSL Career: West Adelaide, Preston, Melbourne Croatia 167 (22) / 1982 - 1988

Socceroos Career: 25 (2) A Internationals / 11 (1) B Internationals

In an era of Australian football that favoured tall and physical defenders, Robbie Dunn was one of the best and most consistent. A physically imposing but intelligent centre-back/sweeper - Dunn read the play exceptionally well, was dominant in the air and got forward to score goals.

Dunn was born in Scotland and immigrated to Australia as an eight year old before joining junior club Kwinana in Perth. Dunn made his first team debut as an 18 year old in the Western Australian First Division for Rockingham City before moving to North Perth Croatia (later Western Knights), where the club finished runners-up in the First Division.

The promising young defender moved to South Australia in 1981 to join Azzurri (Blue Eagles) and won the South Australian State League before earning an NSL contract with West Adelaide and made his debut as a 21 year old. Dunn became an ever-present member of West's defence, playing alongside club veteran and fellow Scotsman Neil McGachey, and missed just two games in two seasons - scoring seven goals.

Dunn then moved to Melbourne to join Preston where he continued his strong form as a dominant goal scoring defender, finishing the season with a personal best eight goals. In 1985, Dunn made his Socceroos A debut off the bench in Australia's first qualifying game for the 1986 World Cup before competing with Steve O'Connor for the national team's central defensive role next to Charlie Yankos and David Ratcliffe.

Dunn helped Preston reach the NSL Finals Series for the first time where they lost the Southern Conference Final to South Melbourne. The Socceroos defender moved back to West Adelaide for the 1986 season and played in West's 1986 NSL Cup Final loss to Sydney City. Dunn became hot property, but was reluctant to leave West Adelaide until Melbourne Croatia signed him for $23,000 in 1987.

Croatia struggled with consistency in the 1987 and 1988 seasons, however, Dunn was a Socceroos regular, playing in all matches of the 1988 Bicentennial Gold Cup and Seoul Olympics (his last Socceroos appearances). Dunn returned to the Western Australian Premier League to join former West Adelaide coach Alan Vest at Perth Italia (later Perth SC) where he won back-to-back championships in 1989 and 1990.

In 1991, Dunn received an offer to join Hong Kong First Division side South China where he won a championship before spending the 1992 Malaysian Liga Semi-Pro First Division season with Selangor. Dunn returned to Western Australia to finish his playing career in the First Division at age of 32. During his peak in the NSL, Dunn received an offer to trial with Scottish giants Celtic and came close to signing for Eredivisie side FC Utrecht in 1987.