Chris Dunbar has reached a milestone most AFL players will only dream of.
Chris Dunbar, CD as he’s known to his mates, loves Aussie Rules, which is just as well as he marked his 400th game with his beloved North Mackay Saints on Saturday May 26.
Chris started playing in 1989 at the age of 18 after someone convinced him to come to training and maybe play a game or two.
“I played one game and I loved it and I’ve been playing it ever since,” Dunbar said.
In the 23 years since, Chris has clocked up 345 senior matches, making up the rest of his 400 games pulling on the boots for the Saints reserves.
CD has played in eight senior grand finals, of which four were premierships and five reserve grade grand finals, two of which were premierships.
He has played representative football for Mackay and is a life member of AFL Mackay and the North Mackay Saints.
Dunbar plays in the ruck a position he’s kept since his very first game.
“I like the freedom, it’s a free-flowing game. In the ruck you can go anywhere,” Dunbar said.
“It’s an outlet to get out there and run around and just enjoy yourself.”
Chris grew up on a Carmilla cane farm, where tennis, cricket and basketball were the only sports on offer.
“They’d never heard of AFL in a country town like that,” Dunbar said.
Chris has found time between all that footy to start a family and these days the weekend is all about sport.
Chris’s wife Katrina and youngest son Cody, 10, play hockey and Bailey, 13, is into soccer.
“We’re on the go from 7am to 5pm on a Saturday,” Dunbar said.
“For the kids it’s sport in the morning and for us it’s football and hockey in the afternoon.
“Sport is good for the kids; it’s hard to wear them out these days.”
Not like CD, who doesn’t look like hanging up the boots anytime soon.
“I’ll get through this year and see how I go. I’m too old to play seniors,” Dunbar said.
