The 22-year-old South Australian is looking forward to playing on the Border for the first time in the final match of the JLT Community Series against Sydney at Lavington Oval on Sunday.

With the likes of Jack Steele and Koby Stevens joining the Saints in the off-season, Dunstan didn’t shy away from the fact there is certainly competition for spots.

“I think with those guys coming in, drafting guys like Ben Long and Jade Gresham has gone to another level again, it’s been a really good thing for the club,” Dunstan said.

“In the end all it does is drive higher standards and blokes don’t want to lose their spot in the team, so they’re doing everything they can to hold their positions and the new guys coming in want to play.

“It’s been a good, solid pre-season and everyone is getting stuck in, which has only made us better.”

St Kilda has won its opening pre-season hit-outs against Port Adelaide and Carlton and is expected to bring a close to full strength squad along for the local fixture.

“This week, we’re looking forward to hopefully both sides playing a strong team and giving each other a good hit-out before round one,” Dunstan said.

“I think the rotations will go down again as well from the past two games, so it will be a bit more of a routine run for round one than what the previous two have.”

Dunstan admitted it has been a challenging pre-season after undergoing shoulder surgery and only returning to full training in January.

“I had a massive two-month running block and have seen the benefits since coming back to training with the side,” he said.

“I feel I have taken my fitness to another level.

“I’m not looking too far ahead at this stage, I’m just trying to hold my spot in the team and perform as well as I can to get back to playing aggressive footy.

“I like going in flat out and setting a bit of a tone for the rest of the team.

After putting together a solid 2016 campaign, the Saints haven’t spoken at great lengths about a finals berth this year.

“For us as a group, it’s more about consistency and the way we play,” Dunstan said

“Obviously with the issues we had playing interstate last year, we want to focus on that and make sure we fix it.

“It’s more focused on the way we play and bringing the pressure, which is what we pride ourselves on every week."

Dunstan recently recommitted to the Saints for a further two years and is loving life in Melbourne.

“Obviously at times you miss family and friends, but at the same time you’re making a new family over here,” he said.

“It’s been good fun so far and I’m hoping the journey can continue for a few more years yet.

Sunday’s game starts at 7.10pm.