We had a spy at our closed session....

I spy more Dee trouble
The Herald Sun
Mark Stevens | May 19, 2009

THIS is the most despised man in the AFL spying game. Melbourne may be on the bottom of the ladder, but its "forward scout" David Dunbar is the league's most daring.

Dunbar was at it again last week, refusing to back down from another confrontation at a Western Bulldogs "closed" session.

As the Dogs went about their preparations at Whitten Oval for Saturday's clash with Melbourne, staff were stunned to see Dunbar peering into the ground from the edge of the Gordon St off-ramp.

Dunbar was perilously perched behind a bush, amid dirt and rubble.

Asked to move by an official, he wandered away only to take up a new vantage point, in clear view.

The Bulldogs will not make an official complaint, but the belief is Dunbar broke a gentleman's code.

"It's pretty simple. If you're asked to move, you do what's right," Bulldogs football manager James Fantasia said.

"You move. You get out of the place.

"You don't try and be an antagonist because that does cause trouble.

"To sit there, and be that obvious about it, I'm not sure that's right."

Dunbar has in the past dressed up as a construction worker to spy on Hawthorn at its Waverley base.

He was confronted by Hawks coach Alastair Clarkson in one pre-season incident last year and was repeatedly ejected.

Dunbar, highly rated by the Demons, just keeps coming back for more.

It is understood he has several disguises and has a selection of opposition club polo shirts to enable him to look at home in enemy camps.

In March, the 16 AFL coaches loosely agreed that spies can still attend the closed sessions of rivals, but if they are spotted and asked to leave, they must depart immediately.

But there is no arbiter or panel to penalise infractions, and no official agreement.

Coaches' association boss Danny Frawley has said he hoped for a general level of respect between coaches and spies.

Several clubs, including North Melbourne, Collingwood, Hawthorn and Richmond, have training grounds that make it impossible to hold closed sessions.