Dunstone remains optimistic despite loss in Brier final By: Joshua Frey-Sam Posted: 5:57 PM CDT Tuesday, Mar. 11, 2025

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This article was published 11/03/2025 (520 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The pain in Matt Dunstone’s voice is unlikely to go away anytime soon, but he believes there’s plenty of reason for optimism about what’s ahead for his team.

A 5-3 loss to Alberta’s Brad Jacobs in Sunday’s men’s national curling championship final continued to sting for the Winnipeg-born skip on Tuesday.

It’s the second time in three years Dunstone lost in the gold-medal game, and he assured this pill wasn’t any easier to swallow.

“It obviously sucks, but, at the end of the day, this is what we sign up for with competitive sports. It has its amazing moments and has its tough moments like this. All we can control from this part moving forward is just how our team responds to it,” said Dunstone, ending each thought on a positive note.

“Obviously, we fell short, but it was still a phenomenal week for us. We put ourselves in a position to win it, and we’re still ranked No. 1 in Canada, and we’re still a very confident group.”

As Dunstone drove from his home in Kamloops, B.C., — where he’s lived since 2018 — to Kelowna two days before his opening game, he had a different feeling about his chances this year. He believed this was the time for his Brier breakthrough.

As the event drew on, it was clear he hadn’t offered up false hope.

Along with third Colton Lott, second E.J. Harnden and lead Ryan Harden, the Manitobans navigated a tough road, finishing atop a difficult pool at 7-1 and winning two playoff games to earn a bye to the gold medal game.

There, Dunstone held a 2-0 lead over Jacobs through five ends, but a steal of one in the seventh and a force in the ninth by the Albertans set the stage for a dramatic 10th end, which Jacobs played perfectly to earn three points for the win.

“The winning and the losing part, some of it’s not even within your control. We were in must-win territory starting Wednesday night against Reid (Carruthers), and we really cranked it up a notch just to even put us in that position,” Dunstone said about what he took away from this year’s event.

“I think the biggest thing is there’s no moment too big for this team. No event. No game magnitude that’s bigger than the team. I think we’re ready to win; it’s just a matter of continuing to put ourselves in that position, and that’s really all that we can do.”

Aside from a crucial misfire on a takeout attempt that flashed through the house in the ninth, Dunstone played well, shooting at 87 per cent efficiency. His team shot 93 per cent collectively.

However, they didn’t match Jacobs, who had a near-flawless performance at 94 per cent. His squad also shot 94 per cent collectively.

“I was more prepared for this Brier final. Having experienced it once prior too, you knew exactly what we were getting ourselves into,” said Dunstone.

“Just to get that experience once again in the biggest game in curling, it’s going to do nothing but just help our team evolve again. At the end of the day, this team’s really only been together for three months, and all we’ve been doing is having success up to this point. So, I think getting into those games is going to do nothing but just expedite the learning and the growth of this group for what’s to come and for the end of this season, and moving into next, which obviously next (season) is very important year for us.”

The disappointment of Sunday’s loss should have subsided by the time Team Dunstone puts a bow on its season at the Grand Slam of Curling Player’s Championship event next month in Toronto.

From there, they turn their attention to the peak of the quadrennial at the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials in Halifax, N.S., in November. Dunstone, who parted ways with third BJ Neufeld earlier this season, said the lineup will stay intact for this push for an Olympic berth.

He believes this is the group to deliver the breakthrough he’s longed for.

“I think it’d be a great way to end our season,” Dunstone said of the GSOC event. “To go have a really good showing and hopefully pick up the last one there, I think would be a nice little cherry on top to what’s been a great season for us.

“From there, during the summer, it’s just a matter of sorting out how we’re going to get ready to be at our best come next November in Halifax.”

joshua.frey-sam@freepress.mb.ca