Australia

AFL legend returns to home club for final match, 25 years after leaving


From premiership success with the Bombers to a stint with Freo and the bright beaches of the Gold Coast, Broken Hill’s favourite son has returned home to bookend a wild 25-year career.

Dean Solomon left his hometown in 1996 to pursue his AFL dreams before coming back to make good on a decades-old vow.

“I promised when I was 16, leaving, that I’d come back and play another game, had the opportunity arisen,” the 41-year-old said.

After leaving his AFL coaching role last year, he was finally able to complete that promise, lacing up the boots for the first time in 12 years to play for his boyhood club, the North Broken Hill Bulldogs.

After 200 games in the AFL and more than a decade of coaching, Solomon said he never forgot where he came from.

“My family have been a part of the football club here for generations before me,” he said.

“I’ve felt unbelievably supported the whole way through from everyone associated with Broken Hill football and I can’t thank them enough.

“Any chance I can get back to support an event, I will.

“There’s a lot of guys I played with and now their sons are playing.”

After a decade on the Gold Coast Suns coaching staff, he has opened two businesses in Kingscliff, near the Queensland border, where he lives.

“It’s been a crazy 12 months,” he said.

“I’ve stepped out of the 24/7 industry in the AFL and stepped into two businesses and managing an existing one.”

Dean Solomon left the Suns in 2020.(

AAP: Dave Hunt

)

A return to the AFL?

With a number of coaching roles reportedly set to become available towards the end of this season, the former Essendon star is not ruling out a return to the fold.

“There’s a lot of coaches that have become available, in particular the Collingwood and the Carlton,” Solomon said.

Solomon said his experience as an assistant coach with the Gold Coast Suns taught him many important lessons.

“Personally, there’s so many learnings in a young club,” he said.

“Forging a culture, a game plan and grooming youth to be good people first and foremost.

“At some stage we can come back to that and potentially coach my own team in my own right, at some stage.”



Source link

Related Articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Back to top button