Dean Solomon
Encyclopedia
Dean Solomon is retired Australian rules football
er. He played for the Fremantle Dockers
and the Essendon Bombers
in his 13 year, 209 games and a premiership career.
, cricket
and football though it is the latter in which he held the most promise.
Playing for the North Broken Hill Football Club, a team with which his family has a long history he received several honours as a junior, along with several junior premierships, however as a 16 year old he was awarded "best junior" when playing for the league or A-grade team against many large, hard men who would often attempt to physically intimidate him.
Solomon played his last game for North Broken Hill in 1996, unfortunately injuring his fingers and missing a grand final.
Solomon then went on to play for the Bendigo Pioneers
in the under 18 TAC Cup
competition. He was selected in the 1997 AFL Draft
by Essendon with a 2nd round selection, number 20 overall.
debut in 1998 for Essendon and was part of their 2000 premiership team. On numerous occasions, however, Solomon has shown his lack of discipline to be detrimental to his game, one example being the 2005 clash with Adelaide at AAMI Stadium
, where Solomon's concession of a 50-metre penalty
was considered a turning point in the match, from which Adelaide became big victors.
On 13 October 2006 Solomon was traded to the Fremantle Dockers, following a trade of draft picks
No. 42 and No. 47, Fremantle also gained pick No. 52 from the Bombers. He links up with close friend, forward
Chris Tarrant
who was traded to the Dockers on the same day from Collingwood
.
In 2008, Solomon was reported for elbowing Cameron Ling
to the head which resulted in broken cheekbones and eye socket and Solomon received an 8 week suspension, the most severe AFL tribunal penalty in 11 years.
On 18 February 2010 Solomon announced his retirement from AFL football due to a painful degenerative knee injury.
He joined the new Gold Coast Football Club as an assistant coach in the months before they entered the AFL for the 2011 season
.
Key:
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er. He played for the Fremantle Dockers
Fremantle Football Club
The Fremantle Football Club, nicknamed The Dockers, is an Australian rules football team which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in the port city of Fremantle at the mouth of the Swan River in Western Australia...
and the Essendon Bombers
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in his 13 year, 209 games and a premiership career.
Early career
Solomon grew up in the small mining town of Broken Hill excelling in basketballBasketball
Basketball is a team sport in which two teams of five players try to score points by throwing or "shooting" a ball through the top of a basketball hoop while following a set of rules...
, cricket
Cricket
Cricket is a bat-and-ball game played between two teams of 11 players on an oval-shaped field, at the centre of which is a rectangular 22-yard long pitch. One team bats, trying to score as many runs as possible while the other team bowls and fields, trying to dismiss the batsmen and thus limit the...
and football though it is the latter in which he held the most promise.
Playing for the North Broken Hill Football Club, a team with which his family has a long history he received several honours as a junior, along with several junior premierships, however as a 16 year old he was awarded "best junior" when playing for the league or A-grade team against many large, hard men who would often attempt to physically intimidate him.
Solomon played his last game for North Broken Hill in 1996, unfortunately injuring his fingers and missing a grand final.
Solomon then went on to play for the Bendigo Pioneers
Bendigo Pioneers
The Bendigo Pioneers are an Australian rules football team in a Victorian under 18s league the TAC Cup.Bendigo Pioneers is an Australian rules football team playing in TAC Cup since 1993 based in Bendigo. The team trains at Wade St Oval, Golden Square. The team is coached by Mark Ellis...
in the under 18 TAC Cup
TAC Cup
The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....
competition. He was selected in the 1997 AFL Draft
1997 AFL Draft
The 1997 AFL Draft was held at the conclusion of the 1997 Australian Football League season. A pre-season draft was also held prior to the 1998 season....
by Essendon with a 2nd round selection, number 20 overall.
AFL career
Solomon made his AFLAustralian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
debut in 1998 for Essendon and was part of their 2000 premiership team. On numerous occasions, however, Solomon has shown his lack of discipline to be detrimental to his game, one example being the 2005 clash with Adelaide at AAMI Stadium
AAMI Stadium
Football Park is an Australian rules football stadium located in West Lakes, a western suburb of Adelaide, South Australia...
, where Solomon's concession of a 50-metre penalty
50-metre penalty
In the sport of Australian Rules Football, the 50-metre penalty is applied by umpires to a number of different infractions when a free kick or mark has already been paid.Some leagues and competitions use a 25-metre penalty...
was considered a turning point in the match, from which Adelaide became big victors.
On 13 October 2006 Solomon was traded to the Fremantle Dockers, following a trade of draft picks
AFL Draft
The AFL Draft is the annual draft of new unsigned players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League.-History:...
No. 42 and No. 47, Fremantle also gained pick No. 52 from the Bombers. He links up with close friend, forward
Forward line
In Australian rules football, the forward line refers to a set of attacking positions on the field.The forward line consists of three players, a left and right forward pocket, and a full-forward. Up until approximately 20 years ago, the forward pockets were often the resting rover or ruckman...
Chris Tarrant
Chris Tarrant (footballer)
Chris Tarrant is an Australian rules footballer who plays for the Collingwood Football Club, and has also played for the Fremantle Football Club. He announced at the end of the 2010 AFL season that he would return to Melbourne for personal reasons and would not extend his contract with Fremantle...
who was traded to the Dockers on the same day from Collingwood
Collingwood Football Club
The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
.
In 2008, Solomon was reported for elbowing Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling
Cameron Ling is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League...
to the head which resulted in broken cheekbones and eye socket and Solomon received an 8 week suspension, the most severe AFL tribunal penalty in 11 years.
On 18 February 2010 Solomon announced his retirement from AFL football due to a painful degenerative knee injury.
He joined the new Gold Coast Football Club as an assistant coach in the months before they entered the AFL for the 2011 season
2011 AFL season
The 2011 Australian Football League season was the 115th season of the Australian rules football competition. It was the debut year for , and was scheduled to be the only season to be played with 17 teams...
.
Tribunal history
| Season | Round | Charge category (level) | Victim | Result | Verdict | Ref(s) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2004 | 11 | Melee involvement | — | Guilty (accepted fine) | $4,500 fine | |
| 2005 | 18 | Melee involvement | — | Guilty (accepted fine) | $2,400 fine | |
| 2006 | 8 | Charging (3) | Ben Cousins Ben Cousins Benjamin Luke "Ben" Cousins is a former Australian rules footballer, best known for his 270-game career with and in the Australian Football League .... |
Not guilty (won at tribunal) | — | |
| 2007 | PS-QF | Striking (1) | Brent Harvey Brent Harvey Brent "Boomer" Harvey is an Australian rules footballer and the current captain of the North Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League .... |
Guilty (early plea) | Reprimand | |
| 6 | Misconduct (3) | Jason Roe | Guilty (lost at tribunal) | 1 match suspension | ||
| 21 | Wrestling | Brad Miller Brad Miller (footballer) Brad Miller is an Australian rules footballer, who currently plays with Richmond after previously playing with the Melbourne Football Club in the Australian Football League until he was delisted at the end of the 2010 season.-Early life:Brad is the son of Neville Miller, who played 30 games with... |
Guilty (accepted fine) | $900 fine | ||
| 2008 | 1 | Rough conduct (1) | Shane Wakelin Shane Wakelin Shane Wakelin is a former Australian rules footballer for St Kilda and Collingwood in the Australian Football League.-AFL career:... |
Guilty (lost at tribunal) | 2 matches suspension | |
| 8 | Wrestling | Tom Williams Tom Williams (Australian rules footballer) Tom Williams is an Australian rules footballer with the Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League. Drafted with the 6th pick in the 2004 AFL Draft, Williams was a late convert to Australian Rules, having been an all-round sportsman, playing representative rugby union for Queensland in... |
Guilty (accepted fine) | $1,800 fine | ||
| 15 | Striking (6) | Cameron Ling Cameron Ling Cameron Ling is a former Australian rules footballer for the Geelong Football Club in the Australian Football League... |
Guilty (direct to tribunal) | 8 matches suspension |
Key:
- PS – Pre-season competition
- EF – Elimination final
- QF – Qualifying final
- SF – Semi-final
- PF – Preliminary final
- GF – Grand final