Скачать или смотреть David Dickson - Carlton Football Club Past Player

In another vivid example of triumph over adversity, David Dickson overcame a disadvantaged upbringing - and the tragic early death of both of his parents - to play an important role in Carlton's 1972 Premiership. Four years later, his on-field career was curtailed by a knee injury, so he moved on to coaching, and became an outstanding mentor to a generation of Victoria's best young players.

Dickson grew up in suburban Coburg, and first attracted the attention of VFA club Preston when he began dominating inter-school matches for Newlands State High School (he also played at Powelltown). By 1971 he was a star in the red and white colours of Preston, and it wasn't long before a number of VFL clubs -- in particular Carlton - were taking a keen interest in the fiercely-determined centreman with pace, good foot skills and a happy knack of drawing the football. However, the 19 year-old was a reluctant recruit at first. "I never really wanted to go to Carlton, because I never thought I was good enough," Dickson said, many years later, "but Bert Deacon and John Nicholls talked me into it, and they became like surrogate fathers to me, because I lost both of my parents at a young age."

Following an impressive pre-season and a couple of reserves matches, Dickson was selected for his first senior game against South Melbourne at the Lake Oval in round 3, 1972. Wearing guernsey number 27, and sharing the roving duties with Adrian Gallagher, he started with the joy of a six-goal victory. In rounds 4 and 5 he was relegated to the bench, before his breakout match came in a home game for the Blues against Geelong at Princes Park in round 6. Playing on a wing, alongside champion Alex Jesaulenko, Dickson controlled his side of the ground that afternoon and confidently pushed forward to kick three goals, as the Navy Blues destroyed the Cats by 49 points. From then on, and throughout the following two seasons, he was a first-choice senior player.

In October of his debut year, Dickson was one of 20 Bluebagger heroes who wrote their names into football history with a magnificent upset Grand Final victory over Richmond in the highest-scoring VFL/AFL Premiership decider ever played. Despite a gruelling finals campaign that included a draw, and a heavy defeat by the Tigers only a fortnight beforehand, John Nicholls made eight positional changes to his team on Grand Final day and promptly smashed the yellow and black by 37 points. Carlton's centre line of Dickson, Barry Armstrong and Ian Robertson was supreme for three quarters on that fabulous afternoon, and only eased up in the last term when the game was well and truly won.

From: http://www.blueseum.org/tiki-index.ph...