At the beginning of the 2015 AFL season, Tory Dickson seemed to be a fringe player at best in the Western Bulldogs line up. Now he is an integral part of what has become a juggernaut over the past 19 rounds.
After only playing four games in 2014 and looking like his career could be over, the 27-year-old has played every game for the Bulldogs this season.
He kicked a career-high seven goals in Round 7 against ladder leaders Fremantle, and has kicked four goals on four separate occasions this season. He has 37 goals for the season, sitting second on the Bulldogs’ goal-kicking list behind Jake Stringer, while he is also 13th in the Coleman Medal race.
He has become one of the most prolific small forwards in the AFL.
What has made him stand out this season is his accuracy; along with his 37 goals he has kicked 10 behinds, an efficiency of 79 per cent. The next highest in the top 15 goal kickers is Hawthorn’s Luke Breust at 72 per cent.
Dickson’s desperation to win the ball this season has also been highlighted by his career-high contested possessions in a season, 96, eclipsing his 2012 total of 95 with five games left in the home-and-away season.
His inside-50 count has also increased this season with 51, creating many more scoring opportunities for the Bulldogs. He is proving to be a viable option around the midfield and half forward, instead of playing as a goal sneak sitting predominantly inside 50.
Even from Rounds 3 to 6, when Dickson kicked a measly four behinds, his contribution was still high. For example, in the Bulldogs’ upset win against Sydney in Round 5 he amassed 18 disposals, 14 of those being contested, and laid nine tackles in a wet thriller at the SCG.
The next week, against St Kilda, he had 23 possessions, his career best, along with five tackles, four inside 50s, four clearances and 11 contested possessions. Although the Dogs conceded a 55-point lead on the day, the positive was that Dickson was beginning to announce himself, and he kicked seven goals the next week.
He did not kick a goal against Melbourne in Round 8, but since then Dickson has kicked at least one goal in every game for 21 goals and two behinds at an extraordinary efficiency of 92 per cent.
The Bulldogs have defied all odds this season, sitting in the top four with five rounds left, and Dickson has been a key reason for the club’s vast improvement. He will be a valued member of the red, white and blue outfit as they push for a deep run into the finals.
There have been many negative stories coming out of the 2015 AFL season, but Dickson’s second coming and his club’s sublime form, has created excitement among fans.
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