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.
mattyb
Guest
Thanks Val.Dickson,Crameri and Stringer are a potent mix
Rory O'Connor
Roar Rookie
Fantastic article. As a passionate doggies member, I've long held the belief that Tory Dickson is a highly underrated asset. He's hard working, he's exciting and the man can kick! Great to see he's finally getting some recognition!
AREH
Roar Guru
Good read Val! This bloke is an absolute dead-eye in front of goal, the Dogs have done well getting these mid-size/medium tall type forwards they're all dangerous
Paul Semertzidis
Roar Rookie
He is a great story, the last player to kick 100 goals in a division 1 Eastern Football League season (for Noble Park in 2010) A couple of cracks with Bendigo in the VFL and now his current behaviour for the Western Bulldogs. Just an old fashioned footballer who knows where the big sticks are. Blokes who kick goals get games, simple as that!
Pumping Dougie
Roar Guru
Tory has definitely flown under the radar. This is only his 4th season. He showed plenty of promise in his 1st year in 2012, stagnated a bit in 2013 then missed a large chunk of 2014 with injury. He's had his first full pre-season leading into this year and it shows with his fitness in games. You now regularly see him sprinting up and down the ground, whereas he couldn't do that in prior years. He's only 184cm, so he's really a small forward. He's always impressed with his composure and good ball use, but now he's added fitness and defensive pressure (3.2 tackles per game over his 52 game career). At 27 years of age, he's been an astute mature age recruit (recommended to the club by then assistant coach Shannon Grant, who had coached him in the VFL). I think from memory he only dedicated himself professionally to football once he came to the Bulldogs (relying on his trade skills to earn a living before that).
Gecko
Guest
Interesting that mid-sized forwards seem to be making a come-back in AFL footy. Dickson, Crameri and Stringer all in the same forward line and all playing well. Who could have imagined it!
XI
Roar Guru
He is the kind of player that makes the argument that there's not enough talent in the country for 18 teams seem poorly constructed. There's plenty of talent out there, it's just that teams are only looking in the same places. Maybe players like Dickson will inspire scouts to look around a little more for quality players.
TomC
Roar Guru
Good stuff, Val. This guy definitely deserves more recognition. I was fortunate enough to watch him live against Collingwood in one of his four goal hauls and he kicked some beauties that day. I think he benefits a lot from the way his teammates move the ball quickly into the forwardline. His performances should be a lesson for a lot of other teams that don't have elite key forward options.
Josh
Expert
I'll be honest, I didn't know the difference between this guy and Ayce Cordy at the start of the year. Bravo to him, he's having an incredible season.