Image: Andrew Gaff is interviewed by Gold Coast Suns Assistant Coach Dean Solomon during Day 1 of the NAB AFL Draft Combine at the Australian Institute of Sport, Canberra.
Since arriving on the Gold Coast from Melbourne last month, new Gold Coast SUNS Assistant Coach Dean Solomon has wasted little time getting down to work.
While his coaching colleagues and GC SUNS players have been enjoying a well-earned holiday, Solomon has been regularly spotted in an otherwise empty Football Department in front of his lap top familiarising himself with the playing group, his new surrounds, and the upcoming challenges of his new job.
“As a coach you never stop thinking about the game,” he said. “You’re always working on things. We were looking at some game styles and structures. We’re all getting ourselves as ready as we can to start teaching various systems to the young guys on our list.”
Solomon’s road to the Gold Coast has been a long one. He moved to Melbourne from Broken Hill in far western NSW in 1997 after being selected by Essendon with Pick 20 in the National Draft. After playing 158 games for the Bombers – including a pivotal defensive role in the Bombers’ all-conquering 2000 Premiership side – he crossed the Nullarbor to join Fremantle. He racked up 51 games for the Dockers before a degenerative knee injury saw him forced to call it a day.
Does he miss playing the game?
“I think you always miss the competitive side of things. The coaches get together to play a bit of basketball every now and then and although the knee holds up okay I tend to pull up a bit sore. Nature’s way of telling me something, I reckon.”
Solomon’s appointment at the GC SUNS will be his second coaching role. He spent last season as a Development Coach at Fremantle under the tutelage of Fremantle development guru Simon Lloyd and Senior Coach Mark Harvey.
He says parallels can be drawn between the Dockers emergence as a young exciting team and the youthful talent at the GC SUNS’ disposal.
“Over the last few years Freo have taken away a lot of their older players and essentially rebuilt from the ground up with young kids. Essentially a mirror image of what’s going on here in a way. So having been there to see everything unfold at Freo as both a player and a coach really holds me in good stead, I think. And I really enjoy working with younger players to see them achieve what they can achieve and try to fast track their knowledge of the game and get them up to AFL standard.”
His philosophy towards coaching is a simple one.
“First things first, understanding exactly what your different players are capable of is the most important thing. Knowing when you can push a player in a certain direction so you know when you can expect a little more. That’s the critical element you need to get right from the start.”
A keen surfer, Solomon’s been testing out the banks along Mermaid Beach as often as he can.
“Yeah. I get out a fair bit. It’s been great so far. We used to come up here as a family when I was kid. We’d haul the car over from Broken Hill. And I’ve been coming here and Byron Bay ever since I was 17 to surf with mates. I’ve been a bit of a regular over the years.”
His girlfriend, Catherine, has made the move north too and has quickly settled in on the coast. She works at a real estate agent in Mermaid Beach. With the GC SUNS drawing in plenty of new arrivals, she’s found herself instantly busy.
“The club was really helpful in transitioning her and helped her find a job. So she’s found her feet really fast. She’s helping out a lot of the GC SUNS guys actually. She narrows down their search for them. Helps them find the right kind of home. She created a bit of a niche for herself. So everything’s worked out really well so far.”
