Dean Solomon

Dean Solomon
Personal information
Full name Dean Solomon
Born (1980-01-09) 9 January 1980 (age 46)
Original team Bendigo Pioneers (TAC Cup)
Draft No. 20, 1997 national draft
Debut Round 5, 1998, Essendon vs. Collingwood, at MCG
Height 189 cm (6 ft 2 in)
Weight 102 kg (225 lb)
Position Midfielder / forward
Playing career
Years Club Games (Goals)
1998–2006 Essendon 158 (56)
2007–2009 Fremantle 51 (22)
Total 209 (78)
Coaching career
Years Club Games (W–L–D)
2017 Gold Coast 3 (0–3–0)
2026 Essendon 12 (1–11–0)
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Dean Solomon (born 9 January 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the Essendon Football Club and the Fremantle Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). Solomon served as the caretaker senior coach of Essendon following the sacking of Brad Scott in May 2026. He also served as caretaker senior coach with Gold Coast for the last three games of the 2017 season, following the departure of senior coach Rodney Eade on 7 August 2017.

Early career

Solomon grew up in the outback mining town of Broken Hill excelling in basketball, 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.

Playing career

Essendon

Solomon made his AFL debut in 1998 for Essendon and was part of their 2000 premiership team. Solomon played a total of 158 games and kicked a total of 56 goals for Essendon from 1998 until 2006.

Fremantle

On 13 October 2006, Solomon was traded to Fremantle, 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. 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. Solomon played a total of 51 games and kicked 22 goals for Fremantle from 2007 until 2009.

Coaching career

Fremantle

Solomon was an assistant coach with Fremantle in the 2010 season under senior coach Mark Harvey. However after one season, Solomon departed the Fremantle Football Club at the end of the 2010 season on 4 August 2010.

Gold Coast Suns

He joined Gold Coast Suns as an assistant coach in the months before they entered the AFL for the 2011 season.

During the 2017 season, Solomon was appointed caretaker senior coach of Gold Coast Suns, with three matches left to go after Rodney Eade stepped down as Gold Coast Suns senior coach, during the 2017 season, when Eade was told he would not be receiving a contract extension with Gold Coast Suns. The Suns under Solomon went on to lose all three games for the rest of the 2017 season. Solomon was not retained as Gold Coast Suns senior coach at the conclusion of the 2017 season and was replaced by Stuart Dew as Gold Coast Suns senior coach. Solomon however remained at the club as assistant coach.

After nine years of service as an assistant coach, Solomon was sacked at the end of the 2020 season. Upon his departure from the club, and on the advice of Adam Simpson, Solomon decided to take a 12 month sabbatical from the AFL in a bid to further develop himself with an eye on returning to coaching in 2022; during this sabbatical he ran a gym in Kingscliff, New South Wales.

Greater Western Sydney

On 17 May 2022, it was announced that Solomon would be joining the coaching staff at Greater Western Sydney as part-time assistant coach for the rest of the 2022 season under GWS caretaker senior coach and his former teammate Mark McVeigh, who replaced Leon Cameron after Cameron resigned as GWS senior coach in the middle of the 2022 season after Round 9, 2022. Solomon left GWS Giants at the end of the 2022 season.

Tweed Coast Football Club

On 9 November 2022, Solomon was appointed senior coach of Tweed Coast Football Club, a club that competes in the Queensland Football Association Division 2 South.

Essendon

On 23 October 2025, it was announced that Solomon would return to Essendon as an assistant coach under senior coach Brad Scott for the 2026 season. In late May 2026, following round 11, Solomon was appointed as caretaker senior coach of Essendon following Scott's sacking for the remainder of the 2026 season. On 5 August 2026, Solomon announced he would not re-apply for the role of full-time senior coach of Essendon at the end of the 2026 AFL season. Solomon was then replaced by Mark McVeigh as senior coach of Essendon. Solomon departed the Essendon Football Club on 18 September 2026 at the conclusion of the 2026 AFL season.

Return to Gold Coast Suns

On 27 October 2026, Solomon returned to Gold Coast Suns as an assistant coach under senior coach Damien Hardwick.

Playing statistics

Legend
  G  
 Goals
  K  
 Kicks
  D  
 Disposals 
  T  
 Tackles
  B  
 Behinds 
  H  
 Handballs 
  M  
 Marks
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1998 Essendon 772138256312130.30.15.43.69.01.71.9
1999 Essendon 7194413910524461390.20.27.35.512.83.22.1
2000 Essendon 72587196136332115430.30.37.85.413.34.61.7
2001 Essendon 72485208119327101550.30.28.75.013.64.22.3
2002 Essendon 70——————————————
2003 Essendon 7241120243105348103860.50.810.14.414.54.33.6
2004 Essendon 723151724515439979880.70.710.76.717.33.43.8
2005 Essendon 716451306219265450.30.38.13.912.04.12.8
2006 Essendon 720431469724372480.20.27.34.912.23.62.4
2007 Fremantle 6201110196120316771080.60.59.86.015.83.95.4
2008 Fremantle 613771497122070360.50.511.55.516.95.42.8
2009 Fremantle 6184614412526960870.20.38.06.914.93.34.8
Career 209 78 85 1834 1119 2953 815 648 0.4 0.4 8.8 5.4 14.1 3.9 3.1

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 (West Coast) Not guilty (won at tribunal) —
2007 PS-QF Striking (1) Brent Harvey (Kangaroos) Guilty (early plea) Reprimand
6 Misconduct (3) Jason Roe (Brisbane Lions) Guilty (lost at tribunal) 1 match suspension
21 Wrestling Brad Miller (Melbourne) Guilty (accepted fine) $900 fine
2008 1 Rough conduct (1) Shane Wakelin (Collingwood) Guilty (lost at tribunal) 2 matches suspension
8 Wrestling Tom Williams (Western Bulldogs) Guilty (accepted fine) $1,800 fine
15 Striking (6) Cameron Ling (Geelong) Guilty (direct to tribunal) 8 matches suspension
Key:

References

  1. 1 2 Whiting, Michael (8 August 2017). "Eade out: 'Not even close' on win–loss ratio". BigPond. AFL.com.au. Retrieved 8 August 2017.
  2. 1 2 "DEAN SOLOMON". Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  3. 1 2 "Solomon announces retirement". 17 February 2010. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  4. ↑ "Solly recalls his London scare". 24 October 2006. Retrieved 12 May 2022.
  5. ↑ "Solomon's high contact on Ling". YouTube. Freo95. Archived from the original on 21 December 2021. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  6. ↑ Dean Solomon Rubbed Out For 8 Weeks Archived 4 December 2008 at the Wayback Machine
  7. ↑ Schmook, Nathan. "Solomon's mind willing, body beat". AFL.com.au. Archived from the original on 21 February 2010. Retrieved 19 February 2010.
  8. ↑ "Football Staff". goldcoastfc.com.au. Gold Coast Football Club. Archived from the original on 10 September 2015. Retrieved 16 August 2015.
  9. ↑ "Solomon heads to Gold Coast Suns". Australian Broadcasting Corporation. 4 August 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  10. ↑ "Dean Solomon departs Fremantle". 4 August 2010. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  11. ↑ Dean Solomon joins Gold Coast
  12. ↑ "Gold Coast Suns sack coach Rodney Eade, Dean Solomon steps in as interim coach". 8 August 2017. Retrieved 12 March 2022.
  13. ↑ "Gold Coast sack coach Rodney Eade, Dean Solomon steps in as interim coach". 8 August 2017. Retrieved 14 April 2022.
  14. ↑ "Gold Coast needs an expedition leader to climb up the ladder in 2018". 20 August 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  15. ↑ "Let's get physical, says Gold Coast Suns coach Dean Solomon". 10 August 2017. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  16. ↑ "Gold Coast Suns AFL club begin changes to coaching staff with Matthew Lappin to leave". 11 October 2017. Retrieved 9 February 2022.
  17. ↑ Matthey, James. "AFL 2020: Gold Coast Suns deny Dean Solomon conspiracy after sacking". news.com.au. News Corp. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  18. ↑ De Silva, Chris. "'This smells a bit': Andrew Welsh suggests sinister motive behind Gold Coast Suns' Dean Solomon call". Wide World of Sports. Nine Network. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  19. ↑ "'Dark cloud' over AFL fairytale as greats baffled by Dean Solomon sacking that just makes 'no sense'". Fox Sports Australia. News Corp. 25 August 2020. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  20. ↑ Raynor, Bonnie (4 December 2020). "Former Docker Dean Solomon reveals future AFL plans after honest conversation with Adam Simpson". The West Australian. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  21. ↑ Rosen, Laurence. "SACKED SUNS ASSISTANT DETAILS WHAT'S NEXT IN COACHING CAREER". SEN. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  22. ↑ Schmook, Nathan. "Footy or family? For this ex-Hawk, the choice was simple". Australian Football League. Retrieved 23 May 2021.
  23. ↑ "Dons party: Hird, Solomon join Giants coaching staff". 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  24. ↑ "James Hird gets first AFL coaching role since drugs saga as Giants revamp staff after Cameron exit". 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  25. ↑ "Hird, Solomon help out GWS' AFL coach". 17 May 2022. Retrieved 17 May 2022.
  26. ↑ "Adam Kingsley unveiled as next GWS Giants coach on three-year deal". 22 August 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  27. ↑ "Former Gold Coast Suns assistant coach makes major return to football". 9 November 2022. Retrieved 13 December 2022.
  28. ↑ "Solomon to join Bombers coaching ranks". 23 October 2025. Retrieved 20 March 2026.
  29. ↑ "Dean Solomon appointed Interim Senior Coach of Essendon". Essendon Football Club. 26 May 2026.
  30. ↑ "Solomon confirms coaching decision". 5 August 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  31. ↑ "Mark McVeigh named Essendon coach effective immediately". 24 August 2026. Retrieved 16 September 2026.
  32. ↑ Bourke, Ed (18 September 2026). "Dean Solomon leaving Essendon for family reasons despite having one year remaining on his contract".
  33. ↑ essendonfc.com.au (18 September 2026). "Solomon makes decision on Essendon future". essendonfc.com.au. Retrieved 5 October 2026.
  34. ↑ Dean Solomon's player profile at AFL Tables
  35. ↑ "Tribunal History in Season 2004". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  36. ↑ "Tribunal History in Season 2005". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  37. ↑ "Tribunal History in Season 2006". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 10 August 2009.
  38. ↑ "Tribunal History in Season 2007 (pre-season)". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 29 February 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  39. 1 2 "Tribunal History in Season 2007". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2009.
  40. 1 2 3 "Tribunal History in Season 2008". AFL Historical Statistics. Archived from the original on 17 February 2012. Retrieved 4 September 2009.