Jack Kovacic
2018 Jim Sullivan medallist Lochie Dickson has re-signed with Coburg ahead of the 2019 season.
Dickson enjoyed a stellar debut season at VFL level after making the step up from playing for Norwood in the Eastern Football League.
He played every game in his first season in the VFL, averaging 21 disposals and five marks per game while also being named amongst the teams best on nine occasions.
Dickson’s re-signing is a massive boost for the club, who now have 17 players signed for 2019.
He joins the likes of Marcus Lentini (whom he tied with in this years Jim Sullivan medal), Peter McEvoy, Jesse Corigliano and Luke Bunker who have already re-committed to the club.
He enjoyed the transition of stepping up from a ‘more contested’ game style in the EFL to a faster, more open game at VFL level.
“It took a few games to adjust to the extra pace and kms that the VFL demands you to cover to run out games well which made the practice games really important,” Dickson said, “Once I had those practice games under my belt though I felt really prepared and confident about making the jump.”
The Frankston win was one of his personal highlights of 2018 but there were also some other enjoyable moments.
“I loved playing on grounds such as Punt Road and Windy Hill, it was a bit of a thrill to play on historic grounds like those,” Dickson said.
“Building a lot of really good relationships within the club meant a lot and then obviously to share the best and fairest with Lents was a massive honour.”
These relationships are one of the biggest reasons why Dickson decided to re-sign with the club.
“I’ve formed some really strong friendships with players and coaches and I want to be a part of the club improving on field with them,” he said.
“Also, the challenge of playing each week against AFL listed players was something I really enjoyed, and that challenge improved my football a lot so I was keen to continue to test myself at the highest level possible.”
Dickson can see big improvements coming at Coburg in 2018.
“I think the team will improve all aspects of our game next year with another pre-season to understand what Patch is implementing,” he said, “We saw good improvement in the second half of the year and I think that will continue.”
Time in forward half is a stat Coburg will look to improve on next year.
“If we can get that closer to 50/50 and start to win that stat we’re going to get really good results,” Dickson said, “In the quarters we were able to do that this season it showed on the scoreboard so it’s about being able to do that for longer next season.”
Key Forward Josh Fox has also re-commited to the club for the 2019 season. The former Tasmanian, in his first year at the Piranha Park after crossing from Sandringham, managed 8 games for 4 goals & also spent time in the ruck.
When not selected for Coburg, Fox would play with Southern Football League side Cheltenham, where he managed 32 goals from 11 games, & would also manage Team of the Year selection.