First-round AFL Draft prospect George Dimer has outlined the impact Haileybury College's esteemed coaching staff have had on his footy.
Dimer, viewed by many as the best small forward in the 2026 crop, captained Haileybury's firsts footy side this year, giving him the privilege of learning from head coach Matthew Lloyd and assistant Scott Pendlebury, who is seen as an AFL head coach in waiting.
"He's had an incredible impact. I couldn't praise his coaching any higher," Dimer said of Lloyd, who has been involved in coaching Haileybury since 2014.
"We are blessed at Haileybury to have the coaches we have. The two things 'Lloydy' has taught me are the importance of hard work - that is always his number one focus - and he's not the coach to grill us, but he upholds high standards, so he often talks about the importance of not losing the habits we build, which comes back to my ethic of needing to have devotion.
"And the other one is the importance of collective buy-in to succeed. That has shown in recent years, when we have not had the talent other schools have had.
"We won the premiership last year without a single player drafted, and that is rare to see in an APS setting. His ability to garner a group of 22 schoolboys into a high-performing team who can go up against the best in the country is impressive."
Dimer has been linked to a host of clubs late on the first night, including Essendon and GWS and the floor of his range is viewed as Richmond's compensation pick at the start of night two in the 20s.
The diminutive forward missed pre-season due to stress fractures in his back but was best afield in his return game in the Talent League as he showed potency as a competitive and selfless forward-half connector.
That game laid the platform for an outstandingly consistent season across all levels, with Dimer highlighting how, as a 173cm player, Pendlebury helped him view his size as a strength rather than a deficiency.
"He's, interestingly, not quiet, but he does not speak as much as I was expecting, but the boys often say that when he speaks, it's gold," Dimer told Zero Hanger.
"He's, in effect, a coach at Collingwood, and it's the same for us. He'll say one thing, and we'll think, 'wow, that makes so much sense'. I spent a lot of time with him in Year 10 to improve my bodywork.
"I was playing midfield that year, and I am pretty small, and I was going up against bigger figures, so he was massive for me in understanding when to engage and when to just back my speed instead. Often, (my size) is an advantage because my speed and agility come from the lower centre of gravity.
"A lot of our game plan is based on his understanding of the game."
Stay tuned to Zero Hanger for the full question and answer with Dimer on Saturday.
