Carlton father-son prospect Harry Dean has outlined a clear goal for himself as he inches closer to an AFL list spot.
Seven weeks out from the AFL Draft, a bid for Dean is very likely to come in the top 10 following a standout season as the best key defender in the crop.
The son of legendary Blue Peter, Dean had just one game of Coates Talent League experience prior to 2025 due to a shoulder injury last year, but a standout U18s National Championships for Vic Country strengthened his stocks considerably.
Following the carnival, Vic Country coach Rhett McLennan declared him AFL-ready, and Dean has set himself a bold goal for 2026.
“Obviously my time will come, but I've set a goal to myself: I haven't really told many people, but I've told a few recruiters that I want to play Round 1 next year,” Dean told Craft of the Draft.
“Once the shoulder's fixed, going to get into many sessions as I can, work hard, obviously get feedback from the coaches to see what I need to do to play round one, and just follow the program and keep the grind up, and see how everything goes and hopefully I'll be playing Round 1.”
With favourite son Jack Silvagni departed for St Kilda and defender on the rise Harry O'Farrell out for most of next season with an ACL rupture, there is an opening in Carlton's backline - if he formally nominates the Blues who match a bid, as is expected to happen.
Dean set the goal for himself about a month after his U18s National Championships, where he and No.1 pick contender Willem Duursma were the two standout players for Vic Country.
“This year, a few of these games, especially the game against Vic Metro is the one where there was probably the realisation that I could step at the level,” Dean said.
“I'm not saying it was easy, but I just felt that I was pretty comfortable, and that I was one of the better players on that day.
“And then I thought I could probably take this to the next level and go against men.”
While still a teenager, Dean established himself as a pack-crashing aerialist willing to take the game on with his kicking this year, and has senior footy experience playing in the Ovens and Murray Football League.
He averaged 15 disposals and six marks for Vic Country, showing a blend of lockdown ability, intercepting, creative kicking, speed and toughness.
“Harry got better with every game he played,” Vic Country coach Rhett McLennan said at the time.
“He's made for that role at a higher level.
“I think he fits really well in a system and will drive standards.
“He looks like he's ready to roll for AFL football right now.”
Also a capable basketballer growing up, Dean preferred footy at U16s, with mates keeping him engaged in the sport.
While 2024 set Dean back, it gave him the opportunity to professionalise himself off-field, which has held him in good stead for 2025.
“Last year gave me a lot of spare time,” Dean said.
“I wanted to change the habits and the ways I went about my football, starting with my recovery, diet, on and off the field, warm ups, so I set myself up for pre-season.
“I came back and did gym and extra running sessions to bank up for that and then worked towards a schedule and a plan throughout the year with my three gyms, my runnings, training through the week, recovery and then game day preparation as well to get every consistent game I have this year.”
A standout practice match against Bendigo, which caught the attention of the industry, laid the foundation for a terrific year following pre-season training with Carlton.
After growing up with Marc Murphy, Sam Docherty and Jacob Weitering on his wall, learning off the latter at the Blues along with Nick Haynes, Nic Newman and Mitch McGovern, positioned him well for his excellent season.
“Obviously every kid's thought about lining up with other certain people, but my football going well this year, and I possibly might be going to the Blues and lining up with him is pretty cool,” Dean said.
“It would just be, probably, if I did debut, it just wouldn't feel right.
“I reckon it's a bit of a shock but to play with an idol and someone that you have hanging on your wall and look up to every day just doesn't feel right.”
Having the ability to draw on the wisdom of his Dad has also been fantastically influential for Dean, though he notes his Dad has taken a step back this season to manage the number of voices Harry is hearing from.
“He coached me through U12s-16s, helping out, and then he's obviously given me his experience through the system of AFL and little tips and feedbacks that he's given me, which has been really helpful," he added.
“He was still giving me feedback, and he would give me some tips and ways to beat other defenders still, which is, which is great from him, and he's been a huge inspiration for me.”
His aforementioned All-Australian-honoured National Championships provided Blues with a synopsis of what they will get in Harry Dean.
“I can read the ball drop well and I've got a pretty good leap for myself (and I love) the crash and bash, but I'm willing to put my body in the line for the team and myself," he said.
“Most of the time I come out first best (by) just getting the right positions earlier and protecting myself, which has been huge this year, through (Murray Bushrangers) doing certain drills and training to protect myself and just get to the best position.
“As a tall defender, I wanted to show I can transition; just not from a short kick it off, but also move up the ground and find my own targets and create options, which is another big thing added to my game this year, just not being that stiff and still backman.”
