Lochie Dickson ready for AFL chance if given the opportunity after breakout season with Coburg

After being surprisingly overlooked in the AFL mid-season draft, Coburg breakout star Lochie Dickson remains on the AFL radar after earning a state combine invite.

Lochlan Dickson in action for Coburg. Picture: Hamish Blair

Coburg’s Lochie Dickson hopes a career year earns him an AFL opportunity.

The midfielder-defender was surprisingly overlooked at the mid-season draft but an AFL Draft state combine invite proves clubs are still interested.

As a defender, Dickson won the Lions’ best-and-fairest last season — sharing the prize with Marcus Lentini — in his first year of VFL football.

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The 190cm late bloomer stepped into the midfield this season and performed admirably, averaging 22.5 disposals, 3.5 tackles and kicked 10 goals.

Dickson remained realistic about his chances but believed he was ready.

“I just keep playing each week and whatever happens at the end of the year happens,” he said.

Coburg breakout star Lochie Dickson.

“I was close (in the mid-season draft) … if it ends with recognition from the AFL then it does, if it doesn’t then that’s the way it is.

“I hadn’t done heaps of (midfield) previously but speaking with Patch (coach Leigh Adams) at the end of last year and through pre-season, we thought it was an area we were a bit skinny on.

“We were pretty well covered back, so we decided to go with it this year and it’s worked out all right.”

Dickson and Coburg teammate Sam Lowson earned invites to the state combine in October, where they’ll work out in front of AFL recruiters.

The pair are among 13 players invited to the state and rookie me combines.

While it may not have been evident in the win-loss column, the Lions showed significant improvement this season.

Lochie Dickson puts a bump on Ben Crocker.

Dickson remains unsigned for next season — happy to wait until the off-season — but is confident success isn’t far away for the stand-alone club.

“I’ve never signed a contract before the end of the season, so once we finish our last game I’ll think about next year,” he said.

“I love playing with the boys here, we’ve got a great group, hopefully we can continue to improve and maybe add a couple and who knows we might be able to climb a bit quicker than some think.

“We maybe just lacked a bit of experience to finish off games and take our opportunities.

“It’s been positive but it’s a big step to make that jump and start winning games.”

The Lions finished the season with a 35-point loss to Footscray at Whitten Oval on Saturday after Piranha Park’s surface was declared unfit.

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