NSW/ACT Player of the Week: Dean Terlich

By Alison Zell

Dean Terlich grew up on a farm between the small Riverina towns of Osborne and Henty in southern NSW and thought he’d realised his AFL dream when he was rookie listed by the Sydney Swans in 2008.

It wasn’t to be and Terlich was delisted after just a year at the club. Five years later and Terlich’s AFL dream has finally come true, making his debut for the Melbourne Demons in Round 2 at the age of 23.

With 12 senior games under his belt, this weekend he will line up against his former housemate and several old teammates when the Demons clash with the Swans at the MCG.

“I’m from the bottom of New South and there’s a fair bit of AFL there so my Dad used to play just locally growing up and grandpa and both my brothers play as well,” Terlich said.

“I had no choice really and just had to play footy.”

“Being from a farm and out in the country, all the kids do is go to school and play sport really and footy was a sport that everyone chose in the winter especially.

“If you went a couple of hours north it started to go to Rugby League but down my way it was all AFL.”

Terlich began playing for Osborne Cats at 12 years-old and then tried out for the Murray Bushrangers in Victoria’s TAC Cup competition, training hours away in Wangaratta and playing in Melbourne each weekend.

He played for the NSW/ACT Rams in the Division 2 winning side at the 2007 National Championships alongside current AFL players Craig Bird, Luke Breust and Taylor Walker.

After being listed as a NSW rookie by the Swans, Terlich got his first taste of the environment of a professional AFL club but was unable to make a senior debut in his year in the system.

“I was rookie listed as a NSW player by Sydney in 2008 but was delisted after a year,” Terlich said.

“It was pretty eye-opening going through that system and being spat out the other end.

“When I got delisted from Sydney I didn’t expect to ever to end up playing against those guys so it will be good.”

Terlich went to South Australia to play for Norwood in the SANFL competition where he turned heads when he won the Jack Oatey Medal as the best on ground in the 2012 Grand Final.

“I played four years for Norwood in the SANFL and it was enjoyable and I learned a lot there about what it takes to make it in the AFL system and it left me in good stead,” he said.

“I always wanted to get back into the system but at the same time I was happy at Norwood.

“It was a great club there and we won the Grand Final last year.

“I wouldn’t change my time, I’m really happy I went to Adelaide and met some great people, did some great things and got a degree under my belt.”

After four years out of the system, Terlich was picked up at the age of 22 in the 2012 Rookie Draft, with Melbourne taking a chance on him.

“It was a bit of a shock, I wasn’t really expecting it,” he said.

“I had been speaking to a couple of clubs but you never really know until your name gets read out.

“I was sitting at home with my girlfriend watching it and saw my name and just thought I’d better start getting things organised to move to Melbourne.”

This time he only had to wait two rounds before he was given his opportunity to make his senior debut when Melbourne took on Essendon at the MCG.

“I felt like an 18 year-old kid again, it’s what you dream of as a kid so it was definitely exciting,” he said.

“It wasn’t a great outcome losing to Essendon by 148 points but I still got to run around the ‘G.

“I wouldn’t change any of it, I’m very, very happy.”