David Dench
North Melbourne
AFL career
275 games29 goals
- Debut
- R15 1969 v FIT19 July 1969
- Most recent
- R2 1984 v RCH7 Apr 1984
Stats
1984 | NTH | 2 | 13.0 | 4.0 | 17.0 | 3.0 | 5.5 | 1.0 | 1.0 | 1.0 |
1983 | NTH | 20 | 9.3 | 3.6 | 12.8 | 2.8 | 2.3 | 1.0 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
1982 | NTH | 23 | 9.2 | 4.4 | 13.6 | 2.8 | 2.6 | 1.4 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
1981 | NTH | 21 | 8.9 | 5.0 | 13.9 | 2.5 | 2.3 | 0.9 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
1980 | NTH | 9 | 9.3 | 6.0 | 15.3 | 3.7 | 3.9 | 1.4 | 0.0 | 0.2 |
1979 | NTH | 13 | 10.2 | 5.1 | 15.2 | 3.3 | 2.0 | 1.4 | 0.3 | 0.4 |
1978 | NTH | 3 | 4.3 | 4.7 | 9.0 | 2.0 | 3.3 | 1.3 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
1977 | NTH | 25 | 10.9 | 6.0 | 16.9 | 4.3 | 2.6 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
1976 | NTH | 26 | 8.4 | 7.1 | 15.5 | 3.3 | 2.4 | 1.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
1975 | NTH | 24 | 8.7 | 4.4 | 13.1 | 2.4 | 2.5 | 1.8 | 0.2 | 0.2 |
1974 | NTH | 23 | 8.4 | 3.3 | 11.7 | 2.2 | 2.3 | 1.7 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
1973 | NTH | 19 | 9.5 | 2.6 | 12.2 | 2.6 | 2.7 | 2.0 | 0.2 | 0.1 |
1972 | NTH | 20 | 11.6 | 1.1 | 12.7 | 4.0 | 3.4 | 2.5 | 0.1 | 0.2 |
1971 | NTH | 22 | 10.9 | 2.3 | 13.1 | 2.8 | 2.8 | 2.2 | 0.1 | 0.0 |
1970 | NTH | 19 | 11.4 | 2.4 | 13.7 | 2.6 | 2.3 | 1.8 | 0.0 | 0.1 |
1969 | NTH | 6 | 11.2 | 1.3 | 12.5 | 3.2 | 1.3 | 1.5 | 0.0 | 0.0 |
Bio
Recruited from West Coburg, David Dench arrived at North Melbourne as a teenager and quickly established himself as a pivotal figure in the club's golden era under Ron Barassi. Debuting in 1969, he is widely credited with revolutionising the role of the full-back. While traditional defenders of the time were instructed strictly to spoil and negate, Dench was a pioneer of attacking defence, frequently leaving his opponent to stream up the ground and set up play with his long, booming kicks. This dashing style made him a key weapon in the Kangaroos' arsenal, allowing him to turn defence into attack in an instant while still possessing the strength and discipline to shut down the league's best full-forwards.
His influence at Arden Street was profound, anchoring the backline during North Melbourne's breakthrough premiership in 1975 and their triumph in the 1977 replay. A natural leader, Dench captained the club and was a consistent performer over 16 seasons, winning four Syd Barker Medals as the club's best and fairest player. By the time he retired in 1984, he had amassed 275 games, leaving a legacy as one of the greatest defenders in VFL history. His standing in the game was further recognised with his selection at full-back in North Melbourne's Team of the Century and his induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.
Profile
- Born
- 23 Aug 1951 (age 75y 59d)
- Height
- 191 cm
- Weight
- 89 kg
Teams
Honours
- Premiership(2×) 1975, 1977
- Hall of Fame2000
- North Melbourne B&F(4×) 1971, 1976, 1977, 1981
- North Melbourne captain1972
- Brownlow Medal
- Top 10
- 1977
Bio
1 revisionRecruited from West Coburg, David Dench arrived at North Melbourne as a teenager and quickly established himself as a pivotal figure in the club's golden era under Ron Barassi. Debuting in 1969, he is widely credited with revolutionising the role of the full-back. While traditional defenders of the time were instructed strictly to spoil and negate, Dench was a pioneer of attacking defence, frequently leaving his opponent to stream up the ground and set up play with his long, booming kicks. This dashing style made him a key weapon in the Kangaroos' arsenal, allowing him to turn defence into attack in an instant while still possessing the strength and discipline to shut down the league's best full-forwards.
His influence at Arden Street was profound, anchoring the backline during North Melbourne's breakthrough premiership in 1975 and their triumph in the 1977 replay. A natural leader, Dench captained the club and was a consistent performer over 16 seasons, winning four Syd Barker Medals as the club's best and fairest player. By the time he retired in 1984, he had amassed 275 games, leaving a legacy as one of the greatest defenders in VFL history. His standing in the game was further recognised with his selection at full-back in North Melbourne's Team of the Century and his induction into the Australian Football Hall of Fame.