Dean Kent (footballer)

Early life

Growing up in Clackline, Western Australia, Kent received state honours when he represented Western Australia in the under 16 championships. A dose of Bali belly hampered his final junior year though, which saw him quickly lose weight and subsequently miss selection for Western Australia in the 2012 AFL Under 18 Championships. He did, however, play twenty games for the Perth Football Club in the West Australian Football League (WAFL) colts competition, and won the Jack Clarke Medal as the fairest and best player in the colts. In addition to being named in the colts team of the year and win the league coaches award.

AFL career

Kent was recruited by the Melbourne Football Club with their third selection and forty-eighth overall in the 2012 national draft. After strong form in the Victorian Football League (VFL) for Melbourne's affiliate team, the Casey Scorpions, he made his AFL debut in the sixty-one point loss against Carlton at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round six. He started the match as the substitute, but came into the match in the first quarter, replacing the injured co-captain, Jack Grimes. He played the next week before he was omitted for the round eight clash against Richmond at the Melbourne Cricket Ground; he returned to the senior side for the ninety-five point loss against Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round ten and did not miss a match for the remainder of the season to finish with fifteen matches for the year.

Kent played his first match for the 2014 season in the thirty-two point loss against Greater Western Sydney at Spotless Stadium in round three. He played the next week before he was forced to be a late withdrawal from the round five match against Gold Coast after injuring his calf at training. He missed the next month of football before returning from injury through the VFL, and returned to the AFL side for the one point win against Essendon at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round thirteen. He played every match for the remainder of the year, playing thirteen matches in total.

Kent started the 2015 season in the AFL when he played in the twenty-six point win against Gold Coast at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round one. He played the first four matches of the year before suffering a hamstring injury in the second quarter of the round four win against Richmond, with the initial prognosis ruling him out for one month. After requiring surgery on his hamstring, he was forced to miss nearly three months of any football. He returned from injury via the VFL Development League, where he tore his hamstring again and missed the next four weeks. He didn't play another AFL match for the season, he did, however, play the last three VFL matches of the year.

After having his first pre-season without suffering from an injury, and playing every match in the 2016 NAB Challenge, Kent played in the opening match of the season in the two-point win against Greater Western Sydney at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. He played the first seven matches of the year before missing the round eight match against the Western Bulldogs in round eight due to a back injury; he returned the next week in the sixty-three point win against Brisbane at the Melbourne Cricket Ground. In July, he signed a two-year contract, tying him to the club until the end of the 2018 season. He played his fiftieth AFL match in the twenty-nine point win against Hawthorn at the Melbourne Cricket Ground in round twenty. After playing twenty matches for the season, he was praised by Fox Sports Australia journalist, Tiarne Swersky, where he was named as one of Melbourne's "most important and lively players up forward," furthermore, he finished tenth in Melbourne best and fairest count, and was named in the initial 22under22 squad.

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