Robert Dickfos

The middle member of the famous Dickfos football family, younger than Michael and older than fellow Hall of Famer Danny, he has been a life-time servant of Queensland football on Brisbane’s north side as a player and coach. A Queensland Teal Cup representative in 1980, he was a member of the 1986 Brisbane Bears development squad and would certainly have played AFL football but for an indifference towards the game at the highest level in his early years.

It still nearly happened in 1989 before the club’s bid to secure the silky skilledutility was thwarted by a technical hitch. The best QAFL player at the time, he signed with the Bears in May 1989 and had been earmarked for quick elevation to senior company until the controlling body ruled that because he was older than 19 he didn’t qualify under zone regulations. It was the one missing chapter in a stellar Queensland career broken only by a stint with WAFL club Claremont in 1985, when he was named ‘Best First-Year Player’.

He won senior AFLQ premierships with Windsor-Zillmere in 1988 and ’95, claimed won five Eagles B&F awards and was runner-up four times. He played a total of 258 senior games at State League level, officially retiring at Zillmere in 95 but later playing at Aspley in 1996-97. Also played seven times with distinction for Queensland, highlighted by a last-minute goal against Tasmania in Hobart in 1983 to give the Maroons’ the first of a 1983-84-85 interstate series hat-trick against Tasmania, NSW and ACT.

In his first coaching appointment in 1996 he guided the SQAFA representative side to their first ever win over the Gold Coast. Was senior coach at Aspley in 1997-98, before taking charge of the Northern Eagles reserves in ’99, where he couldn’t resist temptation and played the occasional comeback game, and the Eagles seniors in 2000-01-02. Later coached the Mayne Tigers seniors from 2003-06, and was coaching co-ordinator at Redcliffe 2007-08.

Was judged Queensland Auskick Coach of the Year in 2003 and Brisbane Junior League

Volunteer of the Year in 2007.