Dean Laidley
| Dean Laidley | |||
|---|---|---|---|
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Dean Laidley | ||
| Date of birth | 27 March 1967 | ||
| Original team(s) | West Perth (WAFL) | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 1987–1992 | West Coast | 52 (11) | |
| 1993–1997 | North Melbourne | 99 (4) | |
| Representative team honours | |||
| Years | Team | Games (Goals) | |
| 1988, 1996 |
 Western Australia
|
2 (0) | |
| Coaching career3 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (W–L–D) | |
| 2003–2009 | North Melbourne | 149 (72–75–2) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 1997.
2 State and international statistics correct as of 1996.
3 Coaching statistics correct as of 2010.
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| Career highlights | |||
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| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Dean Laidley (born 27 March 1967) is an Australian rules football assistant coach and former player, who played for the West Coast Eagles and North Melbourne in the Australian Football League (AFL) from 1987 to 1997, including in North Melbourne's 1996 premiership side. He was coach of North Melbourne from 2003 to 2009. He is currently an assistant coach at the Carlton Football Club.
Laidley grew up in Balga, Western Australia, a working-class northern suburb of Perth.
Lightly built, Laidley first played senior football at the West Perth Football Club and was recruited to be part of the West Coast Eagles' inaugural VFL squad in 1987.
Laidley made his VFL debut for the West Coast Eagles in Round 1, 1987 against Richmond at Subiaco Oval. As an aggressive half-back line player and known as "The Junkyard Dog", Laidley was known for his commitment to the contest and to winning the ball. His career had a major setback during the 1990 season when he required a knee reconstruction and found it hard to break into the team, missing West Coast's 1992 premiership win.
At the end of 1992 he was traded to North Melbourne. A trademark of his play was the execution of the strategy of either kicking out or receiving uncontested a short kick-out to the back pocket, a strategy which was later widely adopted by other clubs.
Following his AFL career, Laidley took up coaching, beginning with the Weston Creek team in the AFL Canberra competition.
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