Harry Dean is – officially – a Blue.
By Cristian Filippo, Carlton Media
Club/Recruited from: Murray Bushrangers
Position: Tall defender
Height: 194cm
DOB: 13 November 2007
THE TIME has finally come for this second-generation Blue.
With pick No.3 in the 2025 Telstra AFL Draft, Carlton has welcomed father-son recruit Harry Dean to IKON Park.
Matching West Coast’s bid in the first round, the youngster – who only turned 18 last week – can officially call himself a Blue after years of development in the Carlton Academy.
The son of dual Carlton premiership player Peter Dean, Harry is an outstanding young defender, highly regarded for his aerial ability and competitive instincts when out on the ground.
Enjoying an excellent 2025 campaign, Dean established himself as the standout key back in his draft class, named at full back in the Under-18s All-Australian team as well as the Coates Talent League Team of the Year.
Starring for the Murray Bushrangers and Vic Country, Dean couldn’t have been more impressive throughout his top-age year, earning plaudits for both locking down his direct opponent as well as intercepting at will and generating offence from the last line.
Bursting onto the scene in 2025 after two interrupted seasons prior, Dean rose to the occasion multiple times throughout the year, including a best-on-ground performance against Vic Metro at the national carnival.
It was a decade ago when Carlton’s first father-son academy was launched and was initially named after Peter Dean, whose 248 games as a brilliant, tenacious defender brought about the ultimate success in 1987 and 1995.
A young Harry was there on that day, and in the past four years he has been a constant face in the revamped Carlton Academy, linking up with the likes of the Camporeale brothers and embedding himself at IKON Park in a number of ways as part of an individualised, dedicated development program.
Now, come November 2025, Harry can officially call himself a Carlton player, joining up with players such as Jacob Weitering and Nic Newman who have been mentors for him in recent times, as well as Harry O’Farrell, the impressive young key defender who the Blues took in the Telstra AFL Draft this time 12 months ago.
Carlton Head of List Management Nick Austin said the opportunity to officially welcome Dean to IKON Park was not only a feel-good moment for the Club, but one built off the back of years of hard work.
“Today is a special day for not only Harry but also the Carlton Football Club – we couldn’t be more delighted to make it all official,” Austin said.
“Over a number of years, we couldn’t have been more impressed with Harry the player and Harry the person. His form this year speaks for itself, but it’s been the dedication off the field which has been just as important in getting to this point.
“It became evident from a pretty early stage in the year that Harry had emerged as the standout key back in his draft class. He’s a little bit old school in some aspects of his game – he hates being beaten and loves the physical nature of footy – but he’s also the modern defender with his ability to intercept and turn defence into offence.
“The Dean name is a special one at Carlton, and for Harry to continue Peter’s legacy is a great part of our game. We know how delighted everyone involved with the family is that this has come to fruition.
“It’s a credit to Harry, those in his corner plus the team at the Carlton Academy, who have worked really closely with him for a number of years. It’s the first time our Club has matched a first-round bid on a member of our Academy, which speaks to Harry’s talent and character.
“We’re thrilled to officially welcome Harry to IKON Park.”
