Dean Galea aiming to win another premiership, this time with EDFL newcomers Rupertswood

He hasn’t bothered to add them up.

“Good question,” Galea says.“It would be a fair few.”

If he ever wants to find the answer, he would need a high-powered calculator.

His starting point would be a century in the Essendon District league for Keilor, the first time in the club’s history it had been achieved.

He brought it up in the 2016 grand final, a ton to go with a premiership medal under the coaching of “Mighty Mick’’ McGuane.

Across 19 years there has been a string of other hefty hauls for the right-footer.

At age 37, Galea is busy adding to his tally, still in Essendon District ranks, but at a new club, Rupertswood.

Rupo’s ground is only a decent torpedo from his Sunbury home – “I’m a minute away, it’s nice and close,’’ he says – and he joined them as an assistant coach after making the “really tough decision’’ to leave Keilor.

After 11 games this season Galea had kicked 44 goals – good going considering he spent the pre-season recuperating from injuries rather than training.

“I’m starting to play some good footy now,’’ he says.

He’s done a lot of that since coming out of the juniors at Albanvale.

A star under-age player, he went to the Western Jets in the TAC Cup and entered senior football with Spotswood as an 18 year-old in 2004.

What a first season he had at Spotty: he won the competition best and fairest, the Barry Priest Medal, and booted 82 goals to lead the league goal kicking.

Was there any interest from AFL clubs?

“From a couple, I think, but the main feedback I got was I wasn’t tall enough to play in the position I played in and all that sort of crap,’’ Galea, 6-foot-2 on the old scale, says.

“That was as far as it went really. Is what it is. Not much you can do.’’

Larry Simmons coached Spotswood that year and says Galea was a formidable player even as a teenager.

“Coming out of the Jets, he was pretty well educated, but to go into senior footy straight away and do what he did was exceptional,’’ he says.

“He had the best hands and he kicked straight. I knew he would be good but I didn’t think it would come so quick.’’

But Simmons also thought that recruiters would have reservations about Galea’s lack of inches.

That season at Spotswood led him to VFL club Williamstown, where his four years were split by a stint at West Adelaide in 2007.

Coached by Wayne Weidemann, he kicked 30 goals in 15 matches for West. He enjoyed the football but not the city, longed for home and returned to Willy in 2008.

The Towners were then aligned to the Western Bulldogs and Galea grew frustrated that, no matter how well he was playing, he could be dropped for an AFL player.

Club and player parted ways at the end of 2009, with Galea setting out for the unaligned Port Melbourne.

*****

“Dean Galea was a star,’’ the great Gary Ayres says, with the warmth coaches reserve for players who helped them win premierships.

In 2011 Galea figured in the Ayres-coached Port Melbourne team that went through the season undefeated in a rare premiers-and-champions feat in the VFL.

Galea and Patrick Rose, another former Willy player, both kicked more than 70 goals for the season.

They were the most dynamic of duos, and in the grand final they made merry against their old club, Galea booting six goals and Rose five.

More than a decade later, Galea remembers making leads to midfielders of the calibre of John Baird, Shane Valenti, Toby Pinwill, Chris Cain and Sam Dwyer.

The way he figures it, he couldn’t help but kick goals when they were passing it to him.

“They didn’t miss you too many times,’’ he says.

Baird first came across Galea at Williamstown, noticing his quick leads and certain marking.

He was chuffed when Port recruited him.

“No matter what they say, that defence wins premierships and all that sort of stuff, you’ve still got to be able to kick a score,’’ Baird says.

“Having that firepower, with him and his old mate Patty Rose, it gave us a lot of options and flexibility.

“He’s not that tall for a key forward and he couldn’t jump that high – you wouldn’t see him jumping over the backs of players – but he was very quick off the mark, he had very strong hands on the lead and he was also good on the ground. He could recover quite quickly when the ball hit the deck. He had a good goal sense as well.’’

Galea won the VFL’s Jim “Frosty’’ Miller Medal in 2012 with 65 goals and again in 2013 with 55, honours to go with the flag, selection in two VFL teams of the year and a state jumper.

A talent who twinkled at Willy, he blazed at Port.

“Fantastic player and person,’’ Ayres says of Galea.

“He could get a bit of emotional at times, the man with the tattoos, but he was so important to us and a big part of the success we had.’’

Citing work and personal commitments, Galea left the VFL ahead of 2014, heading for Avondale Heights in the Essendon District league.

“It’s sad to go but I think the time’s right,’’ he said at the time.

“Port and Gary Ayres have been great to me. Gary turned my career around. He turned me into a reasonable player. I can’t thank him enough.’’

*****

Dean Galea was reunited with Patrick Rose at Avondale Heights and again they were a prolific combination.

Galea led the league goalkicking with 88 and Rose clipped at his heels, six behind.

There was more of the same the following year: Galea returned 72 goals and Rose 59.

Keilor put in a call to Galea at the end of 2015 and found him open to the idea of a move. When pen hit paper, McGuane told the local press: “We’ve finally got the bloke we want because key forwards can win you finals.’’

They were prescient words from “The Professor’’.

Twelve months later Keilor won the grand final over a strong Aberfeldie team and Galea kicked six goals to go past 100 for the season.

“I was always going to end up at Keilor, because my wife’s family is involved there,’’ Galea says.

“I wanted to win a premiership too.’’

He regards that 2016 season with the same affection he does Port’s 2011 premiership.

There was another flag for Keilor in 2019, again won over Aberfeldie and again with Galea playing a crucial role, supplying four of his team’s 11 goals.

As with Port in 2011, Keilor surged through the season undefeated, a long row of Ws that began in Round 1 at Glenroy and finished in the grand final at Windy Hill.

Just as Galea was tight with Ayres, he was close to McGuane.

“I learned a lot from Mick,’’ he says.

“Had seven years with him. Mick’s great. I still keep in touch with him, a couple of times a week. If I need advice I’ll go to him. He’s always willing to help me out. I have a great relationship with him. Always have, always will.’’

When the Essendon District league named its team of the 2010s, Galea took the full-forward post, acknowledgment for two premierships, two best and fairests, six team-of-the-year gongs and five leading goal kicker awards.

*****

Rupertswood is a newcomer to the Essendon District league.

Wanting to challenge themselves at a higher level, Rupo joined the EDFL from the Riddell District league in 2021, starting in Division 1 with a 2-9 season that was cut short by Covid.

Last year they were 10-8. This season they have improved to 11-4, with only West Coburg and former Western Region powerhouse Deer Park ahead of them. Finals beckon.

Rupertswood president Brad Pietromonaco says the recruitment of Galea was a happy day for the club and in turn produced more recruits.

“We were rapt, and what we’ve found is having Dean Galea’s name on our list has brought a lot more enquiries from other players,’’ he says.

“It’s great to have him here, someone with such an experienced football background and teaching the young kids in the forward line where to lead and how to position themselves and be better players. They look up to him.

“He’s also helping our senior coach (Arron Bray) with tactics and game plans to go in with against the better sides.’’

Galea says there is history to be made at Rupo, a first EDFL flag to go with their premierships in the amateurs and Riddell District.

“That’s a reason I’m still playing, to win another flag,’’ he says.

And to keep kicking goals. He still gets a buzz from setting the goal umpire’s flags waving.

“I’ve always loved a goal,’’ he says. “Hopefully there’s a few more coming.’’

GALEA’S DAZZLING DOZEN

The best Galea has played with.

Nick O’Kearney, Keilor: “Had a great ability to win the football and his work rate was enormous. He would get tagged every week and still get 35 to 40 touches and rarely waste one of them. He was elite by foot. Probably the best player I played with in local footy.’’

Andrew Browne, Keilor: “I was lucky enough to win a premiership in 2016 with ‘Browney’. He had presence and was such a dominant ruckman. He could also go forward and kick two or three goals.’’

Kane Barbuto, Keilor: “In 2019 he pretty much won the grand final for us with 25 touches and three goals. He wasn’t the best kick going around but his work rate was second to none and he was hard and tough and such a great captain and leader.’’

Todd Stevenson, Keilor: “Todd was a versatile player, about 6’4. I think we recruited him as a centre half-back but he could play centre half-forward and through the midfield, a big bloke who could get 25 touches.’’

Brad Xavier, Keilor: “I think he won the Under 18s best and fairest in my first year at Keilor. He played his junior footy as a ruckman but he made his name as a centre half-back. His ability to read the ball in the air is second to none, elite, and his agility is awesome. I can’t remember Brad being beaten.’’

Patrick Rose, Avondale Heights: “I played in a premiership at Port Melbourne with Patty and went to Avondale with him. We had such a great connection, on and off the field. There wasn’t a lot of talk between us but there didn’t need to be. We just knew how each other played. He’s still going around, at North Ringwood.’’

The best Gales has played against.

Luke Blackwell, Aberfeldie: “A bit like Nick O’Kearney, I always admired his ability to win the footy and his work rate. He wasn’t as quick as Nick but he was very clean, he never missed a target – he was elite by foot and a great decision-maker – and he could hit the scoreboard. It was a pleasure to watch him and play against him.’’

Adam Iacobucci, Strathmore: “I played a lot of football against him and he’s still going around; I think he got best-on-ground last weekend. His work rate, his in-and-under play, his toughness and his leadership made him a great player. No wonder he played in the AFL for Collingwood.’’

Ryan Allan, Aberfeldie: “I reckon I had seven or eight years where Ryan played on me and we had some great battles. The honours were pretty much shared. He had a long reach and knew how to use his body. A great player and a great bloke as well.’’

Adam Maric, Greenvale: “We got used to seeing Adam get 35, 40 touches and kicking three or four goals against us. He could win the ball through the middle and kick it 55, 60m, and when he went forward he was such a hard match-up.’’

Luke Foster, Pascoe Vale: “Played centre half-back and he was one of the best key defenders I’ve seen, not just in local footy either. He could take 10 to 15 intercept marks. I still remember a game between Keilor and Pascoe Vale, and if Luke Foster wasn’t playing Pascoe Vale would have lost by 100 points.’’

Steve Brewer, Greenvale: “My premiership teammate at Port Melbourne in 2011, when he played in the backline. ‘Brew’ played in the midfield at Greenvale and he was super-fit, had those great skills – he was a beautiful kick – and he could break the lines. Still playing at Caroline Springs and no doubt still playing well, even at a fair age.’’