Australian Football

Jon Dorotich was a powerful key position forward who was a superb mark but was sometimes let down by a lack of consistency. Nevertheless, he was still good enough to win South Fremantle’s best and fairest award in 1985 and to play half a dozen state of origin games for Western Australia.

Dorotich commenced at South Fremantle in 1982 before crossing to Carlton in 1986. He played in the Blues’ losing grand final team against Hawthorn that same year and was a member the following season of the club’s ‘revenge’ premiership triumph over the same opposition. His eight season stint at Carlton saw him play 132 V/AFL games and kick 103 goals.

After resuming with South Fremantle in 1994 he produced some of the best football of his career. Co-captain of the Bulldogs’ 1997 grand final-winning team he twice topped the WAFL goal kicking list with tallies of 88 goals in 1996 and 107 the following year. He retired at the end of the 1997 season having donned the famous white and red jumper 151 times, booting 452 goals.

After retiring from football Jon Dorotich worked as a commentator for the ABC’s coverage of the WAFL.

Author - John Devaney