FOLLOWING the elimination final loss to Geelong, Harry Dean - like the rest of his Carlton teammates - was downcast.

After so much work to get back to that point, the Blues’ season was done, officially bringing Dean’s first year in the AFL to an end. As competitive as they come, Dean thought the Blues had a few more weeks ahead.

But pretty quickly, he stopped to reflect on what was an incredible first season, both from an individual and team perspective.

“After the Geelong game, I was a bit disappointed. But then I sat there and thought it was a pretty special first year,” Dean told Carlton Media.

“To play two finals, you don’t really get to do that in your first couple of years. I reflect on it now and thought how much fun I’ve had and how much I want to keep going.

“I can’t wait for next year.”

One player who knows all about how hard it is to get to finals football is Jacob Weitering, whose first final came in his eighth season in game No.157. By comparison, the wildcard win over Melbourne was Dean’s 21st.

A long-time favourite of Dean growing up who quickly became his mentor, Weitering chose to speak about the impact Dean himself had on his teammates around him, well and truly belying his status as a first-year player at the Club.

“He’s built a lot of respect inside the four walls, and around the League as well, with how he’s gone about playing on some pretty good players. He’s special,” Weitering said.

“He gave me a lot of motivation to come back and see not only how we were performing as a team, but the enjoyment and how good a teammate we were being - picking each other up, goal celebration, spoil celebrations.

“I wasn’t trying to come back and be the best player on the field. I just wanted to come back, do a role for this team and play alongside a guy like this.”

Any Carlton supporter who looks back on the 2026 season will have no shortage of favourite moments, but just about everyone will have Dean’s first goal right towards the very top of that list.

The fact that the son of Peter did so in the Navy Blue No.35 was the icing on the cake.

“Every time we play a home game, it’s very loud. After any goal, I’d always look into the crowd and go ‘Wow, this is pretty cool’.

“To wear No.35 and follow Dad, I was doing it through local as well and to especially do it in the Navy Blue… I was pretty grateful that Billy [Wilson] gave me the No.35, it meant a lot.”

Dean’s impact in year No.1 was exceptional, and is expected to be reflected in the upcoming John Nicholls Medal count after a season where Dean was named the AFLPA Best First-Year Player.

A culture driver already at IKON Park, Weitering is just like every fan who wears the Navy Blue — extremely excited for where Dean’s career can get to, hopefully with young defender Harry O’Farrell alongside them.

“I think those things like ‘Deany’ getting a few big hits and backing it up with a big spoil, it got the energy going when the momentum was going against us. It gives guys like me, who obviously don’t give too much on that side of things, a lot more energy.

“That’s the energy and culture we’re building now. We’re valuing the little things much more than we did in the past… That’s what ‘Frase’ emphasised coming in, it’s the little things that will go a long a way - the fundamentals and being a good teammate.”