THERE are few footballers that could boast a more decorated career than Brian Dixon.
A resume that includes five premierships, an All-Australian selection and best and fairest medal is tough to top, which makes Dixon’s endorsement of Ron Barassi all the more telling.
“He was superior in most respects to me, I was always very admiring of Ron,” Dixon says with a chuckle.
“He was a fantastic footballer. He was a wonderful mark, beautiful kick, and also was very good on the ground. When he was picking the ball up, he was excellent.”
“He always seemed to manage to draw something out of the bag that facilitated the Melbourne win.”
And there were plenty of wins.
At a winning percentage over 73 per cent from 204 games in red and blue, Barassi is a Demon icon.
For Dixon it’s the goalkicking that stands out, when it comes to memories of Ron on the field.
His 295 goals place him at 12th on Melbourne’s all-time goal-kickers list, while he led the Demons for majors in two individual seasons in 1958 and 1959.
“His capacity to get the ball around the half forward flank and kick a goal stands out,” Dixon says.
“I mean there was nothing that he could not do. He was a beautiful kick, beautiful mark and very good on the ground. So what else was there left for Ron to achieve? Not a lot.”
Dixon enjoyed standing alongside Barassi off the field just as much as on it.
“We had lots of fun at the Melbourne Football Club dance, which occurred about every second week, and we used to have a dinner dance with our wives and girlfriends and Ron was very chirpy,” Dixon remembers.
“He was quite a good person to come with to any entertainment that was going on, it was Ron Barassi at his best.”
Both born just months apart in 1936, the Dixon-Barassi friendship is one that has stood the test of time.
“I had a long, long period of time together with Ron and it's been a magnificent friendship,” Dixon says.
“When I first met him, I was about 15 years of age when I started training with Melbourne and I came across the coach Norm Smith and Ron Barassi.
“He’s a great friend of mine and a magnificent footballer and a great contributor to the state of Victoria and the country of Australia.”
