Dean Solomon Biography

Mark McVeigh will serve as head coach of the Giants on an interim basis following the departure of Leon Cameron.

James Hird and Dean Solomon will also be joining the club in assistant coaching roles to help their former Bombers teammate Mark McVeigh.

The Suns shed 14 staff from their football department in the past week, headlined by senior assistant coach Dean Solomon.

Football greats, past players, and commentators have leapt to Solomon's defence, claiming a rift between Solomon and coach Stuart Dew, a contention denied by Gold Coast football manager Jon Haines.

"It's complete nonsense, there's no rift. The relationship between all the coaches has been outstanding. They're a terrific bunch of people and they work well together. It's misinformed and it's incorrect," Haines said.

In the wake of a crushing 115-point loss to Port Adelaide, Gold Coast caretaker coach Dean Solomon is yet to decide whether he wants the job in 2018 and beyond.

"It's a hard one to answer because I have not had time to think about that right now,'' Solomon said after the Power held the Suns to the lowest score in the club's seven-year history.

"I've had a taste of it. I've loved every minute of it.

"I loved working with the whole football department and all the players ... over the the next week or two I'll get some fresh air and have a think and reflect and I'll weigh it up from there."

Suns CEO Mark Evans says he wants caretaker coach Dean Solomon at the club in 2018 even if he doesn't get the top role.

"He's an outstanding candidate for us, to do what he's doing right now in terms of galvanising the group and giving them purpose over the last two weeks," Evans said.

"We need Dean Solomon at our club next year in any case."

Collingwood assistant Scott Burns has taken the next step towards becoming a senior coach, headlining the 2017 intake for the AFL's exclusive coaching accreditation course.

Burns was one of six coaches accepted for the third year of the level four program, along with Sydney's Brett Kirk and Port Adelaide's Brendon Lade.

Leigh Tudor (North Melbourne), Dean Solomon (Gold Coast) and Steven King (Western Bulldogs) round out the successful candidates.

Steven May says some stern words from Gold Coast assistant coach Dean Solomon early in his career was the wake up call he needed.

"I wasn't professional. I wasn't mature," May admitted.

"He really pulled me aside and got me to pull my head in a bit with my training standards.

"He was very harsh. He told me I'd have a spot in the team for 10 years if I was willing to do the work."

One of the hard men of football, Freo's Dean Solomon, has played his last game after a serious knee injury forced his retirement.

"Dean has exhausted all avenues of treatment, and such was the condition of his knee that the specialist's advice was that he should not play another game," club football operations manager Chris Bond said

Dean Solomon was given no choice but to leave the game after doctors told him he had "zero per cent" chance of playing on.

"I've seen two surgeons in the last week and the outlook they've given me is I have zero per cent chance of playing football again," Solomon said.

"Unfortunately, with that advice, I had no choice."

Fremantle has re-signed Rhys Palmer, Dean Solomon, Kepler Bradley, Tim Ruffles and Ryan Crowley.

"Rhys is the reigning NAB AFL Rising Star and an important part of our long-term future. We are delighted that he has committed to Fremantle through to the end of 2011," General manager of player management Brad Lloyd said.

"Following his surgery earlier in the season, Rhys has been working very diligently on his rehabilitation and we are really looking forward to having him back out on the field next season."

Fremantle coach Mark Harvey says dumping utility Dean Solomon from the side for one week for unprofessional behaviour is part of an education process for his young side.

"Sometimes individuals will step over the line and with a young group we need to point them in the right direction. This is another example of that," Harvey said.

"We're trying to educate them through the best way to prepare to become an elite team."

Fremantle have suspended Dean Solomon for one game for taking part in a late-night drinking session with Essendon's Mark McVeigh.

"In this instance, Dean hasn't demonstrated the level of professionalism that we expect and require of a senior member of our playing group," Fremantle coach Mark Harvey said.

"Dean accepts that his actions detracted from his preparation for this weekend's game."

Mark McVeigh's one-week suspension came after a night out with former Essendon teammate Dean Solomon.

"He made a choice, he chose a path and he missed a training session which is important to Friday night's build-up. It is just for one match, but it's vital we do this," Essendon coach Matthew Knights said.

"It doesn't matter if you are a first or second-year player or a champion of the club, if you're not going to get the club trademark right - that professionalism right, to prepare yourself to play - then we are not going to pull any punches.

"I always tell all my players we've got 46 on the list and they can all play, and I'm not fussed who I put out there because I know they'll do the club proud."

On the eve of his 200th game, Fremantle's Dean Solomon says he is uncomfortable with the hard man tag.

"It doesn't sit that well, hard man, tough man. If anyone knows me personally I'm a pretty soft kind of guy," Solomon said.

"I just play footy the only way I've known how to play and that's just see the ball, try and get the ball.

"There's a lot of impact sometimes in that style of play, but it doesn't sit overly comfortably with me, that's just the way I play."

Dean Solomon has learnt from his mistakes, but his natural aggression will be an asset for Fremantle, says Dockers coach Mark Harvey.

Dean Solomon is suspended for eight weeks by the AFL tribunal for striking Geelong's Cameron Ling with his elbow that caused Ling to suffer a fractured cheekbone.

The eight-week suspension is the most severe suspension ever handed to a player since Greg Williams was suspended for nine weeks in 1997.

"I don't feel very good at all, I'm quite ashamed of my actions - at the time, I knew straight away I had gone outside the rules," Solomon said while providing evidence for himself via a video link from Perth and pleading guilty.

"It hasn't been easy on myself or my family, I'm very upset with the situation I've put myself in."

Fremantle will seek legal advice on the length of the suspension.