Author(s): Robert DiPierdomenico

SPORT

The 'Big Dipper' - Robert DiPierdomenico - is not only one of the true legends and most popular figures the game of Australian Rules football has ever produced, but as a Brownlow Medalist and five-time premiership player during a stellar sixteen-year career with his beloved Hawthorn Football Club, he managed to overcome extremely unlikely beginnings to ultimately break the mould of football tradition. The same can also be said of his burgeoning media career, where his natural humour and down-to-earth personality has helped make him one of Australia's most recognised personalities. The reader will be taken on a captivating journey through Dipper's early life as the bumbling son of hard-working migrants, through his rocky development as a football 'fringe player' to a courageous superstar, and to his hilarious days as football's famous boundary rider. A true roller, Dipper opens up on the extreme highs and lows of his career, leaving nothing in the dressing room. He openly discusses issues of self-esteem, acceptance and the profound racism inherent in Australian sport.