Now living in Newcastle, Mr Dillon started a communication degree at Charles Sturt University in Bathurst.

However, he decided to take a cadetship with the Newcastle Herald at aged 18.

A keen sportsman, he particularly loves ball games and has successfully managed to combine his love of sport and writing.

Mr Dillon won the sports journalism award at the Australian Walkley Awards for Excellence in Journalism gala dinner in Sydney on Thursday night for his fearless coverage of Nathan Tinkler’s tumultuous reign and public demise as owner of the Knights. 

The Newcastle Herald sports journalist has already received a swag of accolades, and is recognised as one of the leading investigative sports journalists in the country. 

Mr Dillon also won the best sports journalism award in rural, regional and suburban media at the Australian Sports Commission Media Awards, two prestigious Kennedy Awards for Excellence in NSW journalism, and two awards in NSW Regional Media Awards.

Mr Dillon was “black banned” for a year by the Newcastle Knights Rugby League Club.

During that time he was forbidden to attend training sessions or speak to players or the coach Wayne Bennett because the club’s management saw his reporting as “too negative”. 

It seemed the ban had come right from the top – the club’s owner, controversial mining magnate Nathan Tinkler. 

While excluded and marginalised, Dillon received a tip-off that Tinkler was secretly struggling to produce a mandatory $10.5 million bank guarantee. If he defaulted, he would have to relinquish the team. 

Despite all parties being bound by a confidentiality agreement, Mr Dillon continued to lead the coverage, putting paid to efforts to deal with Tinkler’s demise in secret, and revealing that Tinkler was essentially evicted and left with no other option but to hand back the Knights.