Dawes was drafted by Collingwood with the 28th selection in the
2006 AFL draft from
Sandringham Dragons in the
TAC Cup, having attended Brighton Grammar School. He is a strongly built forward who missed the majority of 2007 due to a knee injury after playing well for the Magpies' then
VFL-affiliate,
Williamstown. Dawes' first game was a win against the in-form St Kilda in round 19, 2008. He joined the list of players who have kicked
a goal with their first kick in league football. He was selected to play in the first game after the club imposed suspensions on
Alan Didak and
Heath Shaw. After making his debut, Dawes played the remainder of Collingwood's 2008 season including an elimination final against the
Adelaide Crows in which he kicked three goals. After strong performances in the VFL, Dawes was selected for the
Anzac Day clash against Essendon in round 5. He played in all but two matches for the rest of the year, including both the
drawn and replayed Grand Finals against
St Kilda. In the Grand Final replay, Dawes kicked two goals in Collingwood's 56 point win. Dawes finished the season with a total of 30 goals from 20 games. Dawes started the 2011 season well, kicking 21 goals from his first 13 games, before missing seven games from a broken knuckle. He struggled to regain his form when he returned late in the season, only kicking six goals from the last five games. In 2012, Dawes struggled to have a major impact, only kicking 16 goals from 23 games. His position as the backup ruckman and second tall forward was questioned going into the finals series, but he held his position in the team. At the end of the season, Dawes requested that he be traded to another club, and Collingwood agreed to a deal with
Melbourne during
trade week. At the conclusion of the 2016 season, he was delisted by Melbourne. ==Post AFL==