Dimond played junior rugby league for Dapto as a second row forward and was recommended to the then newly formed entity the Illawarra Steelers in 1982.
Illawarra coach Allan Fitzgibbon gave Dimond his first grade debut in round 2 of the 1983 season at the age of 19.
Dimond obtained a regular place in the Cronulla side and gradually showed he had exceptional ball skills as well as the ability to run which he had shown at Illawarra.
He made 14 appearances with the Raiders in what was a triumphant season in which they would go on to win their first premiership title, but injuries mid-season would see him miss out on the 1989 Grand Final.
His ability to consistently offload and send players into gaps (despite being small for a forward at around 88 kilograms) created many tries for Cronulla.