LIONS2001
19 Jun 2002, 23:48
Captaincy a bonus for Leppitsch
lions.com.au
6:02:53 PM Wed 19 June, 2002
Justin Leppitsch has cause for a double celebration this weekend after being named captain of the Lions in his 150th game.
Not only that, Leppitsch will lead the Lions for the full time that regular skipper Michael Voss is unavailable as he recovers from groin surgery.
Leppitsch was informed of coach Leigh Matthews’s decision to anoint him as captain last night.
“It’s just a small thing – I don’t know if my role will change that much,” Leppitsch said. “We’ll probably miss Michael and Nige Lappin more than anything, that’s going to be the biggest change.
At 26, Leppitsch is regarded as the premier tall defender in the AFL alongside another All-Australian in Essendon’s Dustin Fletcher, yet he was candidly humble about the captaincy honour.
“I’ve been at this club 10 years and to be named captain doesn’t sit well with me actually,” he said. “I don’t consider myself a captain. I guess to fill in for a few weeks, I’m happy to do that.”
Leppitsch suggested not a lot would change with the mantle.
“I’ll toss the coin – that’s about it – and hopefully choose the right way,” he quipped. “I don’t think it will change all that much. I think I’m my own leader anyway.
“I try and be the best leader I can be at this point in time. Just the title is the only thing that’s different.
“Organising the defensive group has been my role throughout the season, so that’s not going to change.”
His trademark sense of humour is never far away, and Leppitsch admitted he had reminded the coach about what happened last time he appointed him captain in the last pre-season game of 2001.
“It was the Ansett Cup grand final and we lost by 82 points, so he might change his mind,” Leppitsch joked.
While the captaincy is a great honour, so is achieving the 150-game milestone. Coupled with his decade’s service, it automatically qualifies Leppitsch for life membership of the club.
He was the No.4 selection overall in the 1992 AFL National Draft and has played 149 of a possible 220 games since his debut as a 17-year-old in Round 1, 1993.
Just how savagely his career has been hit by injury is evidenced by a comparison with several ‘contempories’. Voss made his debut six games earlier than Leppitsch and has played 187 games. Lappin, who hade his debut 12 months later than Leppitsch, has also played 187 games, and Jason Akermanis, who made his debut in 1995, reached the 150-game milestone in Round 10 this year.
Still, among his career highlights in addition to the 2001 premiership were the club championship in 1999 (shared with Akermanis), two other top four B&F placings in 1997 and 2000 and Best Finals Player in 2000.
He was the club’s leading goal-kicker in 1997-98, won All-Australian selection in 1999, International Rules selection in 1999-2000, and a Victorian State of Origin jumper in ’99. And all that after an horrific knee injury just four games into his AFL career cost him the best part of two full seasons at the elite level.
“When I was a young boy growing up I never expected to be in Brisbane, that’s for sure, and I never thought I’d be here 10 years either,” Leppitsch said.
Leppitsch’s positive attitude at the time he was drafted endeared himself to the Brisbane Bears’ hierarchy, which was still desperately searching for credibility in a tough environment when it called out the youngster’s name at the draft.
After years of potential quality players baulking at the prospect of joining Brisbane, Leppitsch openly and publicly declared his enthusiasm for venturing to the northern outpost.
It is been an association that has been outstanding for both parties since then.
“It’s all starting to come together – we’ve built a great club and a great tradition in Brisbane at the moment and hopefully the players can finish off their careers and leave something behind for the young boys coming through for them to do the same thing,” Leppitsch said.
The Lions face a big challenge at the Gabba on Saturday night against a Kangaroos outfit that has reveled in tough, close finishes all year. Without Voss and Lappin, the home side is being tipped as being vulnerable.
Leppitsch preferred to talk about the great opportunity that it provided others, particularly those looking to lay claim to, or cement, a permanent place in the side.
“To miss two of our ‘Fab Four” and two of our best runners, it’s going to leave a hole, but obviously it leaves opportunities for others,” he said. “This is their chance. They don’t often get that window of opportunity.
“It’s tough on them in a way because the pressure is on them to perform, but they’ve got a few weeks of opportunity now.”
The Roos have the game’s best forward of the 1990s Wayne Carey missing after his much-publicised pre-season personal problems, and Leppitsch admitted he will miss playing against one of the greats.
Leppitsch and Carey engaged in arguably the best individual duel of the last five years when they met at Colonial Stadium in mid-2000. Playing at centre-half-forward, Carey booted four first half goals and five for the game as the Roos opened up a 40-point three-quarter-time lead.
Carey’s direct opponent at centre-half-back, Leppitsch struck back with four goals of his own to inspire a fightback that fell an agonising four points short. But as far as individual contests go, it was one of the best in memory and is what the game needs more of.
“He didn’t play up here last year so you tend to miss players throughout, but they’re the guns you like to play on,” Leppitsch said. “They’re the duels you tend to look back on and want more of.
“I’d rather being playing on a Wayne Carey than not on him.”
The Lions will still have to deal with the likes of tall forwards Saverio Rocca, Jason McCartney and newcomer Digby Morrell, and Leppitsch is not underestimating them or their teammates.
“They are hard at the ball and are the sort of side that won’t be intimidated either,” he said. “They will see this as a challenge moreso than being nervous about coming up here. I think they will be very psyched up.”
Leppitsch said the Lions have plenty of ideas about how to match the Roos in the midfield without Voss and Lappin.
“I don’t think we’ve used Aker as much this year in the midfield as we did last year, so he probably get more of a run in there,” he said. “You’ve got to replace them somehow, so we’ll probably move a Luke Power in there and maybe a Craig McRae.
“There’s also some young kids waiting like Aaron Shattock. There’s many moves there, you just want them to work.”
Leppitsch was on track to play his 150th game in Round 10 until an accident at training saw him left with a fractured vertebrae on the even of the Round 9 game against Fremantle.
Remarkably, he was out of playing action for just 16 days and returned as good as ever against St Kilda in the week before the bye. He trained strongly last week and said the injury was not an issue.
“The back’s fine – obviously with another two weeks off it’s even better again,” he said.
lions.com.au
6:02:53 PM Wed 19 June, 2002
Justin Leppitsch has cause for a double celebration this weekend after being named captain of the Lions in his 150th game.
Not only that, Leppitsch will lead the Lions for the full time that regular skipper Michael Voss is unavailable as he recovers from groin surgery.
Leppitsch was informed of coach Leigh Matthews’s decision to anoint him as captain last night.
“It’s just a small thing – I don’t know if my role will change that much,” Leppitsch said. “We’ll probably miss Michael and Nige Lappin more than anything, that’s going to be the biggest change.
At 26, Leppitsch is regarded as the premier tall defender in the AFL alongside another All-Australian in Essendon’s Dustin Fletcher, yet he was candidly humble about the captaincy honour.
“I’ve been at this club 10 years and to be named captain doesn’t sit well with me actually,” he said. “I don’t consider myself a captain. I guess to fill in for a few weeks, I’m happy to do that.”
Leppitsch suggested not a lot would change with the mantle.
“I’ll toss the coin – that’s about it – and hopefully choose the right way,” he quipped. “I don’t think it will change all that much. I think I’m my own leader anyway.
“I try and be the best leader I can be at this point in time. Just the title is the only thing that’s different.
“Organising the defensive group has been my role throughout the season, so that’s not going to change.”
His trademark sense of humour is never far away, and Leppitsch admitted he had reminded the coach about what happened last time he appointed him captain in the last pre-season game of 2001.
“It was the Ansett Cup grand final and we lost by 82 points, so he might change his mind,” Leppitsch joked.
While the captaincy is a great honour, so is achieving the 150-game milestone. Coupled with his decade’s service, it automatically qualifies Leppitsch for life membership of the club.
He was the No.4 selection overall in the 1992 AFL National Draft and has played 149 of a possible 220 games since his debut as a 17-year-old in Round 1, 1993.
Just how savagely his career has been hit by injury is evidenced by a comparison with several ‘contempories’. Voss made his debut six games earlier than Leppitsch and has played 187 games. Lappin, who hade his debut 12 months later than Leppitsch, has also played 187 games, and Jason Akermanis, who made his debut in 1995, reached the 150-game milestone in Round 10 this year.
Still, among his career highlights in addition to the 2001 premiership were the club championship in 1999 (shared with Akermanis), two other top four B&F placings in 1997 and 2000 and Best Finals Player in 2000.
He was the club’s leading goal-kicker in 1997-98, won All-Australian selection in 1999, International Rules selection in 1999-2000, and a Victorian State of Origin jumper in ’99. And all that after an horrific knee injury just four games into his AFL career cost him the best part of two full seasons at the elite level.
“When I was a young boy growing up I never expected to be in Brisbane, that’s for sure, and I never thought I’d be here 10 years either,” Leppitsch said.
Leppitsch’s positive attitude at the time he was drafted endeared himself to the Brisbane Bears’ hierarchy, which was still desperately searching for credibility in a tough environment when it called out the youngster’s name at the draft.
After years of potential quality players baulking at the prospect of joining Brisbane, Leppitsch openly and publicly declared his enthusiasm for venturing to the northern outpost.
It is been an association that has been outstanding for both parties since then.
“It’s all starting to come together – we’ve built a great club and a great tradition in Brisbane at the moment and hopefully the players can finish off their careers and leave something behind for the young boys coming through for them to do the same thing,” Leppitsch said.
The Lions face a big challenge at the Gabba on Saturday night against a Kangaroos outfit that has reveled in tough, close finishes all year. Without Voss and Lappin, the home side is being tipped as being vulnerable.
Leppitsch preferred to talk about the great opportunity that it provided others, particularly those looking to lay claim to, or cement, a permanent place in the side.
“To miss two of our ‘Fab Four” and two of our best runners, it’s going to leave a hole, but obviously it leaves opportunities for others,” he said. “This is their chance. They don’t often get that window of opportunity.
“It’s tough on them in a way because the pressure is on them to perform, but they’ve got a few weeks of opportunity now.”
The Roos have the game’s best forward of the 1990s Wayne Carey missing after his much-publicised pre-season personal problems, and Leppitsch admitted he will miss playing against one of the greats.
Leppitsch and Carey engaged in arguably the best individual duel of the last five years when they met at Colonial Stadium in mid-2000. Playing at centre-half-forward, Carey booted four first half goals and five for the game as the Roos opened up a 40-point three-quarter-time lead.
Carey’s direct opponent at centre-half-back, Leppitsch struck back with four goals of his own to inspire a fightback that fell an agonising four points short. But as far as individual contests go, it was one of the best in memory and is what the game needs more of.
“He didn’t play up here last year so you tend to miss players throughout, but they’re the guns you like to play on,” Leppitsch said. “They’re the duels you tend to look back on and want more of.
“I’d rather being playing on a Wayne Carey than not on him.”
The Lions will still have to deal with the likes of tall forwards Saverio Rocca, Jason McCartney and newcomer Digby Morrell, and Leppitsch is not underestimating them or their teammates.
“They are hard at the ball and are the sort of side that won’t be intimidated either,” he said. “They will see this as a challenge moreso than being nervous about coming up here. I think they will be very psyched up.”
Leppitsch said the Lions have plenty of ideas about how to match the Roos in the midfield without Voss and Lappin.
“I don’t think we’ve used Aker as much this year in the midfield as we did last year, so he probably get more of a run in there,” he said. “You’ve got to replace them somehow, so we’ll probably move a Luke Power in there and maybe a Craig McRae.
“There’s also some young kids waiting like Aaron Shattock. There’s many moves there, you just want them to work.”
Leppitsch was on track to play his 150th game in Round 10 until an accident at training saw him left with a fractured vertebrae on the even of the Round 9 game against Fremantle.
Remarkably, he was out of playing action for just 16 days and returned as good as ever against St Kilda in the week before the bye. He trained strongly last week and said the injury was not an issue.
“The back’s fine – obviously with another two weeks off it’s even better again,” he said.