Past Albert Proud (2007-2011)

[Lady Lawrence]

Pick 22 in the 2006 National Draft

Summary:

* debut: round 12 vs Geelong (#35)
* 2007 AFLQ votes (#49)
* 2007 review (#50)
* acquires guernsey number 2 (#51)
* Albert's mother passes away (#55)
* 2008 Syd Guildford tally (#233)
* 2008 Grogan Medal tally (#234)
* 2008 review (#241)
* glassing incident (#278)
* suspensed while club completes investigation (#291)
* suspension lifted (#328)
* 2nd assault charge (#383)
* court sentence (#413)
* Gold Coast Bulletin headline (#419)
* 2009 review (#441)
* voluntary leave of absence (#473)
* treatment for alcoholism (#514)
* scary hair-do (#526)
* 2010 review (#533)
* delisted (#538)
* redrafted with pick 47 in the rookie draft (#602)
* charged with assaulting police officer (#618)
* suspended by the club (#619)
* $250 fine (#622)
* sacked (#630)
* 2011 review (#643)

Merrett-Murray Medal results:

2007: =35th (1 vote)
2008: 32nd (3 votes)
2009: =25th (6 votes)
2010: 27th (6 votes)
2011: -

Coach's votes:

2010: 2
2011: -

Tribunal record:

* 2008 NAB Challenge - first offence for making contact with an umpire ($2600 reduced to $1950)

 

[Grimreepah]

Re: Albert Proud

Lion's bio
2006 AFL Draft

Shifter's top 30

Albert Proud
QLD, 06-Sep-88, Mt Gravatt, Small Midfielder, 180, 83
Goal-kicking midfielder who has a terrific attack on the ball, pace and tackling skills. Left-footer who uses the ball very well and was honoured with QLD U18 captaincy this year. AIS/AFL Academy Graduate. From Mt Gravatt F.C.

Proud part of the pride

Proud part of the pride
12:37:26 PM Wed 10 January, 2007
lions.com.au

The Vodafone Brisbane Lions had no hesitation in selecting local talent Albert Proud when he was still available with their second pick (No.22 overall) in the 2006 National Draft.

Recruited from Mount Gravatt, Proud is best described as a goal-kicking midfielder with terrific pace, a great tackling ability and a strong attack on the ball.

“My strengths are probably my speed and my aggression at the ball,” Proud said. “Because of my size (180cm), I can’t obviously get up as high as other players, so I play a more physical type of game. I generally dish the ball out to the running players.”

While he doesn’t model himself on any specific player, Proud has already started learning from some of the Lions stars, in particular Brownlow Medallist Simon Black.

“I have really noticed how professional he is,” Proud said. “He does everything he can on the track to get the best out of himself. I’d love to become a similar type of player.”

Proud was one of a record 11 Queenslanders selected in November’s National Draft and is pleased to be staying in his home state. “I moved to Queensland three years ago and I just love it here, so at heart I was glad to be playing for the Lions,” Proud said.

He was recently joined at the Lions by fellow Queenslanders Haydn Kiel, Daniel Dzufer, Joel Tippett and Scott Clouston who came to the Club via December’s Rookie Draft. “It’s good to have a few Queenslanders around,” he said.

Proud has been a standout junior player for the past two years and was considered one of the country’s hottest prospects before injuries interrupted much of his 2006 season.

“He would’ve been a top five pick in 2005 and even in 2006 except for a few injuries. He’s got the okay from our medical staff so we think he’s going to be an outstanding player,” said Lions Football Manager Graeme Allan.

A stress fracture forced Proud to keep his foot in plaster for two months at the beginning of the 2006 AFLQ season. He overcame this minor setback in time for the National Under 18 championships where he was selected as Queensland’s captain. A natural leader, Proud guided Queensland to its first Division Two title since 1999.

AFLQ Talent Manager Mark Browning was impressed with how Proud captained Queensland in the under 18 championships.

“Albert was sensational on and off the field,” Browning said. “He is a big-game player and a competitive kid who doesn’t let things faze him. He also had a lot of respect within the group. If Albert spoke, everybody listened.”

However, on his return match for local club Mount Gravatt, Proud tore ligaments in his shoulder which sidelined him further.

He still managed to be selected to represent Australia in the Under 18 International Series against Ireland and despite missing the first two matches through injury he was determined to stay involved with the team.

“I’m pretty big on the team thing so I thought that if I couldn’t play, I would do my best at whatever I could do,” Proud said.

Proud’s inherent leadership again shone through as he encouraged his team mates from the sidelines and even helped carry their water.

By the third and final match, Proud was passed fit to play and helped lead the team to a resounding victory which broke the deadlock and won Australia the series.

The left footer has settled well into the Lions pre-season training and believes the opportunities are available for him to have an immediate impact this season.

“I believe that I can play senior football this season,” Proud said. “We’re in a rebuilding stage at the moment and I am neither behind the eight ball nor in front of it. I am really hoping that I get the chance to have a crack at it this year.”

A proud Queenslander, he credits the Lions’ historic three-peat as his most memorable moment.

Day a future champion landed on doorstep

Day a future champion landed on doorstep

* Chip Le Grand
* November 18, 2006

ALBERT PROUD was slumped on the veranda when the Lake family got home. He was bleeding from the nose, battered on one ear and bruised around the ribs. With the bravado of youth, Proud said it had been no worse than a wrestle. Wayne Lake knew better: "He was pretty knocked around and in a bad way."
Proud remembers it as the moment his life turned. He had been living with his sister in Brisbane when things turned ugly with her boyfriend and push came to blows. He thought about going back to Melbourne to live with his mum but his football was just starting to take off. The Lakes took him in without hesitation. At next Saturday's national draft, an AFL club will do the same.

This year's Queensland under-18 captain has been compared to Byron Pickett for the zeal and aggression with which he hunts man and ball alike. Mark Browning, the man in charge of the AFL's development programs in Queensland, likens him to a mixture of Maurice Rioli and Michael Long.

Given all three are Norm Smith medallists, Proud isn't about to quibble. He idolises a fourth, Andrew McLeod, whose blood traces back to the same Torres Strait island. But for all these heady comparisons, Proud knows it could have gone very differently had he not sought refuge with the Lakes two-and-a-half years ago.

"I remember everything like it was yesterday," Proud said. "I wasn't the best kid to mum and dad and they thought they would just give me a break and send me up to my sister in Brisbane.

"Obviously it wasn't the best with my sister and her boyfriend and things got out of hand. Everyone wanted me to go back to Melbourne but I wanted to stay here with my mates and my footy mates. I remember arriving and the Lakes were nothing but positive, trying to help me out. To this day, they consider me their own and I am grateful. That was the biggest decision of my life."

Wayne and Ellen Lake have four kids of their own. Their youngest son, Michael, went to school with Albert and the pair became friends. The day they came home to find 15-year-old Albert bleeding on their doorstep, they didn't consider the implications of being foster parents. All they knew was that Albert needed somewhere to sleep that night.

"We had been out the whole afternoon playing basketball so I don't know how long he was sitting there," Wayne Lake said. "We took him in for the evening and that turned into three years. It was the only decision at the time. Everything the kid owned was on the footpath about three houses down.

"He is a great kid but he has had a bit of a tough life. We have tried to do what we can for him. We gave him a commitment to see him out to the end of his schooling. That was last year. Now he is telling us: 'I'll be rid of you buggers in another 10 days'."

Proud has reconciled with his sister and remains close to his mother and father, despite both living in Melbourne. He is no star in the classroom but has finished high school and started a TAFE course. When the names of this year's draftees are read out, Proud will be happy to travel to Perth, Melbourne or wherever the national competition takes him.

"I have already done two years living without my family," he said. "I don't think it would bother me as much as most."

The only thing that hasn't gone right since Proud moved in with the Lakes is his body. At the end of last year, Proud was diagnosed with a navicular fracture in his foot, a career-threatening injury for an elite footballer.

He spent two months with his foot in plaster and was unable to play any club football in Queensland before this year's under-18 national carnival. In his first game back for Mt Gravatt, he tore ligaments in his shoulder. Where he was once considered a top-10 draft prospect, he is now likely to be taken in the second round.

Like most football-mad teenagers, it was no easy thing to keep Proud off his injured foot.

At the height of his frustration, Proud slipped a bottle cap down the back of his cast to try to convince the doctors to remove the plaster early.

"They got down there with a ruler instead," Lake laughed. "It is just a sign of how keen and motivated he has been."

The only other query from recruiters is Proud's temper. Apart from his ferocious attack on the ball, he came to prominence in the 2005 under-18 carnival for his lead role in a half-time brawl which cost him a yellow card and three-week suspension from Mt Gravatt. Proud is a close friend of Brisbane's Rhan Hooper. When some Tasmanian players remonstrated with Hooper for missing a shot on goal, Proud lost his head.

Lake saw it unfold from the grandstand. "It was right on the half-time siren," he said. "Rhan and Albert are very good mates and Rhan was getting some treatment from a couple of the bigger Tasmanian boys. Albert has run a distance to get there, which always looks bad.

"He probably hit a couple; two or three or four. What made it worse was after it all calmed down, he and one of the Tasmanian boys went again. There was no hiding it. It was on national TV. We saw it on the news back here."

Proud has received help from an AIS psychologist and believes he will react differently if confronted by similar circumstances again. Browning said the proof of that was in this year's carnival.

"He is a super aggressive kid who was sticking up for a mate and probably took it a little too far," he said. "It wasn't something we like seeing but he did his penance and he learned from that.

"There were situations this year when the same thing may have occurred but his ability to use controlled aggression in the right manner was a credit to him.

"Albert was sensational, on and off the field. He is a big-game player and he is a competitive kid who doesn't let things faze him. He also had a lot of respect within the group. If Albert spoke, everybody listened.

"He has got some life about him. He is not Anthony Mundine but he has got a bit of a swagger about him. I said to Geelong if I was them, I would be drafting Albert Proud. The Geelong players are all good players but they are a bit introverted. Albert would liven the place up a little."

If predictions hold true, Queensland will this year produce more recruits than it has in any previous national draft. As many as 10 players are likely to be drafted, with David Armitage a possible top-10 selection.

But within the Lake household, only one name will matter. It is not every family that finds a future AFL star on its doorstep.

Article

Albert Proud to lead 2006 Scorpions

Mt.Gravatt midfielder Albert Proud will captain the Australia Post Queensland U18 Scorpions at the national championships in Melbourne from 24 June.

His AFL/AIS Academy teammates – Southport ruckman Brent Renouf and Broadbeach utility Ricky Petterd – will be vice-captains of the team coached by ex-Lions ace Craig McRae.

The leadership group was unveiled tonight at the conclusion of the Scorpions’ annual jumper presentation, attended by Lions coach Leigh Matthews and Brownlow Medalists Michael Voss and Simon Black.

The 2006 Australia Post U18 Scorpions team is: Albert Proud (capt),Chris Smith, Shaun Hampson, Simon Plummer, Gavin Grose (Mt.Gravatt); Brent Renouf (vc), Dane Eaton, Fraser Pope, Haydn Kiel, Tauryan Zimmer, Kurt Tippett, Jesse White (Southport); Ricky Petterd (vc), Aaron Rolfe (Broadbeach); David Armitage, Jack Lawler, Gavin Urquhart, Ryan Holman, Scott Clouston (Morningside); Nikos Kiem, Daniel Brittain, Daniel Dzufer (Zillmere); Kyle Marchant (Caloundra); Brody Johnson (Noosa); Shaun Tapp (W/Magpies). Emerg: Rhys Magin (Noosa); Richard Wenham (UQ Bulldogs); Adam Spackman, Ben Gibson (Morningside); Sam Reid (Caloundra).

AIS Profile

Albert Proud

Name: Albert Proud

Sport: Australian Rules Football

Position/event: Centre

Date of birth / birthplace: 6 September 1988 - Melbourne

Are you also a SIS / SAS scholarship holder, and if so what institute / academy?

What year did you begin your AIS scholarship? 2005

What is your most significant achievement in sport? State Qld 18s; this AIS scholarship

What is your major sporting goal? To play AFL

Who are your idols, and why (not necessarily sporting)? Peter Matera - very neat and classy player who knew how to put a show on

Who has most influenced your sporting career, and why? Peter Matera - to be exactly like him; My family so I can make them proud of me

Do you work or study while training - if so what? Studying year 12 at Runcorn

How do you hope to be remembered when you retire from your sport? Player with speed, class and very professional

What are your career goals after sport? Become a PE teacher or train driver

What do you regard as the most memorable sporting moment? Brisbane Lions 3 peat

 

[Grimreepah]

Re: Albert Proud

BigFooty Profile

Midfielder

179cms and 80kgs.
6/9/88
Mt Gravatt, Queensland

Very impressive at the U18 Champs and to me was the pick of the Queenslanders on show there despite Urquhart being named All Australian. Even more impressive at the carnival games for Division 2 prior to the U18 Championships.

Very hard at the ball and a physical player who seems to relish the contact. Also classy with the ball in hand and has nice footwork and a well rounded game. Is a long kick and carries the ball well and can play as a linkman when needed.
Has good instincts when to go in for the ball and when to hang off the pack. Got the flair of a lot of Aboriginal players but also that physical edge to his game.

So he is a long kicking, skilful, tough on baller. Not a burst player but someone who seems to possess good endurance and the work rate. Prepared to chase and tackle but with the ball he kicks long, carries it and uses it with precision.
Basically has all the tools to become a very good midfielder in the AFL.
He is fairly short and a few cms extra would be great but I can’t see it being a problem in the future. Developed body and maybe not as much physical improvement in him as some others but he is quick and classy and hard as you would like. When delivering the ball into the forward 50 he was silky and composed. Good hands in close and has a fine overall game.
Nothing lacking in his game and is the complete package.

I am prepared to overlook him losing his cool in the game against Tasmania and think it is a bit out of character and will not be an issue in the future with lacking discipline.

TOA's Phantom Draft

Pick 13 – RICH – Albert PROUD (8/09/88) – 179cm/80kgs
Proud is a physical, brutal midfielder who wins the hardball but can also hurt the opposition with his skills. Was touted as a top 5 selection throughout last year but has been playing with OP all year and his ranking has dropped slightly. His speed is right on average (000 for 20m) and his skin folds were disappointing. Richmond will take a midfielder at this selection barring someone like Thorp sliding down the order. Although Proud doesn’t fit the Richmond stereotype of tall athletic midfielders, his presence and skills will be greatly appreciated at Tigerland.

Weaver's Phantom Draft

4. Albert Proud (Brisbane). Brisbane love ruckmen but will have an eye on the QLD trio Tippett, Renouf and Hampson with later picks. They have declared midfield as a priority, which leaves them to choose between Selwood, Proud and Connors. Proud is the best QLD midfielder since Akermanis and Voss. Wins more hardball than Selwood and O’Keefe. Is tough as teak and quicker than Selwood. If one of the top-3 surprises, Hansen could see the Lions replace Leppitsch and Michael.

Macca69's Phantom Draft

22. Brisbane – Albert Proud
Brisbane will get a local ‘running player’ they are after. Another player who has the underrated ability to play as both an inside and outside midfielder. Loves the tough stuff, and has pace and skill. If Proud is available at this pick I cannot see Brisbane really considering anyone else. Many have him as a top 10 selection, which is where I expect he would go if he hadn’t struggled with injuries and turned up to DC in poor condition.

 

[Sherminator.]

Re: Albert Proud

Our feature centre/rover.

 

[Grimreepah]

Re: Albert Proud

Article

Spreading the AFL word Andrew Hamilton
February 05, 2007 11:00pm

Article from:



WHEN prized Lions draftee Albert Proud fronted a room full of primary schoolkids yesterday, his first bit of advice on how to get ahead in sport could have been to stay away from bigger kids.
But Proud would never say that because he loves the physical stuff. It is why in a simple training drill last week, when the hard ball was there to be won for whoever was prepared to be sandwiched between two of the Lions' biggest, Jonathan Brown and Daniel Merrett, Proud went in and grabbed it.
The result was another notch in his growing reputation as a tough nut – and a busted shoulder.
"Yeah, there was a ball to be won in the middle and I wanted it," he said.
"Brownie hit me first, but I had the ball and then Merrett hit me and my shoulder came out of it pretty sore.
"Those two just walked away laughing."
The sore shoulder turned out to be a minor strain that will keep him off the track for another week.
In the scale of setbacks the 18-year-old midfielder has endured in his short career, this one is pretty minor. Proud was tipped as a 16-year-old to be a top-five draft pick, but a succession of foot and shoulder injuries in his final year of junior footy saw him slip off the radar of many AFL clubs.
The Lions couldn't believe their luck when Proud, who captained Queensland's Under-18s to a division two national title last year, was still available at pick No. 22.
"It didn't really worry me," he said. "I received a lot of advice at the AIS. They told us that once you get drafted to a club everybody is equal – it's what you do from there that counts.
Originally from Melbourne, Proud was sent by his parents to live with his sister in Brisbane three years ago.
After a falling-out with his sister's boyfriend, he eventually lobbed with a schoolmate's family in Brisbane and has not looked back.
He is now determined to spread the AFL word, starting yesterday at the Riverview State School in the rugby league heartland of Ipswich.
"I'm spicing it up this week, telling the kids AFL is the best sport and asking them why would they play a game where you throw it backwards to run forwards," he said.

 

[Lace Out]

Re: Albert Proud

Albert has a good turn of phrase for a young bloke.I've got a feeling he could take over some of Vossies sledging duties...

 

[Grimreepah]

Re: Albert Proud

Article

Albert Proud (No. 34): A sore shoulder may have the Mt Gravatt junior sidelined at present, but the manner in which Proud hurt himself would have lost him few fans at the Gabba. The 18-year-old picked up the injury after being sandwiched between Jonathan Brown and Daniel Merrett in competitive work at training - evidence of his willingness to put his body on the line to get the hard ball. The Lions were delighted when Proud, who captained Queensland's under 18 side last year, was still available with the No. 22 pick of the 2006 national draft, believing it was only some injury interruptions that prevented him going much higher.

 

[Effes]

Re: Albert Proud

How is his shoulder injury coming along?

 

[The Flying Belgian]

Re: Albert Proud

How is his shoulder injury coming along?

He's close, but probably won't force his way in this week.

 

[Sherminator.]

Re: Albert Proud

He's close, but probably won't force his way in this week.

I want him to debut Rd 1.

 

[Rocky Rambo]

Re: Albert Proud

I want him to debut Rd 1.

Will he play against Carlton or will they rest him for Round 1 or will he have to wait a few rounds before going into the 22?

 

[Hollow Knight]

Re: Albert Proud

Will he play against Carlton or will they rest him for Round 1 or will he have to wait a few rounds before going into the 22?

Not playing against Carlton.

Reckon he might get a run in the Ressies before he plays any seniors.

Hasn't played any footy for a while.

 

[xplo]

Re: Albert Proud

Not playing against Carlton.

Reckon he might get a run in the Ressies before he plays any seniors.

Hasn't played any footy for a while.

Agreed. Look everyone is stoked to have the kid, but we might be getting a bit carried away. How could you even consider picking an 18 year old kid straight into the round one side without having even seen him play an intraclub game? Wrong message to send to everyone, particularly his mate Hooper. Not even Gibbs should play under those circumstances.

It has to be about performance. The guys like Begley, Tyler and even Matty Allan have been putting their case on the field. Surely any kid has to do the same?

 

[Grimreepah]

Re: Albert Proud

It has been a dark day (Bradshaw's injury), but as POBT said, this is very encouraging.

Albert Proud, who was selected by the Lions with their 2nd pick in the 2006 National Draft made an impressive first appearance in Lions colours. The Queensland teenager lived up to his hype as he continually crashed packs and won the contested ball. The good-sized pacy midfielder made a noticeable impact each time he went near the ball.

link

 

[Hollow Knight]

Re: Albert Proud

Wonder if he could play that nuggety Brad Johnson forward role....

 

[scott522]

Re: Albert Proud

was one of the best players at the vultures last season...good speed and courageous

 

[Sherminator.]

Re: Albert Proud

Wonder if he could play that nuggety Brad Johnson forward role....

I'd rather him in the physical Voss style of play. I'd like to see him legally iron out some players in sid eon contest like God (Voss) did.

 

[Quigley]

Re: Albert Proud

I can't remember who made the comparison first on here but it was mentioned he played a bit like Chris Johnson early on. I would be more than happy if Bert ended up having a career like Johnson's.

 

[acuguy]

Re: Albert Proud

I remember watching Proud play in the 05 carnival as a 17 year old and he just looked like a Michael Long clone, i remember thinking this bloke has to go top 5, if he stays on the straight and narrow then we have a bloke who could be recognised as one of the elite midfielders in the competition with in the next 4-5 years. He is a very exciting talent.

 

[morphous]

Re: Albert Proud

was one of the best players at the vultures last season...good speed and courageous

Don't think he played too many games last season due to injuries

 

[The Flying Belgian]

Re: Albert Proud

Named in the best for Suncoast on the weekend vs Southport, I hear showing some really good form in the second half. Would love to hear from anybody who made the trip down and caught some of the magoos.

 

[Lach72]

Re: Albert Proud

I loved this kid when I saw the 18's carnival. Wish we could've got him.

 

[xplo]

Re: Albert Proud

Ankle injury in the last quarter after a being in the best again. Was apparently walking with a limp after the game, so might miss a game or two.

 

[Sherminator.]

Re: Albert Proud

Ankle injury in the last quarter after a being in the best again. Was apparently walking with a limp after the game, so might miss a game or two.

Game seems the worst. Supposedly, he was sighted walking around with only a slight limp. He couldn't be far from playing seniors, could he? Surprised he didnt go Top 10, luckily we got him at 22.

 

[Crusha]

Re: Albert Proud

Game seems the worst. Supposedly, he was sighted walking around with only a slight limp. He couldn't be far from playing seniors, could he? Surprised he didnt go Top 10, luckily we got him at 22.

Let's not get ahead of ourselves !!
Albert's got plenty of potential for sure, but there's a long queue ahead of him.
The guys in the current 22 aren't going "too bad" at the minute, and Selwood is back on deck.
And young Schmidt is doing just fine as well. Different style of player, not as in & under as Albert, but getting plenty of ball and using it well - has probably been the best "midfielder" for Suncoast over all the games played.

But agree, he will be a real asset in the future.