Justin Leppitsch
Encyclopedia
Justin "Leppa" Leppitsch (born 1 October 1975) is a former Australian rules football
er who was a key defender for the Brisbane Lions
.
Leppitsch played with the Hawthorn Under 19s
as a 16-year old in 1991, however did not make the Hawks' senior list. He then moved to the Dandenong Stingrays
where he was recruited by the Brisbane Bears
.
He made his debut in 1993 for the Bears, playing his first few seasons as a tall wingman, using his pace and hard running.
Under the coaching of Leigh Matthews
, he bulked up substantially over the following seasons, becoming one of the league's heavyweights and enabling him to hold down a key position at either end of the ground. He played at centre half back in the Lions' three premiership sides from 2001 to 2003 and earned All-Australian status three times.
Late in his career, Leppitsch battled a chronic hamstring-related back injury which inevitably ended his career due to the resulting muscle wastage. He announced his retirement from the AFL on 5 June 2006.
It was revealed in October 2006 that Leppitsch had accepted a position as an assistant coach for Brisbane.
In September 2009, Leppitsch accepted an assistant coaching role at Richmond.
Leppitsch is originally from Berwick, Victoria
, and attended Berwick Secondary College and Berwick Primary School.
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er who was a key defender for the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
.
Leppitsch played with the Hawthorn Under 19s
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club in the Australian Football League . The club, founded in 1902, is the youngest of the Victorian-based teams in the AFL. The team play in Brown & Gold vertically striped guernseys...
as a 16-year old in 1991, however did not make the Hawks' senior list. He then moved to the Dandenong Stingrays
Dandenong Stingrays
The Dandenong Stingrays are an Australian rules football team in a Victorian under 18s league called the TAC Cup.1992 saw the birth of the ‘Southern Stingrays’ and they were developed under the leadership of Steve Kennedy and Ron Roach with the home base located at the Ben Kavanagh Reserve,...
where he was recruited by the Brisbane Bears
Brisbane Bears
The Brisbane Football Club, formerly nicknamed The Bears was an Australian rules football club and the first Queensland-based club in the Victorian Football League . The club played its first match in 1987, but struggled on and off the field until it made the finals for the first time in 1995...
.
He made his debut in 1993 for the Bears, playing his first few seasons as a tall wingman, using his pace and hard running.
Under the coaching of Leigh Matthews
Leigh Matthews
Leigh Raymond "Lethal Leigh" Matthews AM is a former player and coach of Australian rules football. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League from 1969 to 1985, coached Collingwood from 1986–1995, and coached the Brisbane Lions from 1999 to 2008...
, he bulked up substantially over the following seasons, becoming one of the league's heavyweights and enabling him to hold down a key position at either end of the ground. He played at centre half back in the Lions' three premiership sides from 2001 to 2003 and earned All-Australian status three times.
Late in his career, Leppitsch battled a chronic hamstring-related back injury which inevitably ended his career due to the resulting muscle wastage. He announced his retirement from the AFL on 5 June 2006.
It was revealed in October 2006 that Leppitsch had accepted a position as an assistant coach for Brisbane.
In September 2009, Leppitsch accepted an assistant coaching role at Richmond.
Leppitsch is originally from Berwick, Victoria
Berwick, Victoria
Berwick is a suburb in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia, south-east from Melbourne's central business district. Its Local Government Area is the City of Casey. At the 2006 Census, Berwick had a population of 36,420....
, and attended Berwick Secondary College and Berwick Primary School.