Matthew "Matt" Leuenberger is a professional Australian rules football

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 currently playing with 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...

 in the Australian Football League

Australian Football League

The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...

.

Early life

Leuenberger represented Western Australia

Western Australia

Western Australia is a state of Australia, occupying the entire western third of the Australian continent. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Great Australian Bight and Indian Ocean to the south, the Northern Territory to the north-east and South Australia to the south-east...

 in the under-18 Rising Star program and was a key prospect in the ruck having received the honour of being named in the U18 All-Australian team.

He stands at 202 cm and weighs 92 kg and is considered a ready-built utility, likened to Collingwood

Collingwood Football Club

The Collingwood Football Club, nicknamed The Magpies, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...

's last no 1 pick Josh Fraser

Josh Fraser

Josh Fraser is a professional Australian rules football player currently playing for the Gold Coast Football Club in the Australian Football League and formerly of the Collingwood Football Club....

 and West Coast

West Coast Eagles

The West Coast Eagles are an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League. The club is based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and played its first games in the 1987 season. Its current home ground is Subiaco Oval...

's Dean Cox. With a high level of athleticism and agility for a player of his height, Leuenberger has drawn early comparisons to West Coast ruckman Dean Cox.

AFL career

Leuenberger was picked up by the Brisbane Lions in the 2006 AFL Draft

2006 AFL Draft

The 2006 AFL Draft is a recent national draft of the Australian Football League. The AFL Draft is the annual draft of talented players by Australian rules football teams that participate in the main competition of that sport, the Australian Football League....

at pick no. 4.

Positions

Matthew Leuenberger plays predominantly as a ruckman, but has the athleticism to play as a forward in a pinch.