Western Bulldogs FC
Born: 24 February 1977
Height: 177cm
Weight: 83kg
Junior Club: Mayne
Senior Club: Mayne
Schools: Wavell Heights Primary, Wavell Heights SHS, Nudgee College
Regional Selection:
Queensland Selection: U17 (1994)
Draft Details: Zone selection 1994 National Draft
AFL Debut: Brisbane Lions v Carlton, Gabba, Rd 4, 1995 (23 April)
Jumper Number: 21
AT A GLANCE: An ever-colorful and controversial character who, despite all the external issues that polarize the football community, he is one of the all-time greats of Queensland football. A triple premiership player, a Brownlow Medalist, a four-times All-Australian and Queensland Team of the Century and Hall of Fame member who, after a very public falling out with the Brisbane Lions, has capped off his career with a stint at the Western Bulldogs. And he’s destined to end his career as the Queensland AFL games record-holder, having finished the 2009 season just four games short of the mark of 318 set by his former Brisbane Bears/Lions teammate Marcus Ashcroft.
Having originally identified 2009 as his last season in the AFL, he took a substantial pay cut to play a fourth season to the Bulldogs in the hope of securing an elusive fourth AFL premiership. He also ranks second on the all-time Queensland AFL goal-kicking list behind Jason Dunstall, although there’s zero chance of him topping that mark and it’s only a matter of time before he is overhauled by St.Kilda champion Nick Riewoldt. A junior and senior product of the Mayne Tigers, Akermanis was a Queensland zone selection by the Bears at the 1994 AFL National Draft after representing Queensland at Teal Cup (U17) level in that year. A pocket-sized back pocket player who wore a helmet when he played some trial games with the club in the 1994 pre-season, he transformed himself into a brilliantly skilful utility player who, throughout an illustrious career, spent time in various roles.
He was part of an awesome Brisbane midfield which at its peak through the 2001-02-03 premiership era included Michael Voss, Simon Black, Nigel Lappin, Luke Power, Shaun Hart and Akermanis, and for a time was the most attacking back pocket player in the game. In his later years he became a goal-kicking small forward of freakish capabilities. He played 17 games in his first AFL season, and only once in all the years that followed did he played fewer games in a season – 16 in 2006 when he was cut loose by the Lions mid-season after a public falling out with coach Leigh Matthews. In total he played 248 games with the Bears/Lions from 1995-2006 for 307 goals before adding 68 games at the Dogs in 2007-09.
He won the Brownlow Medal in the Lions’ first premiership year in 2001 and was All-Australian in 1999-2001-02-04. Eight times he has finished top 10 in his club B&F. He shared the title with Justin Leppitsch in his breakout year of 1999, when Matthews pulled a master-stroke in using him in the back pocket, and won it outright in 2005. In between he finished equal 7th in 2000, was 4th in his Brownlow year of ’01, 6th in 2003 and equal 4th in 2004. He added a further two top 10 B&F finishes at the Dogs – 6th in 2008 and 10th in 2009. No less than nine times has he finished top five in his club goal-kicking – 5th ,4th, 2nd, 2nd, 1st and 4th in consecutive years with the Lions from 2000-05, and 5th-2nd-1st at the Dogs in 2007-09.
A goal-kicking freak, just as comfortable on his left as he is his right, he has been the leading goal-kicker at both clubs. He has topped 40 goals in a season four times without reaching the half-century – 49 in 2002, 44 in 2004, 49 in 2008 and 43 in ’09. His single-game career best is six goals – for the Bears against West Coast in 1996, for the Lions against St.Kilda in 2004, and for the Bulldogs against St.Kilda in 2008. Five times he has polled double-figure votes in the Brownlow Medal, including 10 votes in ’09 to take his career vote tally to 107. It as an endless list of credits.
Through it all he has always been keen to have a presence in the football media in preparation for life after football. There have been moments which even he has admitted with growing years that he might have handled better, but there is no denying his extraordinary talent and match-winning capabilities.
