Jason Akermanis

Jason Dean Akermanis (born 24 February 1977) is a former Australian rules football player. He is a Brownlow Medallist and triple premiership player who played for the Brisbane Bears, Brisbane Lions and Western Bulldogs.[2]

Jason Akermanis
Akermanis in 2007
Personal information
Full name Jason Dean Akermanis
Nickname(s) Aker
Date of birth (1977-02-24) 24 February 1977
Place of birth Mildura, Victoria, Australia[1]
Original team(s) Mayne (QAFL)
Draft NAT Zone Selection, 1994, Brisbane Bears
Height 177 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Weight 85 kg (187 lb)
Position(s) Midfielder / Forward
Playing career1
Years Club Games (Goals)
1995–1996 Brisbane Bears 038 0(44)
1997–2006 Brisbane Lions 210 (263)
2007–2010 Western Bulldogs 077 (114)
Total 325 (421)
Representative team honours
Years Team Games (Goals)
1996–1998 The Allies 3 (0)
International team honours
1999–2000 Australia 4 (0)
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2010.
Career highlights
Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com

Early life

Akermanis was born in Mildura, Victoria,[3] but moved to Brisbane at 9 years of age.[4] Upon arriving in Queensland in 1986, Akermanis signed up to play for the Mayne under-10s side.[5]

When he was 13, Akermanis discovered that he was not the son of his mother's former partner, John Akermanis. His father was Denis Dezdjek.[6] He was educated at Wavell State High School then at St. Joseph's Nudgee College and played football with the Mayne Football Club in the QAFL where he was spotted by Brisbane Bears talent scouts. He completed year 12 at high school in 1995, during his first year with the Brisbane Bears.

AFL career

Brisbane Bears (1995–1996)

Akermanis was a solid contributor to the Brisbane Bears midfield (wing), with his pace and skills evident even early in his career.

Akermanis made his debut in Round 4 of the 1995 AFL Season, he had a solid debut, accumulating 19 disposals and kicking 1 goal in the Bears loss to Carlton. He played a total of 17 games in this debut season and kicking 12 goals.

The 1996 AFL Season saw Akermanis play 21 games and kick 32 goals for the season, he doubled his disposal count from the previous season to finish with 328 total disposals for the season. His season was highlighted with a 19 disposal & 6 goal effort against the West Coast Eagles in Round 17.[7]

Brisbane Lions (1997–2006)

It was after the Brisbane Lions formed that he began to shine, bulking up significantly, and a move to the forward line enabled him to make the most of his opportunities and develop a reputation as a goal sneak. Akermanis played 34 games across the 1997-98 seasons and tallied 532 disposals and 32 goals.

The 1999 AFL Season saw Akermanis have a breakout year, winning the Merrett-Murray Medal as Brisbane's Best & Fairest player for the season. Jason gathered 469 disposals and booted 16 goals for the season.

Akermanis became one of the Brisbane Lions' most talented players. His flamboyant talents and bleached-blond hair and contrasting black beard make him easy to identify on the field. At the Lions he made his name as a speedy midfielder or on-baller with blistering acceleration and an uncanny ability to kick exceptionally well with either foot, talents which helped him win the AFL's Brownlow Medal in 2001 in which he polled 23 votes to beat Adelaide's Andrew McLeod. The 2001 season saw Jason tally 510 disposals and kick 28 goals for the season, ultimately capping off a magnificent week/season, finishing as a premiership player.

The 2002 AFL Season saw Akermanis impact the scoreboard by kicking 49 goals for the season, and becoming a premiership player again, as the Brisbane Lions defeated Collingwood in the decider. Akermanis played with a torn right adductor, in which he suffered early in the first quarter, this effected his ability to kick with his dominant right foot, resulting in Jason kicking on his left foot for the majority of the game, he eventually kicked a left foot snap over his shoulder late in the last quarter in which would be the sealer, guiding the Lions to victory.

Akermanis is also known for his goal-scoring abilities. He was a winner of the AFL Goal of the Year 2002 award and had an ability to kick goals from acute angles. In a match in 2005, he kicked two goals within minutes of each other from almost exactly the same spot: deep in the right forward pocket on the run. Early in the 2006 season, Akermanis was dropped from the Brisbane Lions side for Round 7, playing a game with the Suncoast Lions. This coincided with inflammatory comments that he made about the coach, Leigh Matthews, during the week, and there was speculation that his time at the club was up only a few months after he had won the 2005 club best and fairest award. However, Akermanis was soon recalled to the side and responded with 22 disposals across half-back in the game against Port Adelaide, and a post-match interview with Channel Nine showed him smiling and visibly happy with his performance. On 27 July 2006 it was reported that the coaching panel and senior playing group had voted unanimously (12–0) to not allow him back into the club.

Western Bulldogs (2007–2010)

On 6 September, it was reported that the Western Bulldogs were leading in the race to sign Akermanis for the 2007 season. On 15 September, Akermanis confirmed that he wanted to join the Bulldogs. It was then down to the Lions agreeing on the trade price, which they did on 9 October, when Brisbane Lions football manager Graeme Allan announced that the team had agreed to trade Akermanis to the Bulldogs.

At the end of the 2008 season, Akermanis made a statement that he would retire at the end of 2009 when his three-year contract expired, however he displayed excellent form at the start of the 2009 season, and later retracted his earlier comment about retirement. Western Bulldogs coach Rodney Eade said he had not ruled out the possibility of extending Akermanis's contract depending on his performance for the rest of the season.[8] He then signed with the Bulldogs for another year, hoping to play in a fourth premiership side. It is assumed his contract would be for substantially less pay than his previous deal, which is estimated at between $350,000 and $400,000 a year.[9]

In July 2010 it was announced that the Western Bulldogs had terminated Akermanis' contract due to the club's judgement that the two were on different paths.[10]

Post-AFL

Akermanis began playing with the Glenorchy Football Club in the Tasmanian State League in 2011[11] as well as playing a number of one-off games at various country clubs. In 2013, he became captain-coach of the North Albury Football Club in the Ovens & Murray Football League.[12]

Off-field personality and controversy

Off the field, Akermanis was often very outspoken on issues concerning the Australian Football League and other codes. He often appeared as a panelist on The AFL Footy Show. In the late 2000s, Akermanis had a regular newspaper column, which, in contrast to many other footballers' columns, was highly politically incorrect, which caused several controversies. Among the most prominent controversies were:

  • In 2007, Akermanis wrote about performance-enhancing drugs and his views on their presence in sport, which included comments that he believed a specific opposing player, whom he did not name, had been using the drugs based on how strong a runner the player was for his size. The Seven Network and Fairfax Media inferred and named the player as the West Coast Eagles' Michael Braun, damaging Braun's reputation and subjecting him to an investigation by the Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority, which cleared him of wrongdoing.[13] Braun was ultimately awarded defamation damages against Seven and Fairfax, and received an apology from Akermanis, who conceded that he had been referring to Braun, and admitted that he had been wrong.[14]
  • In 2010, he wrote about homosexuality in sports, and expressed an opinion that he believed homosexual players should stay in the closet, as he did not believe football culture was at that time ready to fully accept them.[15] Numerous people spoke out against his column,[16] and the Western Bulldogs, who were worried about the negative publicity, suspended him for two matches for not having the column approved by the club before having it published.[17]
  • In a radio interview shortly after the death of Melbourne Football Club player and president Jim Stynes in 2012, Akermanis commented that Stynes was "a nasty man in his day", was treated as a "demi-god", and questioned his deservedness to receive a state funeral just two days after Stynes' death.[18]

Some of Akermanis's other media faux pas included threatening to switch codes to rugby union in 2002 if the Brisbane Lions signed former Kangaroos Football Club star Wayne Carey,[19] leaking to the media that teammate Nigel Lappin had broken ribs before the 2003 Grand Final,[20] and ongoing criticism of his coach at the Brisbane Lions, Leigh Matthews.[21] Akermanis' dismissal from the Western Bulldogs was ultimately partly related to leaking confidential team information to the media as part of a media career which the Bulldogs believed was taking an undue amount of his focus.[10]

Akermanis co-wrote a book with Gary Smart titled AKA – The Battle Within, which was released in 2004. He released his autobiography named Open Season in mid-2011, which further details his messy departures from both the Brisbane Lions and the Western Bulldogs.

In October 2014, Akermanis was suspended for four matches as head coach of the North Albury Football Club after being found guilty of breaching the AFL Victoria cyber-bullying policy in regards to several umpires' decisions during the 2014 Ovens & Murray Football League season.[22]

Personal life

Akermanis is married to Megan Legge, a speech pathologist. They have three daughters. Akermanis learned Auslan to communicate with his wife's hearing-impaired parents.[23] He also speaks Spanish.[24]

Statistics
[25]
Legend
 G  Goals  B  Behinds  K  Kicks  H  Handballs  D  Disposals  M  Marks  T  Tackles
Season Team No. Games Totals Averages (per game)
G B K H D M T G B K H D M T
1995 Brisbane Bears 35171281016516630150.70.55.93.89.81.80.9
1996 Brisbane Bears 202132142408832876261.50.711.44.215.63.61.2
1997 Brisbane Lions 121720171856525067121.21.010.93.814.73.90.7
1998 Brisbane Lions 121712111879528251180.70.611.05.616.63.01.1
1999 Brisbane Lions 1224167331138469105360.70.313.85.819.54.41.5
2000 Brisbane Lions 12212613322138460107361.20.615.36.621.95.11.7
2001 Brisbane Lions 12242820332178510103601.20.813.87.421.34.32.5
2002 Brisbane Lions 1222493129710540295902.21.413.54.818.34.34.1
2003 Brisbane Lions 1225283235010245299841.11.314.04.118.14.03.4
2004 Brisbane Lions 12254432390107497110631.81.315.64.319.94.42.5
2005 Brisbane Lions 1221252229514644171901.21.014.07.021.03.44.3
2006 Brisbane Lions 121415161946626078401.11.113.94.718.65.62.9
2007 Western Bulldogs 211920172198029991501.10.911.54.215.74.82.6
2008 Western Bulldogs 21254928297132429142412.01.111.95.317.25.71.6
2009 Western Bulldogs 21244335282189471124861.81.511.87.919.65.23.6
2010 Western Bulldogs 21927797315244270.20.88.88.116.94.93.0
Career 325 421 310 4101 1767 5868 1393 774 1.3 1.0 12.6 5.4 18.1 4.3 2.4

Honours and achievements
Brownlow Medal votes
Season Votes
1995 —
1996 4
1997 1
1998 2
1999 13
2000 9
2001 23
2002 8
2003 5
2004 12
2005 11
2006 3
2007 1
2008 5
2009 10
2010 —
Total 107
Key:
Green / Bold = Won
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References
  1. Speaker Jason Akermanis Full Biography – Speakers Bureau @ ICMI
  2. A solo Akermanis gave the Bulldogs no choice, The Roar, Retrieved 22 July 2010.
  3. Multicultural team of champions – Australian Football League. Published 27 June 2012. Retrieved 27 June 2012.
  4. "Jason Akermanis, a colourful life". The Age. 1 June 2010.
  5. Retrogram: Warwick Green digs into archive to find AFL stars in junior football photos
  6. "It's pretty bloody sad: Jason Akermanis' dad". Herald Sun. 21 July 2010. Archived from the original on 10 April 2015.
  7. https://australianfootball.com/game/view/11283
  8. "Aka shows he's far from finished". The Age. 18 May 2009.
  9. "Akermanis to decide his future at season's end". AAP. 12 June 2009.
  10. Wilson, Caroline; Lane, Samantha (21 July 2010). "Trust issues: Bulldogs sack Jason Akermanis". The Age. Melbourne.
  11. Smith, A., Herald Sun, "Jason Akermanis signs with Tassie team Glenorchy", 18 November 2010, Retrieved, 18 November 2010.
  12. "Coach Akermanis: North Albury signs ex-AFL star". The Border Mail. 19 October 2012. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  13. "Braun cleared by ASADA". Fox Sports. 20 August 2007. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  14. "Akermanis posts apology to Braun". The Australian. 25 April 2008. Retrieved 3 August 2014.
  15. "Stay in the closet, Jason Akermanis tells homosexuals". Herald Sun News. 20 May 2010.
  16. Redford-Hunt, Amy (21 May 2010). "AFL distances itself from gay claim". Melbourne: The Age.
  17. Wilson, Caroline (26 May 2010). "Doggies battling to get Aka back on the leash". Melbourne: The Age.
  18. Jason, Good (21 March 2012). "Akermanis: Stynes was a 'nasty man'". 3AW. Archived from the original on 25 March 2012. Retrieved 21 March 2012.
  19. "Akermanis welcome at Queensland rugby". Australian Rugby Union Ltd. 24 June 2002. Archived from the original on 20 September 2006.
  20. Monteverde, Marco (7 June 2007). "Banished Lion will talk". Fox Sports. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  21. Hamilton, Andrew (22 May 2009). "Akermanis speaks out against Leigh Matthews again". Courier Mail. Brisbane. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  22. Former AFL star Jason Akermanis banned as coach of North Albury for four matches, three suspended, for cyber bullying, ABC Grandstand Sport (Australian Broadcasting Corporation), 2 October 2014
  23. "Sport: Jason Akermanis". State Library of Queensland. 3 July 2009. Archived from the original on 12 November 2009. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  24. Brodie, Will (1 June 2010). "Jason Akermanis, a colourful life". The Sydney Morning herald. Retrieved 29 June 2010.
  25. Jason Akermanis' player profile at AFL Tables
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