Jason Akermanis
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| Personal Info | |
|---|---|
| Birth | February 24, 1977, Mildura, Victoria |
| Recruited from | Mayne Football Club (AFLQ) |
| Height/Weight | 177cm / 83kg |
| Playing Career¹ | |
| Debut | Round 5, April 23, 1995, Brisbane Bears vs. Carlton, at Brisbane |
| Team(s) | Brisbane Bears (1995-1996)
38 games, 44 goals Brisbane Lions (1997-2006) 210 games, 263 goals Western Bulldogs (2007-) 0 games, 0 goals |
| ¹ Statistics to end of 2006 season | |
| Career Highlights | |
|
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Jason "Aka" Akermanis (born February 24, 1977) is an Australian rules footballer for the Western Bulldogs Football Club.
Akermanis was one of the Brisbane Lions' most experienced players. His flamboyant talents and bleach-blond hair make him easy to identify on the field. He has 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 coveted Brownlow Medal in 2001. Off the field, he is also very outspoken on issues concerning the Australian Football League and other codes, including famously threatening to switch codes to rugby union if the Lions signed former Kangaroos Football Club star Wayne Carey.[1] He is also a crowd favourite of Lions fans, being famous for his handstands following a winning match. Akermanis is fluent in Auslan, often using it to communicate messages to his wife and her (deaf) family during matches. He is also studying Spanish and intends to learn Japanese.
Akermanis was educated at St. Joseph's Nudgee College.
Akermanis is also known for his goalscoring abilities. He is a previous winner of the AFL Goal of the Year award and has an ability to kick goals from extraordinary angles. In a match in 2005, he kicked two goals within minutes of each other from almost the exact same spot: deep in the right forward pocket on the run.
His brash, over-confident demeanour often makes him a favourite target for abuse by some supporters of other clubs, although some others regard him as a colourful character and an antidote to the range of footballers who only speak in tedious clichés[2].
He co-wrote a book with Gary Smart titled AKA - The Battle Within, which was released worldwide.
[edit] 2006 season
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 he made about coach Leigh Matthews during the week and there was major speculation that his time at the club was up, only a few games after he won the 2005 Alistair Lynch Medal. (Brisbane Lions/Bears leading goalscorer)
However, Akermanis was soon recalled to the side and responded with 22 disposals across half-back in the game against Port Adelaide and gave a post-match interview to Channel Nine which showed him smiling and visibly happy with his performance.
On July 20, Akermanis was again dumped from the side after comments regarding his future at the club appeared in the Herald-Sun newspaper. According to a press release on the Brisbane Lions website, "Akermanis has caused great concern and has convinced us that he is not currently prepared to accept the team first attitude required of all our players". [3]
On July 27 it was reported that the coaching panel and senior playing group voted unanimously (12-0) to not allow him back into the club. On September 6, it was reported that the Western Bulldogs were in front in the race to sign Akermanis for the 2007 season. On September 15, Akermanis confirmed that he wanted to join the Bulldogs and it was then down to the Lions agreeing on the trade price,[4]which they did on October 9, when Brisbane Lions football manager Graeme Allan announced that the team had agreed to trade Akermanis to the Bulldogs. [1]
On the 13 October 2006 episode of Tough Love, Jason spoke about his move to Melbourne and looking for a house at present.
[edit] References
- ^ AAP. "Aker makes it to Bulldogs", FOX SPORTS Australia, 2006-10-09.
[edit] External links
- Jason Akermanis profile on WesternBulldogs.com.au
- Jason Akermanis Personal Website and Blog (On 8th August 2006, Aka has stated he is closing his website down.[5])
- Jason Akermanis statistics from AFL Tables
| Preceded by Chris Scott |
Brisbane Lions Best and Fairest winner 1999 (tied) |
Succeeded by Michael Voss |
| Preceded by Shane Woewodin |
Brownlow Medallist 2001 |
Succeeded by Simon Black |
| Preceded by Nigel Lappin |
Brisbane Lions Best and Fairest winner 2005 |
Succeeded by Simon Black |
