CAREER BRIEFPrevious Clubs: Bears/Southern Stingrays U18sDraft Details: Selection No.4 – 1992 National DraftAFL Debut: Bears v Nth Melb (MCG), Rd 1, 1993AFL Finals: 23CAREER HISTORYHaving missed much of the second half of 2005 with back problems, Leppitsch will be hoping off-season surgery will help him be part of an AAPT Brisbane Lions revival in 2006.The three-time All-Australian centre-half-back was headed towards a top-five finish in the Merrett-Murray Medal when disc trouble flared up suddenly after the Round 14 win over Melbourne at the Gabba. Try as he might, Leppitsch could not get back on the field but it is hoped September surgery will allow him to return to his best in 2006.Until the injury, the triple-premiership veteran had been contributing in his typically consistent manner in defence, punctuating a series of solid games with a couple of standout outings. He had 24 possession and six marks in the Round 1 win over St Kilda, another 15 touches and 10 grabs in a fine display against Essendon in Round 6 and played perhaps his best game of 2005 against Geelong in Round 13, amassing 25 disposals and nine marks.Leppitsch's importance to the Lions was underscored over the last eight weeks of the season, with a number of different options having to be tried at centre-half-back. Daniel Bradshaw has regularly deputised for Leppitsch during the last few years but was often needed in the forward line, meaning several players were experimented with in the key defensive post as the Lions slipped out of the finals race.Joel Macdonald and Tim Notting were both trialled as undersized replacements and Dylan McLaren also filled in for Leppitsch, despite having played little at centre-half-back in his time at the club. All three will be better served in more natural positions once Leppitsch is ready to return to the line-up.Fully fit and healthy, Leppitsch is among the very best key defenders in the AFL - a face he has proved beyond doubt over the last six years.Despite losing his two-year hold on the All-Australian centre-half-back position to Port’s Chad Cornes in 2004, Leppitsch remained a cornerstone of the grand finalists' defence along with Mal Michael. Indeed, Cornes said that he had modelled his game on Leppitsch after studying the way he plays – quite some compliment.Leppitsch was still good enough to finish top 10 in the club best and fairest voting in 2004, playing all but one of the 25 premiership matches.His high point of the season was the Round 7 clash against the Kangaroos when he took 12 marks and gained 25 possessions in a totally dominant display.He also contributed six goals for the season with the odd cameo up forward, a role he might well find himself playing more often as he approaches the age of 30.Leppitsch made plenty of headlines in the middle of the season when wife Christie was due to give birth to the couple’s first baby, with a guessing game as to whether he would play or not if Christie went into labour. Ava Louise arrived safely early in the week before the win over the Western Bulldogs, where Leppitsch played his 200th game.The skilful big man claimed All-Australian selection for the third time in 2003, being judged clearly the best centre-half-back in the league for two years in succession.So valuable is Leppitsch that many doubted the Lions could march on in the finals when he injured his shoulder against Essendon in Round 16 of 2003. Fortunately, Bradshaw deputised superbly, but Leppitsch’s presence was clearly a factor at finals time on his return.He was rarely beaten by any of the ‘gun’ forwards in the competition and kept his excellent record against All-Australian centre-half-forward Warren Tredrea in tact.He underwent a shoulder reconstruction in November 2003 and was only able to do gradual contact work through the pre-season, making his effort of playing 24 games in 2004 even more impressive.In 2002, he showed how adept he was in defence, but also when playing forwarded when called upon.He was nursed through the 2002 pre-season after a major knee clean-up, but started the season in sparkling form, kicking five goals in the second half of the opening game against Sydney after being beaten early at full-back by Barry Hall. Leppitsch handsomely beat Hawthorn star Nick Holland in Round 2 and was almost unbeatable at centre-half-back from there.Three times during the year he beat the AFL’s best centre-half-forward in the competition in Port’s Warren Tredrea, where he won most one-on-one contests.His biggest setback was when he was barrelled by Jonathan Brown in the last minute of training before the Round 9 clash with Fremantle and fractured a vertebrae in the back, ruling him out for a month. However, he missed just two games and returned in style against St Kilda in Round 11 with a quality display.He turned the Round 19 game against the Western Bulldogs on its head with two goals in three minutes early in the second half after being switched to full-forward, and beat Mark Stevens and Tredrea in the opening finals.Such was Collingwood’s respect for Leppitsch that they played regular centre-half-forward Josh Fraser deep in a pocket to keep the Lion out of the play as much as possible.He was comfortable in making a much longer contribution to the premiership cause than the previous year, when he was struck down by injury until two-thirds of the way through.But when he returned, he took on the best forwards in the business in the two most important finals of 2001 finals and won every duel, despite having been severely limited by a chain of hamstring injuries that robbed him of 14 games during the home and away rounds. He kept a lid on century goalkicker Matthew Lloyd during the opening half of the Grand Final at full-back, then shut down the red-hot Scott Lucas after halftime at centre-half-back. That came after he totally blanketed the league’s equal second leading goalkicker Matthew Richardson in the Preliminary Final.The forward he had his hands full with most was Tredrea, who worked his way on top of Leppitsch in the second quarter of the Preliminary Final. Such is the quality of the dimensions of Leppitsch’s game that he was moved forward in the second half and gave his side a vital lift as a marking target in the third term.Acting captain in the 2001 Ansett Cup Grand Final, Leppitsch tore his hamstring in Round 3 against Richmond and missed Rounds 4-5-6, and then 'did' it again in the final training prior to Round 7, missing another three weeks. He finally reappeared in Round 11 against West Coast and, after 15 minutes, did it again. He stayed in Perth for a week of intensive treatment from a trigger-point injection specialist and had two outings in the Reserves before resuming at AFL level against Richmond in Round 19. He slotted in as if he’d never been away, and was a key factor in the run to the flag, providing the extra ‘tall’ the side needed for match-up reasons.Given the physical and mental scars caused by repeat hamstring tears and strains, it was a remarkably resilient effort for the 26-year-old to play as well as he did.Leppitsch actually stamped himself as one of the elite players in the AFL in 2000. The young veteran made massive strides in a ’99 season in which he went from a talented but sometimes unpredictable full forward to the No.1 fullback in the game. He followed that up by finishing third in the Lions’ club champion voting in 2000 after blanketing many of the league’s best forwards. A few forays forward resulted in him kicking 11 goals for the season – 11th on the team list – not bad for a man who patrolled the last line of defence for most of the year.It wasn’t quite his best, but certainly his most memorable game of 2000 was the Round 14 clash against North Melbourne at Colonial Stadium when he lined up on superstar Wayne Carey. Carey kicked five first half goals, yet Leppitsch booted four of his own from centre-half-back and nearly helped his side steal the game after conceding 10 goals in the second quarter.He also showed tremendous character when, after having had the majority of Lance Whitnall’s nine goals kicked on him in the Round 16 clash against Carlton, he totally blanketed Whitnall in the semi-final loss to the Blues despite carrying a hamstring problem. Leppitsch also starred for Australia on the team’s end-of-season tour of Ireland, winning the first Test for his country by running forward unchecked from defence in a second half fightback.The Lions’ leading goal-kicker in 1997-98, he put behind him the horrific knee reconstruction of his 1993 rookie season, which cost him virtually two years of his League career before it had really begun. He re-affirmed the potential he’s always shown and the potential that was demonstrated when, as he came out of contract at the end of the 1997 season, he was approached by each of the rival 15 clubs before signing a long-term contract to stay in Brisbane.Originally from Berwick, on the southern outskirts of Melbourne - the same place as AFL games record-holder Michael Tuck (ex-Hawthorn) – Leppitsch was one of the best Victorian juniors of recent years, and was Brisbane’s 2nd selection, 4th overall, in the 1992 AFL National Draft.He played AFL football as a 17-year-old in 1993 while completing Year 12 at Kenmore High School, but after just four games he suffered what the club surgeon at the time described as one of the worst knee injuries he had ever seen and was virtually out of action for two years. He missed the remainder of the '93 season following a reconstruction, and played four more AFL games late in '94.Most comfortable at full forward but happy to play elsewhere, he played 17 games in 1995 to get his career back on track, and took another step up the ladder in ’96 when he became a key focal point alongside Roger Merrett and Alastair Lynch. At last a permanent fixture in the side, he finished second behind Lynch on the goal-kicking list with 45 goals despite missing six games with a broken thumb.With Merrett’s retirement and Lynch’s switch to the back line in 1997, Leppitsch took over as the No 1 forward, and, after a brilliant start to the year was selected in the Victorian State of Origin squad. Showing genuine leadership potential, he topped the Lions’ goal-kicking list, kicking his 50th goal for the year in the finals after posting his 100th career goal in Round 20. He twice won the Ansett Lions Player of the Month in 1997, finished 4th in the B&F award in a barnstorming finish, and was nominated for three other awards - Most Professional Player, 1%er of the Year, and Best Clubman.He was one of a large group of Lions players who had an up-and-down ’98 season, fighting a string of disruptions which never really allowed him to get into rhythm. He won the club’s goal-kicking trophy for the second year in a row, although his tally of 26 majors fell well short of his ’97 total. He kicked five goals against Hawthorn in Round 5 but missed Round 6 through suspension before a hamstring problem saw him miss Rounds 9-10-11. He started to find some touch on his return to jump to the top of the club’s goal-kicking list, but, in a surprise move, was given the job at fullback on Sydney’s Tony Lockett in Round 17. Battled admirably against the blockbusting “Plugger” and could hold his head up despite Lockett’s seven goals. Was suspended for two weeks following the Round 20 clash with Hawthorn – his second post-Hawks “holiday” of the year which ended his 1998 campaign.His meeting with Lockett was a forerunner of things to come, and when Leigh Matthews arrived at the club he quickly slotted Leppitsch into the fullback role. He settled quickly, as if born to the role, and had a season he could not even have dreamed of. He played all 25 games, including three finals, polled B&F votes in every single game to share the club champion trophy with Jason Akermanis, won his first Victorian State of Origin jumper, was chosen in the All-Australian side at fullback, and represented Australia against Ireland in the two-Test International Rules series.Barely were his colours lowered for even a quarter, let alone a full game, and by the end of the season he’d chalked up ‘wins’ against each of the prime full forwards in the game. He mixed resolute defence with his trademark flair, and with the likes of Heuskes, Chris Scott, Akermanis, and Steve Lawrence to form the No.1 defence in the League.CAREER HIGHLIGHTSVictorian & All-Australian Teal Cup (U17) 1992. Winner Southern Stingrays U18s B&F 1992, Winner Lions B&F 1999 (Merrett/Murray Medal), 4th 1997, 3rd 2000, Lions Best Finals Player 2000, Bears No.2 Goal-Kicker 1996, Lions’ Leading Goal-Kicker 1997-98, Lions Vice-Captain 2000-01, Victorian State of Origin Squad Member 1997, Victorian Origin Representative 1999, All-Australian 1999-2002-2003, Member Bears First Finals Side 1995, Member Lions First Finals Side 1997, Member Lions Ansett Cup Grand Final Side 2001 (Captain), Australian Representative v Ireland 1999, Member Australian Tour Party to Ireland 2000, Premiership Player 2001-2002-2003, Life Member 2002.