Tippett started off in the surf as a nipper at Miami on the Gold Coast, but it was the basketball court where Kurt first excelled, making numerous junior state teams. However, the young Tippett’s hoop dreams started to take a different course when as a 17 year old, student at All Saints College, he had a run around in the school’s AFL team with his mates.
That was towards the end of 2004 and now, just four years later, Tippett is being hailed as the next big thing in the heartland of AFL mad Adelaide.
Kurt’s AFL progress has been astounding from that first game of school footy, when Tippett ran around in a pair of sandshoes because he didn’t own a pair of boots, to kicking four goals for the Adelaide Crows in the 2008 NAB Cup Final. That performance earned Kurt second place in the voting for the Michael Tuck Medal for best player in the Pre-season grand final, as well as a spot in the following week’s Adelaide Crows round one game against the Bulldogs for his much anticipated AFL debut.
Tippett played 19 games with the Adelaide Crows helping them to fifth place on the ladder in the 2008 season. Along the way Tippet kicked 17 goals including four against Melbourne in round 8, earning him a nomination for the prestigious NAB Rising Star award.
The former basketballer has come a long way from playing his first game. Tippett enjoyed his humble beginnings and AFLQ hall of famer Troy Clarke liked what he saw too. Clarke, in his role as AFLQ Game Development Regional Manager, noticed the big kid running around in the schools competition and after just three games asked him to come and try out for the Gold Coast representative team, the Stingrays.
“Kurt was obviously raw with his skills but you could tell straight away that he had remarkable hands and always kept himself in the contest with his second and third efforts which is pretty rare for a guy of his size,” said Clarke.
Tippett was now on his way. Training twice a week with the Stingrays, he received a crash course in what AFL football is about and learned quickly. The Stingrays won the state championship that year and then it was on to the Southport Sharks. The Sharks were coached by Norm Dare and after a few reserves games, Dare took a chance with two metre tall youngster and selected him for the seniors. After just one game, Tippett went up against Jamie Charman who was returning to the Brisbane Lions team through their reserves in the QAFL. Although daunted by the challenge Tippett showed some of the characteristics that have since seen him mature into an exciting prospect at AFL level.
Tippett went on to play 10 senior games for the Sharks in 2005, winning an AFLQ Rising Star nomination, the Sharks Reserves Best and Fairest and Reserves Premiership. A very successful year in anyone’s books but more was to come for the basketball convert.
It was Norm Dare that sat down with Tippett at the end of the 2005 season and said if he put the hard work in, you never know where it might take you. Tippett had always wanted to play professional sport and decided to get fit by enlisting the services of a personal trainer.
Dare preached the values of hard work to Tippett at that stage.
“He was very raw at the time, but he had a great head on his shoulders and I told him that if he was willing to put the work in you never know where it may take him,” said Dare.
“To his credit he was always there before training and after training working on his kicking and his fitness. He is the sort of kid that will never get a big head, he has a wonderful attitude and a lot of determination.”
“He has done the hard work and it’s up to him now, how far he wants to go. I think he has the ability to turn into a very good ruckman,” said Dare.
Next for Tippett was a crack at the Queensland Under 18 state team, known as the Scorpions. Although missing the state camp with a broken leg, Tippett contacted Scorpions’coach Craig McRae to ask to be given a shot. McRae replied that Tippett was very much on the radar and to come down and try out once he got over his injury.
By this time Tippett was a regular in the Sharks senior team but took 10 weeks off to play practice games with what is now regarded as one of the most talented Queensland state teams ever. Tippett produced for the Scorpions, kicking seven goals in one game against a TAC cup team and earning a spot for the National Championships with the likes of Queensland teammates Ricky Petterd, Brent Renouf, Albert Proud and David Armitage. Queensland went on to win the National division two championships with Tippett the second leading goal kicker for his team.
Tippett is glowing in his praise of the Queensland coaching set up, led by head coach Craig McRae and forwards coach Alistair Lynch.
“Craig (McRae) was the first person to play me forward and with Lynchy (Alistair Lynch) gave me lot of great advice,” said Tippett.
Tippett went back to Southport and was part of their premiership team in 2006, he was then selected for the Allies which was made up of players from the National Championship division two players. The Allies beat a team from Victoria and Tippett got to play with Jack Riewoldt, Cyril Rioli and Mitch Thorpe to name a few.
In less than two years, Tippett had won a Gold Coast schools’ tournament, the Queensland State Championships with the Stingrays, the QAFL Reserves Premiership with the Sharks, the Best and Fairest for the Sharks reserves, an AFLQ rising star nomination, the National division two championships with Queensland, a QAFL senior premiership with the Southport Sharks, an Allies game against Victoria and now it was time to go to the draft camp and talk to AFL coaches about the possibility of being drafted.
Tippett traveled down to the 2006 draft camp to join the leading young prospects in the land, only to fall sick on the opening day and have to watch the testing. He did get to talk with representatives from most of the clubs in the AFL but was none to wiser to his chance of getting picked up in that year’s draft.
“I have heard of a lot of guys who thought they would be selected and then miss out, so I didn’t get ahead of myself,” said Tippett.
Draft day eventually came around and the young Gold Coaster sat at home with his family watching the event on the internet but the technology gods were not on his side.
“The internet kept dropping out, and I had to call up a mate and try and make out from him, if my name came up.”
“The first round went by and I was starting to think that I was going to miss out but then my friend said that he thought he heard my name.”
“He thought I was going to Freo’ and then he said Adelaide at number 32.”
“It was just amazing relief and Adelaide is such an amazing footy city,” said Tippett.
One of Tippett’s many phone calls that day was from Crow’s legend and All Australian Full Back Ben Rutten to wish his new young soon-to-be teammate all the best.
“Ben called to say congratulations and to be honest I didn’t have a clue who he was but of course made out that I did,” said Tippett.
After spending the rest of draft day with friends and family, Kurt was on a plane to Adelaide the next day where he was met by a healthy media contingent and members of the Adelaide football club including Neil Craig.
Tippett spent most of his first year in Adelaide injured, as first he injured his neck in a freak training accident and then after spending three months on the sideline came back and injured his shoulder. The shoulder, injured whilst playing for West Adelaide, required reconstructive surgery and ruled the young Gold Coaster out of the remainder of a nightmare first year.
It is history now that Tippett rebounded in scintillating style playing 19 games for the Crows in the 2008 season including a finals game against Collingwood and receiving a coveted NAB Rising Star nomination.
Kurt Tippett, the former nipper from Miami, is now a Gold Coast AFL star on the rise. Proof positive that AFL stars can come from any background if there is the determination and a strong work ethic.
