What are you up to these days?
I work for Musashi - we’re a health supplement company and actually sponsor a lot of the AFL teams with their supplement requirements.
I’m a sales rep so spend a fair bit of my time out on the road.
Fans got a chance to see you back in Lions colours in February as part of the NAB Cup Legends Game. How long had it been since you’d run out onto a footy field?
I kept on playing footy right up until I was 42, so it had only been around three years since I’d played a game. I’m 46 now.
Also I’ve been coaching along the way and doing a bit of training with the team’s I’ve coached which has kept me reasonably fit. So it was good fun to get back out there.
You spent five seasons at Fitzroy. What are your fondest memories of your time at the Club?
I really enjoyed my time at Fitzroy. We had a great bunch of young blokes who enjoyed some good times on and off the field.
On a personal note, I’ll always remember winning the 1988 Club Best & Fairest. I was only 21 years old at the time and had not long come over from Adelaide. It was definitely a highlight for me and still stands out to this day.
Do you still catch up with any of your former team-mates?
No, I don’t really see anyone.
I go to the footy occasionally when time permits. But I don’t really get time to catch up with anyone from any of my three clubs (Kappler also played for Sydney and Hawthorn).
You kind of get caught up in your own world with kids and their sporting commitments.
Footy was something that was a part of my life, but has finished now so you move on.
What have been the biggest changes you’ve noticed in the game since you played?
The game’s definitely changed.
It was more of a man-on-man style of footy back in the late 80s and early 90s when I was playing. It was definitely a lot harder to get a kick back then than it is now. But I sense that the wheel is starting to turn a little bit.
You can see that teams are starting to kick the ball longer a bit more often and they don’t seem to go backwards as much as they used to.
Do you have any kids hoping to follow their father’s footsteps?
I have a son, Sam, who’s currently playing footy for the Cheltenham Panthers. This weekend he’s representing the MSJFL in the U13s squad.
He’s not a bad little footballer, but he’s not a left-footer which annoys the hell out of me.
Hopefully he can go on to play one day, but he’s only 13 so there’s still a long way to go.
The Brisbane Lions are currently in the process of updating their database of past players and coaches. If you played a senior match with Fitzroy, the Bears or the Brisbane Lions (or know someone that has) and haven’t remained in contact with the Club, please email your phone and address details to melbourne@lions.com.au so that we can keep you in touch with any future events with past players.
