When you think of tough football apprenticeships you think of Eric Hipwood.
A tall, skinny kid from the Sunshine Coast and Brisbane Lions Academy trying to find his way, playing the toughest role on the ground in a struggling Lions side without a lot of recognised support.
“It is really special, a kid from the Sunshine Coast and pretty foreign to footy when I was 13, to come through that pathway, the Lions academy and then to watch Queensland footy grow it is pretty special,” Hipwood said.
“I haven’t been injured too much on my journey and I’ve been lucky enough to be quite durable, during that time I was really grateful to be playing most weeks.
“I came into footy as a 13-year-old and I’ve learned a lot throughout the journey and I’ve been part of the build as a club, growing our values as a club and as players.”
The then 200cm 18-year-old was all of 88kg when he debuted in Round 13, 2016 as the Lions sat 17th on the AFL ladder with a 1-11 record ahead of only Essendon.
The Lions were coming off an 83-point hiding from 16th-placed Fremantle and playing alongside him as tall forwards were 18-year-old first-year player Josh Schache and 23-year-old Josh Walker, who was is in his first season in Brisbane following a trade from Geelong.
Even in his second and third years under Chris Fagan, Hipwood played in a winning side only 10 times in 42 games.
Yet, despite limited opportunities and limited support, three seasons and 52 games into his career the Sunshine Coast junior had done an enormous job.
He’d kicked 78 goals in the same period that the Lions’ #2 goal-kicker was midfielder Dayne Zorko with 68.
Fast forward five years and, despite a 10-month layoff from July 2021 to May 2022 due to a knee reconstruction, Hipwood will post his 150th game against St. Kilda at the Gabba on Saturday (4.35pm) as the best season of his career prepares for finals.
He will be Brisbane’s 32nd 150-gamer, the ninth-youngest at 25 years 347 days, and with 227 goals already, he will rank fifth for goals. Only Alastair Lynch (338), Jonathan Brown (307), Daniel Bradshaw (282) and Roger Merrett (271) have kicked more at the same point in their Brisbane career.
Significantly, now 203cm and 94kg, having worked tirelessly in the gym, Hipwood will be just the eighth Queenslander to play 150 games for the club behind Marcus Ashcroft, Matthew Kennedy, Michael Voss, Jason Akermanis, Daniel Merrett, Zorko and Harris Andrews.
Certainly the rangy #30 has more than justified the Lions’ decision to take him as an Academy selection with pick #14 in the 2015 AFL National Draft after Richmond had bid on him.
Despite his long knee layoff Hipwood will be sixth player from the Class of 2015 to reach 150 games, behind Sydney rookie Tom Papley (163), Daniel Rioli and Clayton Oliver (159), Jacob Weitering (155) and Callum Mills (153). Darcy Parish is listed to play his 150th this weekend.
Hipwood’s 150th game, which qualifies for automatic life membership at the Lions, will come after he kicked three goals against Collingwood last Friday night to take his 2023 season tally to a personal best 39, bettering his 37 goals in 2018.
His 39 goals, third on the Lions list behind Cameron (53) and Daniher (49), is 16th overall.
He will go into the all-important last game of the home-and-away season against StKilda one of nine Brisbane players to have played every game this year.
The others are co-captains Andrews and Lachie Neale, Joe Daniher, Charlie Cameron, Cam Rayner, Brandon Starcevich, Connor McKenna and Darcy Wilmot.
Hipwood is on an unbroken 37-game streak, having not missed since his return from knee surgery.
With 61 marks inside the forward 50m arc this year he ranks third in the League behind Geelong’s Tom Hawkins (71) and Curnow (66).
His 19 goal assists rank second for the Lions behind Hugh McCluggage’s 23 and is 19th in the League.
