Nigel Lappin, a butcher’s son from regional Victoria became one of the most prolific midfielders the game has seen and achieved three premierships with the Brisbane Lions.
Lappin reflected with former Geelong great Jimmy Bartel on Channel 7’s Talking Footy podcast on his glittering career and the journey it took to being inducted into AFL’s Hall of Fame in 2016.
Known for being a no-nonsense ‘tough-nut’ in the middle, he credits this to his days of watching his uncles play ‘bush footy’ in his hometown of Chiltern.
“My first memory growing up as a Lappin was going to watch a Grand Final side with eleven Lappins playing,” Lappin said.
“I idolised my uncles in particular and grew up watching them play footy, they were all really good players.”
At 15 years old he started playing Senior football in his hometown.
“I was sort of fortunate enough that my Mum and Dad didn’t hold me back with that type of stuff," Lappin said.
"They wanted me to play against men as early as I could.”
Lappin believes the opportunity to play against men each week toughened him up. During those years he played in two local league finals, but only to lose twice.
In 1993, as the number 2 pick, he was drafted
“To be honest I was humbled to be drafted at number 2,” he says.
“I didn’t actually think I’d get drafted.
“In the end mate, it turned out it was the best thing for me moving to Brisbane. It was like a big country town anyway, away from the hype.”
Lappin would play 14 games in his debut season of AFL, 1994.
“The year that I came through there were probably seven or eight of the players that came through and played in the premiership teams together. We partied hard but at the same time we played hard.”
In his second year with the Bears, 1995, the Club made its first finals appearance.
“It helped shape us and give us a taste
He revealed Bears and former Bombers veteran Roger Merrett had a huge impact on the young players coming through and that he “was hard, but fair.”
A huge turning point in his career was when Fitzroy and Brisbane merged in 1996. Lappin admits he was disappointed at first, but it suddenly made travelling to Melbourne much more enjoyable.
“To have that support behind us when we came to Melbourne was enormous. It certainly helped us through those years when we were building that really good, successful premiership team,” he says.
In Brisbane’s era of dominance during the 2001-04 AFL seasons, Lappin was part of what
But he is adamant it was the group’s attitude as a whole that made them exceptional.
“What you can’t have any control over of the players is their formative years, obviously from zero to 17. That shapes your personality a fair bit and your behavioural traits. It’s trying to bring together guys like that to a really successful team,” he says.
“Just really proud
But Senior Coach, Leigh Matthews, was the one who brought them together and strove them to greatness.
“He was a fantastic manager of men. He really built autonomy in the group and said ‘look this is your group, take charge of where you want to go.’
Under Lethal Leigh everyone felt part of something and important to the team’s cause.
“He built that
“He coached with freedom. He really let the players express who they were.”
Matthews steered them to four consecutive Grand Finals between 2001-04. The Lions returned to Brisbane with three consecutive flags.
“2001, our first premiership, was probably the most special,” Lappin says.
“You came through playing with the same group of players you’ve been with since you were 17.
“The Club wasn’t that strong when I first got there, so to be able to turn things around in a reasonably short amount of time.”
2003 was the most stressful week of preparation for Lappin, as he was only cleared to play the Pies at the last minute.
Unbeknownst to the footy world, he was battling two broken ribs and a punctured lung and was desperate to prove he was right to play in his third, consecutive Grand Final.
Matthews put him through the most gruelling “fitness” test he’s ever experienced. He believes in the modern game, there is no way the ‘test’, of having someone tackle effectively spear tackle you from the side while going for a mark would ever be green-lighted.
Regardless, he showed his true grit and somehow managed to play in the 2003 Grand Final, as the Club made history becoming only the second team to win three-peat premierships.
That night, while on their way to celebrate, Lappin fondly remembers one of the most memorable sledges Matthews delivered.
“We hop into the lift and Leppa [Justin Leppitsch] turns to Leigh and said ‘You’d be nothing without
It was during his time in Brisbane, Lappin discovered what he wanted to do post footy life.
“I remember Leigh saying to me ‘Nige you’ve got all the attributes to be a decent assistant coach. You’ve got good empathy, you know the game reasonably well and you’ve got credibility.”
Since retiring from football in 2008, Lappin has been working as an assistant coach, alongside former teammate Chris Scott.
His four daughters all play AFL.
