Throughout this month, lions.com.au will be reviewing the seasons of all members of our current playing group. Today we take a look at Eric Hipwood.
#30 - Eric Hipwood
In his third year at the Club, Eric Hipwood produced his best season yet!
The 21-year-old played all 22 Senior games this season and he kicked 37 goals to come away as the Lions' leading goalkicker, ahead of second-placed Dayne Zorko by 11 goals.
Earlier this week, Zorko likened Hipwood to Sydney's superstar Lance Franklin for his dangerous capabilities at ground level.
While Zorko admitted that the 52-gamer still has plenty of growth until he would stand amongst the likes of Franklin, he was certain that with a few more
He had 82 shots at goal for the season, with accuracy troubling him at times.
Round 16 was arguably Hipwood's best performance of his career. He kicked a career-high six goals in the Lions' 65-point win over Carlton, the biggest winning margin he has witnessed during his time at the Club.
Another great performance came in the Lions' first win of the season against Hawthorn. Hipwood finished with 12 disposals, five marks and kicked a team-high four goals.
The young gun's spectacular efforts in Round 9 and 16 saw him poll a maximum three Brownlow votes on both occasions.
Hipwood polled more Brownlow votes than all of his teammates, bar Dayne Beams (18 votes) and Zorko (6), highlighting the exciting times that await as the Hipwood develops his game.
Coaches Comment – Jed Adcock, Forwards Coach
"Another consistent year. For a 20-year-old to have 80 shots at goals shows a lot of promise. We will be working on his accuracy next year to finish off better."
Senior matches: 22
