Nigel Lappin

Nigel Lappin
Personal information
Full name	Nigel Lappin
Date of birth	21 June 1976 (1976-06-21)
Place of birth	Corowa, New South Wales
Original team	Chiltern (T&DFL)
Draft	#2, 1993 National Draft, Brisbane Bears
Height/Weight	188cm / 87kg
Playing career1
Years	Club	Games (Goals)
1994–1996 1997–2008 Total	Brisbane Bears Brisbane Lions	61 (40) 218 (134) 279 (174)
Representative team honours
Years	Team	Games (Goals)
	Victoria
International team honours
2001	Australia	2
1 Playing statistics to end of 2008 season .
Career highlights
Brisbane Lions premiership player 2001, 2002, 2003 Merrett-Murray Medal 2004 Brisbane Lions captain 2007–2008

Nigel Lappin (born 21 June 1976) is a former professional Australian rules footballer.

Lappin was born in Corowa, New South Wales, but grew up in Chiltern, Victoria and was drafted to play for the Brisbane Bears in the Australian Football League in 1993, playing his first AFL game the following year. In 1997 he was a member of the inaugural Brisbane Lions team following the Bears' merger with Fitzroy.

A long, accurate kick, capable of running as a play maker throughout the whole match, he was recognised as a member of the group of players known as the "Fab Four", a group of highly skilled midfield players considered to be one of the major driving forces behind the Lions successive Australian Football League premierships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. An example of his courage was the 2003 Grand Final win, in which he played the whole match with a broken rib.

Lappin represented Australia in International Rules in 2001.

In 2004 he achieved a personal milestone in winning his first Merrett-Murray Medal. However his 2005 season ended prematurely when he broke his right ankle late in the season. Weeks into his comeback, the ankle was re-injured in a 2006 pre-season practice match, forcing him to miss the entire 2006 season.

Following the retirement of longtime captain Michael Voss at the end of 2006, Lappin was appointed co-captain of the club alongside Simon Black, Luke Power, Jonathan Brown, and Chris Johnson on 20 March 2007.

Retirement

On the 19th of August 2008, Nigel Lappin announced his retirement from professional football. After only being able to play 4 games in the 2008 season due to an Achilles tendon problem, Nigel decided it was time to draw a close on his career. "I'm really disappointed this season hasn't worked out for me," Lappin said at a Gabba press conference. "Every footballer wants the fairytale ending. It's hard to walk away from something that's been a really big part of your life, but I've got a family that will care for me."

In October 2008, Lappin joined the Geelong Football Club as an assistant coach.

Career highlights

Teal Cup

• Victorian & All-Australian U15 Schoolboys 1991
• Victorian Country & All-Australian Teal Cup (U17) 1993
• Winner Chiltern Best & Fairest 1993

Brisbane Bears/Lions

• Best & Fairest 2004
• Victorian State of Origin 1996, 1997, 1999
• First Brisbane-based AFL player to win Victorian State of Origin Selection
• Member Bears First Finals Side 1995
• Member Lions First Finals Side 1997
• Ansett Cup Grand Final Side 2001
• Brisbane Lions captain 2007
• Australian Asthma Sportsman of the Year 1998
• All-Australian 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004
• International Rules 2001,
• Premiership Player 2001, 2002, 2003

External links

• Butcher's boy to champion
• Nigel Lappin's statistics from AFL Tables

Awards
Preceded by Michael Voss	Brisbane Lions Best and Fairest winner 2004	Succeeded by Jason Akermanis
Sporting positions
Preceded by Michael Voss	Brisbane Lions captain 2007-2008 (shared with Simon Black, Luke Power, Chris Johnson (2007 only), and Jonathan Brown)	Succeeded by Jonathan Brown