Senior Eric Hipwood (2015-)

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Team of the Week Rd:13
Full Forward - ERIC HIPWOOD (Brisbane Lions): The exciting youngster gave a snapshot of what's to come in the future. Showcased his athleticism and booted two goals – one of which, he outran and wrong-footed his opponents before slotting the major.
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Kid has game! Should be very happy with Hipwood.

Also the rest of your academy Hipwood, Keays, Ballenden is a nice turn out you have going who is next on the agenda academy wise?
 
Jordie_tackles said:
Kid has game! Should be very happy with Hipwood.

Also the rest of your academy Hipwood, Keays, Ballenden is a nice turn out you have going who is next on the agenda academy wise?
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Think the difference now is the professional way we now manage these kids which hopefully keeps them at the club rather than them moving South. Hippy, Keays, Andrews, Ballenden all have the tools to help us get better. Providing the club looks after them, they will do just that.
 

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Young Lion's heroics not enough to stop Power
ALL eyes have been on the man expected to be Brisbane's forward of the future in recent weeks. But they may have been looking the wrong way.

In the 2015 draft, the Lions picked up two forwards with their first two selections. Pick 2 was Victorian Josh Schache, who many believed was the top prospect in the draft at 199cm and 98 kilograms.

A centimetre taller, 16 kilos lighter and 12 picks later was Eric Hipwood - the Queensland-bred Rafael Nadal lookalike who continues to show why he could be the player the Lions have been looking for.

It's not his raw stats, and it's not going to be that given the Lions' status as the bottom side on the ladder. But Brisbane did show plenty in Saturday's 18.13.121 to 12.9.81 loss to Port Adelaide - as did Hipwood.

The first of his two goals showed just how athletic he can be, drawing comparisons to superstar Lance Franklin in the process.

Hipwood outsmarted his man in a one-on-one contest, collecting the ball near the boundary line deep in the forward pocket. He then - like Buddy outrunning Cale Hooker - put on the jets before, on a tight angle, wrong-footing Tom Clurey and slotting the major.
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It was just another impressive outing from Hipwood, who earned a Rising Star nomination back in Round 5. He has kicked 17 goals in 12 games this season after bagging 11 in ten last year.
But it's what he could be that is most exciting. Still just 19 years old and with a frame begging for some size, Hipwood is only going to get better and more dominant.
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xplo said:
Whether he works out remains to be seen - it's never a given - but I can't remember the media taking about a lions player in these kinds of terms since maybe Browny in early 2001.
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Just enjoy his progress while he continues to excite us all. It is what it is now.... not what it could or could not be in the future
 
Forward We Go said:
Just enjoy his progress while he continues to excite us all. It is what it is now.... not what it could or could not be in the future
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Yeah I'm not suggesting anything else. Guys of his height so often struggle to get their body right before they're 25, - Gawn, Steph, etc - so I've been almost surprised he's played so often so far.

Generally our view of a young lion talent is well ahead of the media view of him. This is one where the media seems to be right there with us.
 
It's interesting some commentators saying he can't put on too much more weight or he'll lose his speed but he still has to get a lot stronger and his game will improve. Fitness as well.
 
xplo said:
Yeah I'm not suggesting anything else. Guys of his height so often struggle to get their body right before they're 25, - Gawn, Steph, etc - so I've been almost surprised he's played so often so far.

Generally our view of a young lion talent is well ahead of the media view of him. This is one where the media seems to be right there with us.
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The things he does are so freakish he is impossible to ignore.
 
jackess said:
It's interesting some commentators saying he can't put on too much more weight or he'll lose his speed but he still has to get a lot stronger and his game will improve. Fitness as well.
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I reckon about 10-15 years ago, tall skinny guys used to get to club, go nuts doing shoulder and bicep work, - looks good in a T-shirt after all - but then miss their first 3 years with back injuries, back-related hammies or worse.

We had a few. Luey, Pat Garner, Matt Tyler even Rog struggled through their early 20s.

I think clubs are better at getting them strong before letting them pile on the muscle. So far so good.


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He'll obviously get stronger and put on some muscle but I reckon at the end of the day he'll be closer in physique to Westhoff than Lynch.
 

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jackess said:
It's interesting some commentators saying he can't put on too much more weight or he'll lose his speed but he still has to get a lot stronger and his game will improve. Fitness as well.
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At the end of the day, his own body will have the last say in how he matures. Still 19 so got a few more years before we see the body he will have to play most of his footy. Weights , diet etc will help but his family gene's have a big say.
 
Another young star was Eric Hipwood, who booted four goals straight in yet another impressive display. The coach floated the prospect of playing Hipwood in defence.

"We'd like to see him develop into a player that can play in another position as well. Maybe at some time it would be good to see how he goes down back and how Harris Andrews goes up forward," Fagan said.

"We're still learning about our team. "Eric deserves to play so well because he trains so hard. I probably rate him as nearly our best trainer, in terms of intensity. It shows out in the game. "Credit to him for that because he wasn't like that before Christmas. He's sort of built to that over the course of the year."
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I agree with Coach Fagan on Hipwood being developed down back at some point to add to Eric's flexibility and I wouldn't even be surprised in years to come once he has a bigger tank on him to even play on the centre / wing and be that link between offence and defence.
 
Caloundra teen's a unique athlete, says ex-Lions stalwart
AFL: Brisbane 200-gamer Daniel Merrett believes there's no-one in the premiership like Eric Hipwood. The Lions teenager, from Caloundra, is in just his second season in the top flight but he's captured the attention of experts and fans with his enthusiastic approach.

A versatile goal kicker, he was nominated for the rising star award in April and he bagged four majors last weekend to propel his side to an unlikely victory over Essendon.

"What sets him apart is he's 204cm, which is ruckman height, but he's also agile and super quick so athletically there's probably no-one in the comp like him," Merrett said. "He's got all the attributes but he's also super competitive. "It's his willingness for the contest and to make life hard for his opponent."

Merrett believes the former Panthers junior was the most talented player to come out of Queensland since Nick Reiwoldt. He said he echoed the comments from AFL Academies manager Mark Browning.

"I've probably thrown Harris Andrews under the bus a little bit and someone like Dayne Zorko but I think from a pure talent point of view Eric's got some pretty impressive attributes," he said. Hipwood doesn't appear to have suffered from second-year syndrome in the AFL either. As a relatively unknown player in 2016, he caught plenty of opponents off guard.

Rival clubs now know what Hipwood is capable of but stopping him is another thing. "Last year what impressed everyone was the way he attacked the ball in the air and attacked the contest and I think he's maintained that this year," Merrett said. "And that's his big challenge this weekend against Geelong.

"They will try and hold him down and not let him jump at the ball because that's when he's most dangerous, when he's attacking the ball and going hard at the footy." "When opposing teams have tried to hold him down, he's been able to get off the leash a little bit and still attack the contest so I think his ability to adapt to that has helped him for sure."

Merrett, who retired last year and now plays part-time with the Panthers, said the AFL club should be keen to keep Hipwood on its roster for years to come. "He's a Queensland boy from Caloundra and the mighty Panthers so it's essential Eric stays at Brisbane Lions," he said.
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Crazys in the rising star thread trying to say C Curnow is better than hipwood... hope he tears them apart in 2 weeks
 

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Senior Eric Hipwood (2015-)

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