Past Player - Kurt Tippett

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Kurt Tippett

(courtesy of betterthanu)​

draft06-Kurt-Tippett.jpg



Jumper No: 4​


Height: 201​


Weight: 97​


DOB: May 8, 1987​


Age: 20​


Recruited From: Southport- 2006 National Draft Selection #32​


Career Matches: 0​

SANFL Club: West Adelaide​




Honours:​


- Southport’s 2006 senior premiership side​


- U/18 Queensland Representative​


About:​
  • Forward/Ruckman who the Crows will want to develop into a full forward​
  • Was converted from basketball and has been playing footy for only 2 years​
  • Represented Queensland at basketball each year from U12s to U18s and was MVP in the U18 national championships grand final​
  • His standing vertical jump of 73cm would have put him at the top of the list at the draft camp​
  • Clocked 8.11sec for an agility run that would have ranked fifth at the camp (not bad for someone standing 200cm+)​
  • Ran 2.99sec for 20m sprint​
 
An article on Tippett written when he was drafted

Tippett tipped into AFL

ADELAIDE'S second draft selection, Kurt Tippett, is a prime example of Queensland's success in unearthing talent from rival sporting codes.

Tippett, 19, has only been playing Australian Rules for two seasons after excelling as a state under-18 basketballer.
But once the 201cm beanpole was introduced to the sport by his mate Ben Merrett - son of former Lions captain Roger - he was hooked.

"The love for the game made me switch," Tippett, who played in an AFLQ premiership with Southport this season, said.

"At a time when there wasn't a lot of basketball on and I was enjoying my football, it came down to me having to make the decision. I was having so much fun playing football so I stuck to that."

Weighing in at 96kg, Tippett is physically ready to mix it with men. Coupled with the extra tuition he has received from Merrett on ruckwork, he's confident of making an instant impact.

"I've noticed I'm a bit bigger than the other boys and I'm a bit older," noted Tippett. "Hopefully I'll be able to match it with the bigger boys."

One of a record 11 Queenslanders drafted, Tippett says there is more talent to be reaped up north.

"There's great (development) programs in place in Queensland now," said Tippett, who played for Queensland at the under-18 national championships.

"And there's lots of young talent coming through so hopefully more and more people get drafted."

Traditionally a rugby state, Queensland is now comfortable with the AFL's heavy influence, according to Tippett.

http://www.news.com.au/adelaidenow/story/0,22606,20831795-21544,00.html
 

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Note that the big K-Tipp is on the header of the aflq website!

www.aflq.com.au

Anyway, heres a few more articles.

Kurt's 'rocky road'

Friday 15 June 2007

Adelaide Crows' youngster Kurt Tippett is enjoying a little home 'R&R' on the Gold Coast while in the early stages of rehabilitation following a season-ending shoulder reconstruction. The Gold Coast Bulletin's NICK SMART reports today on the 'rocky road' he has travelled in his first year in the AFL. The story and photograph are gratefully posted here with the permission of the Bulletin.

Gold Coast product Kurt Tippett already has his sights set on next year and is looking at the positives after a dislocated shoulder ended his debut season last month.

The Adelaide Crows youngster is back on the Coast with his family ahead of tomorrow night's crunch match between his club and the in-form Kangaroos at Carrara.

Tippett, the 2006 Southport premiership ruckman-forward, dislocated a shoulder playing for West Adelaide in the SANFL.

The Crows decided he should undergo reconstructive surgery, which means he will miss the remainder of the year.

It was a bad time for Tippett's injury to occur, as he was close to forcing his way into the senior side.

He was next in line after fellow young Adelaide ruckman Jonathon Griffin broke down with an ankle injury at the same time.

But the 20-year-old said he has learnt a great deal in his first season in Adelaide, and the injury will only make him stronger.

"My goal now is to recover from my injury and work on some of my deficiencies over the next six months. My major goal is to have a really big pre-season and go from there," he said.

"After surgery I was given a couple of weeks off to come home, which was good both physically and mentally.

"Then I will head back to Adelaide and get stuck into the training."

This is the second major injury the rising star has suffered this year.

During pre-season training he collided with a teammate and cracked a vertebrae in his neck, which kept him out for six weeks.

But his neck is now 100 per cent healed, and he is expected to make a full recovery from his shoulder injury. It is not hard for Tippett -- whose younger brother Joel is a rookie with the Brisbane Lions -- to get motivated about returning to the fold. He experienced a taste of AFL football when he played three pre-season NAB Cup (pre-season) games for the Crows.

After playing against two of the best ruckmen in the league, Tippett is now hungry for more action and experience. He lined up for Adelaide against Melbourne at Mt Gambier, West Coast at Alice Springs and Fremantle at AAMI Stadium.

"I played against players like Dean Cox (Eagles) and played in the centre with players like Daniel Kerr and Chris Judd. It was just magic," he said.

"The first time I ran out on AAMI Stadium was against Fremantle and I was able to play against Aaron Sandilands."

Rather than being intimidated by the tallest man in the league, Tippett said it was a wonderful experience.

"I definitely enjoyed it, I loved it and I couldn't wipe the smile off my face," he said. "I was just on a high.

"It was a very high standard but you adapt to it once you're out there and it's all blur afterwards."

It was a big moment in November when Tippett, who hails from Miami, was taken by the Crows in the national draft at pick No.32.

He had never been to Adelaide and was heading to a place where he did not know a single soul. But he is enjoying his time at the club.

"It was definitely hard but at the same time it was a great opportunity to go down there and be with an AFL football club. So you've got to weigh it up," he said.

"They are a very professional club and they have helped me a great deal since I have been there. I look forward to getting back there and just improving my all-round game."

Tippett will meet up with his teammates at a training session at Carrara today.

http://www.velocitysports.com.au/default.asp?PageID=385
Click to expand...
 
With all this North Melbourne / Gold Coast 17th licence crap going on at the moment I hope the AFC sign Kurt up to a long term deal (3 years) as soon as he comes out of contract. 3 year until the end of 2011.

If the AFL enter relocate or enter a 17th side in 2010 we potentially could lose Kurt as he would be a very attractive recruit.
 
KURT TIPPETT

AFL Footballer - Adelaide Crows

At a Glance

From: Gold Coast
Born: 8 May 1987
Height: 200cm
Weight: 98kg

Key Statistics:

Recruited from: Southport
Draft Details: Selection #32 - 2006 AFL national
AFL Debut: -
AFL Games: -
AFL Goals:

Snapshot

Kurt Tippett is a powerhouse marking forward cum ruckman who hails from Gold Coast club Southport. A former standout basketball junior, he was drafted to the AFL less than two years after trading his "high-tops" for a pair of football boots, having combined outstanding well the ball skills and athleticism of basketball with the physicality, competitiveness and team environment of football. Rated the best contested mark in the country for a player his age by his Queensland U18 coach and Brisbane Lions triple AFL premiership player Craig McRae, he is a star in the making.

Season to Date

Missed six weeks' of training due to a non-displaced fracture of his neck suffered at training in December but less than two weeks after resuming he received a surprise call-up for his first run in the Crows senior side in the NAB Challenge against Melbourne in Mt.Gambier on 3 March, when he impressed teammates and club officials with a cameo role off the bench in the ruck. Also played against West Coast in Alice Springs as the club continued to give him a taste of AFL football. Opened the SANFL season in the West Adelaide seniors - the only 2007 draftee by either of the Adelaide-based clubs to play at senior level - and has been a good contributor.

Background

Kurt Tippett is a basketball convert who in two short years has emerged as a future star of the AFL. He was taken at No.32 in the 2006 national draft by the Adelaide Crows after being rated significantly higher by the powerhouse South Australian club and was so highly rated that less than a fortnight after relocating to Adelaide he was offered a three-year contract - above and beyond the standard requirement for new draftees of a two-year deal.

It's been a world-wind ride for the young man mountain, who at the end of 2004 was bound for a career in the Natonal Basketball League after stamping himself as one of Queensland's prime young prospects, having starred at the national U18 carnival, been a member of the Brisbane Bullets Talent ID squad, and toured the United States with the Queensland Academy of Sport team.

Born in Sydney but a Gold Coast resident since infancy, Tippett is a product of All Saints Anglican School, which also counts Australian cricket star Andrew Symonds and now retired swimming ace Giaan Rooney among its past student. And it was through a bunch of school mates and the the AFLQ independent schools competition that he was introduced to football early in 2005.

One thing led to another. Liking what he experienced, he was invited to join the AFL Queensland 'Rookie Search Progam' and leading AFLQ club Southport. After a handful of reserves games for the Sharks he found himself playing in the seniors at the Gabba against the Suncoast Lions, the reserves side of the Brisbane Lions. His opponent, no less, was rising ruck star Jamie Charman, who was returning from injury.

Tippett, a gifted natural athlete and fierce competitor, did enough to win an immediate nomination for the AFLQ Rising Star Award and earned rave reviews from a variety of good judges. Even then big things were predicted for him.

He played 10 AFLQ games as a ruckman with the Sharks and won the Reserves B&F before taking his football to the next level in 2006, starring for the Queensland U18s at the Australian championships and playing a key role in Southport's AFLQ premiership side, this time as a marking forward. He was Queensland's No.2 goal-kicker at the national carnival in Melbourne, where the Craig McRae-coached Scorpions won the division two title undefeated, and was Southport's No.2 goal-kicker in the AFLQ finals.

He also finished equal third in the voting for the AFLQ's Rising Star Award behind two All-Australian U18 choices - David Armitage, later drafted to St.Kilda in the first round, and Ricky Petterd, a Melbourne draftee who won the division two B&F medal at the national U18 championships.

Tippett, two years into a pharmaceutical degree at Griffith University when drafted, was later thrilled when younger brother Joel, also a basketball convert and a footballer of less than 12 months' experience, was taken by the Brisbane Lions as a rookie.
 
VELOCITY SPORTS NEWS

Crows have high hopes for Tippett

10 March 2007

Katrina Gill, for Adelaide Football Club, talked with Kurt Tippett for a story for the Crows website. She wrote:-

Injuries at West Lakes have resulted in a few Crows players being thrown in at the deep end over the pre-season. But at 201cm, budding ruckman Kurt Tippett can't help but stand tall.

Just two years ago Tippett toured colleges in the United States with the Queensland Academy of Sport team to pursue his dream of playing professional basketball.

But back in Australia after mates had roped the athletic giant into playing a few games for the school football team, Tippett quickly changed his goal from a hoop to white posts.

With only 20 games of footy under his belt, Tippett completed his rapid transition from promising basketballer to AFL player when he was taken by Adelaide at No.32 in last year's National Draft.

"It's sunk in now that I've been here a while but I had to keep pinching myself when I first walked into the club. It all happened pretty quickly," Tippett said.

But the talented big man soon realised he wasn't dreaming when he cracked a vertebrae during a training drill only weeks after arriving in Adelaide. "I didn't think I'd hurt myself so badly at the time but they sent me for x-rays just to make sure and it turned out I'd broken my neck. Mum freaked out. It took her a while to get used to me living away from home and then breaking my neck was a bit of a shock, but she's OK now," Tippett said.

The unfortunate injury confined the 19-year-old to a neck brace for six weeks but couldn't prevent him from making an encouraging debut in the Crows pre-season hitout against Melbourne. "I took a lot out of that game, even just experiencing the speed and fierceness of it in the middle. I know now what level I have to get to and will hopefully get a chance again this week."

Tippett defied the theory that "white men can't jump", impressing with his athleticism and competitiveness at ground level against seasoned ruckman Jeff White.

Weighing in at close to 100kg, Tippett already possesses an 'AFL' body, putting him years ahead of other ruckmen his age. Continued improvement and a wretched run of injuries to Crows big men could fast-track his ticket to the big time.

"Hopefully there's not a curse on the ruckmen, Tippett said with a laugh. "It's unfortunate those guys (John Meesen, Ivan Maric and Rhett Biglands) got injured but at the same time it provides experience and a good opportunity for me. I'm still not sure [my AFL debut] will happen yet but I'd love it to. We'll just take it slowly, week by week and see how it goes."

Even after playing state basketball for Queensland and training with NBL side Brisbane Bullets development squad, Tippett said the pre-season with Adelaide has been a giant step.

"I've actually struggled. My first year of football I didn't do a pre-season, didn't know what one was, then last year I fractured my leg, which kept me out for six weeks again so that was hard. This year I broke my neck so I haven't really got through a full pre-season, but hopefully there are plenty more to come.

"The hand-eye co-ordination and ball skills (involved in basketball) have put me in good stead for football but the fitness is a big difference. I'm still getting used to the long distances," Tippett said.

The promising teenager has not been short of help either on or off the track. Despite an eventful pre-season Kurt has made a home for himself at West Lakes and has been overwhelmed by the level of support he has received.

"The boys have all been great helping me settle in, especially the guys in the ruck (Jon Griffin, Ben Hudson and Ivan Maric) who help me out. I'm pretty close with them and also the young blokes who have recently been drafted, like James Sellar and David Mackay," Tippett said. "Football is obviously still developing in Queensland. It's getting a lot bigger but here it's like, 'Wow, they love their football'. It surprised me that supporters come out to watch training and are out the front waiting for an autograph when you finish."

Although Tippett has ditched his basketball career, he doesn't mind pitting his half-court skills against teammate and fellow convert from the round-ball Ivan Maric.

"We went to the AIS for a camp and got on to the basketball court but I was still in a neck brace and couldn't do much. I'm sure it will happen when Ivan gets his hip right."

It also gives the big man an excuse to slip back into the more comfortable knee-length shorts. "I used to wear big footy shorts at first but I've slowly come down to regulation size," Tippett said.

But there's no doubting his desire to pull on the Crows guernsey. "Footy is definitely the right decision for me," he said. "I've set all my goals around hopefully playing good football in the SANFL (with West Adelaide), then when I've proved my worth, getting a game with the Crows would be unreal."
 
VELOCITY SPORTS NEWS

Kurt Tippett: Into the Unknown

Saturday, 25 November, 2006

Kurt Tippett is heading off into the big unknown of AFL football - to a city he's never been to and where he knows not one single person.

Tippett, the former State junior basketball ace turned AFLQ premiership forward/ruckman, was claimed by the Adelaide Crows at No.32 in the 2006 AFL National Draft today.

One of a record 11 Queenslanders drafted, Tippett admitted it was all a little daunting but was "over the moon" at being picked up and being given the opportunity to play at the highest level.

"It's so exciting - you work so hard to get yourself into a position to maybe get drafted, but you never think it's actually going to happen until he does," he said. "I had thought about Adelaide and even Perth because I'd spoken a couple of times to the Crows and the West Coast Eagles - it's a long way from home but I would have gone anywhere just to get a chance to play in the AFL."

Tippett, who has only been playing football for two years, got news of his draft selection second-hand via close friend and Broadbeach AFLQ player Adam Hall.

"We were watching on the Internet at home and the computer froze so I had to ring a mate (Hall). It's fantastic - I still can t believe it's actually happened," he said.

The Tippett family - Kurt, father Tony, mother Janet, brother Joel (18) and sister Gretel (13) - swung into celebration mode. Their Miami home was inundated as well-wishing visitors, text messages and phone calls, including one from Crows coach Neil Craig, flooded in.

But there was no time for an extended party. He's on an early afternoon flight to Adelaide Sunday to begin life as an AFL player.

Craig McRae, former Brisbane Lions triple AFL premiership player and Tippett's Queensland U18 coach this year, forecasts an enormous future for the big 19-year-old.

"He's such an exciting prospect - a powerhouse - no doubt he's the best contested mark in his age-group in the country and yet he's still learning the game," McRae said. "He gets most of his goals from contested marks so wait until he learns how to get out more on the lead, how to position his body better, and how to pick up a few cheap ones.

"He's still very raw but his potential is enormous and he's kicked on so much during the year... he listens and learns all the time, he's very clever in the ruck and he's a fantastic young man to boot."

The AFL website agreed. "Kurt Tippett has enormous potential - given his recent transition to the game - and at 200cm is a tantalising key forward/ruck prospect. At No.32, Tippett could prove to be a beauty - long term," it reported in draft summary.

Tippett is a product of All-Saints Anglican College which also boasts among its sporting heroes Australian cricketing ace Andrew Symonds, swimming superstar Giaan Rooney and fellow AFL players Stephen Lawrence and Marc Woolnough.

Now studying pharmacy at Griffith University on the Gold Coast after working part-time as a Gold Coast lifeguard last summer, he is also one of the great success stories of the AFLQ junior development program.

Two years ago the 201cm 97kg giant was a budding basketballer. He'd represented Queensland each year from U12s to U18s and was MVP in the U18 national championships grand final when his side finished second. He had toured the US with the Queensland Academy of Sport, and was a member of the Brisbane Bullets talent identification squad.

A chance game of football in the AFLQ Independent Schools competition changed the sporting focus of the likeable teenager, who was born in Sydney but moved to the Gold Coast with his family as an infant.

"I really enjoyed it and at the time there wasn't a lot of basketball happening so I played Gold Coast Stingrays (AFL) with Troy Clarke (ex-Brisbane Bears AFL player, now AFLQ Gold Coast Development Manager) and had a great time," he said." It's just gone from there."

He was invited by AFLQ Talent Manager and ex-Sydney Swans captain Mark Browning to join the AFLQ Rookie Search Program, which is specifically designed to lure quality athletes from other sports. And that it did.

Next stop was powerhouse AFLQ club Southport. And after a couple of games in the Sharks reserves he left an indelible mark on the AFLQ competition in just his second senior outing - his first at the Gabba.

Playing in the ruck, the ultra-competitive basketball convert found himself opposed to the Lions' Jamie Charman, who was returning from injury, and Cameron Wood, and up-and-coming early draft choice. And he did well enough to earn a nomination for the AFLQ Rising Star Award and have local pundits predicting big things.

He played a handful of games in the ruck with the Sharks and was compensated for missing selection in the AFLQ grand final side that beat Morningside when he won the reserves B&F. For a first year in football it was quite extraordinary.

Season 2006 was even better. Eligible to play with the Queensland U18 Scorpions as an over-age player because he was a member of the Rookie Search Program, he was a standout performer at the national U18 championships, where he was the go-to man at full forward for coach McRae and his side s No.2 goal-kicker

He also finished as Southport s No.2 goal-kicker in the AFLQ finals behind dual century-goal-kicker and State full forward Ben McEntee, and played a key role in the Sharks come-from-behind win over the Zillmere Eagles in the grand final when swung into the ruck in the second half.

He was equal third in voting for the 2006 AFLQ Rising Star Award behind David Armitage, later drafted by St.Kilda at No.8, and Ricky Petterd, winner of the division two medal at the national U18 championships and later drafted at No.30 by Melbourne. The judges, no less, were two senior AFLQ officials, the eight AFLQ club coaches and five AFL recruiting scouts.

He also kicked four goals for the Allies in the annual U18 Challenge in Melbourne in AFL grand final week, before heading to the AFL Draft Camp in Canberra.

He was sick at the Camp and was unable to complete the testing but he did a limited testing program under the supervision of accredited university operatives in Brisbane on 6 November. Despite limited preparation due to a three-week period of inactivity following minor surgery to clear his nose he tested extremely well.

He produced a standing vertical jump of 73cm that would have put him at the top of the list at the camp, and clocked 8.11sec for an agility run that would have ranked fifth at the camp - an extraordinary result for a big man. He also ran 2.99sec for 20m - the quickest time by a big man easily - and ran a most respectable 13.2 for the shuttle.

Little wonder Adelaide recruiting manager James Fantasia liked what he saw: "Kurt in our opinion was a top-10 pick so to get him was very nice for us," Fantasia said. "We were astonished that he was still available at No.32. He's an outstanding athlete who has a couple of strings to his bow - up forward and in the ruck - and I just have a suspicion he's going to grab the opportunity with two hands and run with it. He's a great lad who has played in a premiership side at Southport ... a great pick-up."

And he's perhaps not the last of the Tippett family to break into the AFL scene. Joel, an 18-year-old 198cm ruckman, is a basketball convert like his older brother and in his one year of football he played 10 games in the Southport senior ranks and represented Queensland at U21 level.
 
what do you guys reckon about kurt?
how many games would you expect him to play this year?
should get a reasonably good run with hentschel injured and welsh out of the team
 
hendo8888 said:
what do you guys reckon about kurt?
how many games would you expect him to play this year?
should get a reasonably good run with hentschel injured and welsh out of the team
Click to expand...

Dont want to put pressure on him but HOPEFULLY he gets and stays fit 200cm tall around 100kgs and a great leap move over westoff


fingers toes and every thing else crossable crossed
 

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Crowman32 said:
VELOCITY SPORTS NEWS


Playing in the ruck, the ultra-competitive basketball convert found himself opposed to the Lions' Jamie Charman, who was returning from injury, and Cameron Wood, and up-and-coming early draft choice. And he did well enough to earn a nomination for the AFLQ Rising Star Award and have local pundits predicting big things.
Click to expand...

He scored a nomination in 2005 before he's even being drafted rucking against an AFL listed player and a very good young promising ruckmen...gun..
 
earlsta said:
Quote this in 10 months time, Tippett will be the best young player of 2008.

Rising star winner ;)
Click to expand...

Is he eligible to be nominated? Not at my normal computer, so don't have my spreadsheet handy. He was 20 when drafted, would be 21 by now. What's the cut-off age for rising star nominations?
 
Tippett is 20 years old right now so I'm pretty sure he'll be eligible.
McCrae said he was the best contested mark in his age group in the COUNTRY!

Really hope Tippett pushes on, Craig always seems to mention him.
I remember a few years back when Craigy used to mention young players...when they had just come to the club.

Van Berlo, Knights, Griffin, now Tippett.
Hopefully he's right once again.
 
Vader said:
Is he eligible to be nominated? Not at my normal computer, so don't have my spreadsheet handy. He was 20 when drafted, would be 21 by now. What's the cut-off age for rising star nominations?
Click to expand...

He's comfortably eligible.

To be nominated in any one year a player has to be under 21 by the 1 January of that year.

Tippett turns 21 on 08/05/2008
 
Anyone got any recent photos of him?
 
SpringChoke said:
Have you seen much of Tippert Mac?
Click to expand...

Only seen him 3 times in action Springy.

As others have said in the past, it's more his ruck work that impresses than his forward play. He palms the ball really well as a ruckman and is a top competitor. He seems far more comfortable as a ruckman.

Still, he has played very little footy in his life to date, so he could still well prove to be a good forward KPP.

I do like him as a footballer - raw but talented.
 
Tippett's photos are in training thread.
To compare his size with any AFL player I'd say...probably an 8cm taller version of Jonathan Brown :).
 
earlsta said:
Tippett is 20 years old right now so I'm pretty sure he'll be eligible.
McCrae said he was the best contested mark in his age group in the COUNTRY!

Really hope Tippett pushes on, Craig always seems to mention him.
I remember a few years back when Craigy used to mention young players...when they had just come to the club.

Van Berlo, Knights, Griffin, now Tippett.
Hopefully he's right once again.
Click to expand...


Just about mate.... He averaged 3 contested marks per game at the 06 Champs - the third-best of any 2006 draftee. He was the competition's No.1 inside 50 target (39 times he was the go-to man) and ended the carnival with 9 contested marks and 8 goals 2 behinds - both ranked in the top 5 of all players and coincidentally was a multiple goalkicker in all 6 games he played for the QLD U18's. He also booted 7.2 in the Rd 7 TAC Cup game against Dandenong. ;)

His scoring accuracy was an elite 83%, helped by the fact every one of his goals came via marks - so we know exactly what to expect from him but like McRae said, the exiting part will be watching him develop his leading skills and he is already formidable at ground level so this is quite a salivating prospect! I've seen a few of his games on t.v and a few in the flesh, and I was much more impressed with his ruckwork than what he did up forward. His body use is his standout feature, he has really learnt how to cash in on his 201cm frame and use it to the best of his advantage - I would suggest Basketball had much to do with this. Tippett is a fierce competitor and doesn't care who he is opposed to, he will always back himself in to win the contest - you can see that everytime he is near the ball and that is what I most like about him. :)

He is one of the young players I am most looking forward to seeing in 2008 and beyond :thumbsu:
 
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