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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: R1 2008 - Adelaide Crows v Western Bulldogs, Telstra Dome (23 March 2008)
AFL Games: 43
AFL Goals: 72

AFL Finals: 3
AFL Finals Goals: 8

Statistics to end of the 2009 season.

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. Missed virtually his entire first season with the Crows in 2007 due to first a non-displaced fracture in his neck, and later a shoulder dislocation, but stepped up enormously in 2008 to star in the NAB Cup grand final loss to St.Kilda, kicking four goals and finishing runner-up in the Michael Tuck Medal as best afield. He went on to play 19 AFL games, including one final, and received a NAB AFL Rising Star Award in Round 8 after he kicked a career-best four goals against Melbourne. Won the award for 'Best Emerging Talent'  at the Crows' B&F dinner and, although under contract for 2009, signed an extension in November 2008 that tied him to the club until the end of the 2010 season. Stepped up significantly in 2009, joining the competition's extended group of the very best key forwards in the second half of the season and finishing second in Crows' goal-kicking tally with 55 from 24 games. Polled his first Brownlow Medal votes in '09 as he attracted massive media attention surrounding a report bid by the Gold Coast to lure him "home" in 2011, but on 2 October 2009 signed a new contract locking him into the Crows until 2012. On the same night he capped a stellar '09 season when he finished equal 4th in the Crows B&F. 

Season 2009

Signed a one-year contract extension over the 2008-09 off-season, locking him into the club until the end of the 2010 season, and enjoyed an excellent summer. Missed two weeks of the Crows' practice match campaign with a minor knee injury but began the premiership at full forward. Kicked three goals in Round 2 against St.Kilda and earned a Round 4 nomination for 'Mark of the Year' against Geelong before posting a career-best seven goals against Essendon in Round 11. Followed with five goals against Richmond at Carrara in Round 14 as media speculation grew that he would be a primary recruiting target for the new Gold Coast franchise. Posted his 50th AFL game in Round 16 against St.Kilda and jumped to the top of the Crows' goal-kicking list for the first time with four goals in Round 18 against Geelong. Elevated his performance level as the business end of the season approached, and kicked four goals in each of the last three games, including two finals, to finish with 55 goals for the season, second only to Jason Porplyzia on the Crows' goal-kicking list. Polled his first Brownlow Medal votes, with his seven votes from four games enough for him to rank equal third on the Crows' vote tally, and later finished equal 4th in the Crows B&F.

Season 2008

Had an incident-free preparation, which was a welcome contrast to the problems leading into 2007, and made an eye-catching first official appearance at AFL level for the Crows in the NAB Cup opener against Collingwood in Dubai, where he impressed at full forward and in the ruck.Played right through the NAB Cup series before starring in the NAB Cup grand final loss to St.Kilda, kicking four goals and finishing runner-up in the Michael Tuck Medal as best afield. Did more than enough to secure his AFL debut in round 1 against the Western Bulldogs and has been a valuable contributor through the Crows' encouraging start to the season - both at full forward and in the ruck. Kicked four goals against Melbourne in Round 8 to win a nomination for the NAB AFL Rising Star Award. Continued to be a valuable player up forward and in the ruck until the customary first-year fatigue set in and he was omitted in Round 18. Was recalled in round 22 and retained his spot for the club's one and only final against Collingwood. Won the award for 'Best Emerging Talent' at the Crows B&F dinner.

Season 2007 in Review

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 was a good contributor until he suffered a dislocated shoulder in May, ending his season.

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.First session with the Crows

It's been a whirlwind 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 students. 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 and now studying commerce, 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 2007-08 rookie. He was subsequently retained as a rookie for season 2009.

 Kurt Tippett's AFL Career
At a Glance

Year

Games

Goals

Awards

2008

19

17

Crows Emerging Talent Award; AFL Rising Star Nomination

2009

24

55

Equal 4th Crows B&F, 2nd Crows Goal-Kicking; 3rd AFLCA Best Young Player

Total

43

72

 

Full Statistics - Game by Game

 

Kurt Tippett News File

 

 

 

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