Leigh Matthews

Senior Coach Brisbane Lions
Leigh Matthews is a living legend in AFL football. He was perhaps the best player the game has seen, certainly one of the best, and is now renowned as a superstar coach and one of the most astute tacticians in the business.
One of just 15 Legends in the AFL Hall of Fame and a member of the "Team of the Century" chosen in 1996, Matthews boasts a record that speaks for itself in the loudest fashion possible.

And in a 1999 poll conducted by the Herald Sun, Australia's No.1 football newspaper, Matthews was named the "Footballer of the Century". He was chosen at No.1 ahead of Ted Whitten (2), Gary Ablett (3), Graham "Polly" Farmer (4), Wayne Carey (5), Ian Stewart (6), John Coleman (7), Tony Lockett (8), John Nicholls (9) and ex-Fitzroy favourite son Haydn Bunton (10).

Originally from Chelsea, on Victoria's Mornington Peninsula, as a player he was a real pocket battleship - a nuggetty rover in his early days and a powerful goal-kicking forward in his latter years, always playing the game in a fearless fashion and squarely committed to winning.

He played 332 games with Hawthorn from 1969-85, was captain for five years, played in four premiership sides, won a staggering eight Hawk B&F Awards, and was the club's leading goal-kicker six times and the AFL's leading goal-kicker once. That he was so successful personally in a club that was so successful in a team sense during his era underlined his quite extraordinary talents.

On his retirement Matthews was appointed assistant-coach at Collingwood in 1986, and replaced Bob Rose as senior coach three games into the season. In 10 years at the helm at Victoria Park he took the Magpies to the finals five times, and in 1990 was declared a hero when he masterminded a grand final win that broke the club's 32-year premiership drought.

He spent 1996-98 in the football media, and in 1998 he served "on the couch" with Channel Seven's hugely popular "Talking Footy" program while also being heavily involved in Seven's general football coverage. He wrote for the Herald Sun, and did radio work with Triple M.

Along the way he was 1997-98 coach of the Victorian State of Origin side, and in 1998 was coach of the All-Australian side that toured Ireland for a two-Test series against the Irish in "International Rules" - a combination of Australian Rules and Gaelic Football.

In August-September 1998 Matthews was lured out of "retirement" to re-join the roller-coaster ride of AFL coaching. Realising he missed the weekly challenge of the game he admits has been his "thing" throughout his life, he accepted a three-year contract as senior coach with the Brisbane Lions and the challenge to restore the respect which the young club had lost in a disappointing 1998 campaign.

AFL Career Details:

• Played 332 games and kicked 915 goals for Hawthorn from 1969-85.



• Won Hawthorn Best First-Year Player 1969.



• Was Hawthorn's games record-holder at the time of his retirement, and still ranks 2nd behind Michael Tuck. Is 11th on the all-time AFL list behind Tuck (426), Kevin Bartlett (403), Simon Madden (378), Bernie Quinlan (366), Bruce Doull (356), Paul Roos (356), Doug Hawkins (350), John Rantall (336), David Cloke (333) and Kevin Murray (333).



• Was Hawthorn captain 1981-85.



• Played 29 finals matches to rank equal 3rd in AFL finals appearances behind Michael Tuck (39) and Gordon Coventry (31), and equal with Wayne Schimmelbusch (29), Bruce Doull (29) and Chris Mew (29).



• Was a member of four Hawthorn premiership sides in 1971-76-78-83 and was premiership captain in 1983. Also played in three losing grand final sides in 1975-84-85.



• Won eight Hawthorn Best & Fairest Awards in 1971-72-74-76-77-78-80-82. Also was Runner-Up Hawthorn B&F 1975-81. Only Fitzroy's Kevin Murray and South Melbourne's Bob Skil