Robert Copeland (born 26 May 1981) is a former Australian Football League footballer for the Brisbane Lions and former captain of the Aspley hornets in the NEAFL. He is a dual premiership winner (2001, 2003) and was delisted in 2008.
| Robert Copeland | |||
|---|---|---|---|
 Copeland at a training session in 2008 | |||
| Personal information | |||
| Full name | Robert Copeland | ||
| Nickname(s) | Bushie | ||
| Date of birth | 26 May 1981 | ||
| Place of birth | Redcliffe, Queensland | ||
| Original team(s) | Northern Eagles AFC | ||
| Draft | 66th selection, 2001 Rookie Draft | ||
| Height | 187 cm (6 ft 2 in) | ||
| Weight | 85 kg (187 lb) | ||
| Position(s) | Half back | ||
| Playing career1 | |||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) | |
| 2001–2008 | Brisbane Lions | 143 (39) | |
|
1 Playing statistics correct to the end of 2008. | |||
| Career highlights | |||
| |||
| Sources: AFL Tables, AustralianFootball.com | |||
Early Life and Junior Football
editCopeland was born in Redcliffe, Queensland and raised in Kilcoy.[1] He played his junior football with the Strathpine Swans in Brisbane's northern suburbs.[1]
Overlooked in successive AFL Drafts, Copeland was recruited to the Brisbane Lions through the 2001 Rookie Draft (QLD Zone) from the Northern Eagles and was elevated to the Senior list on 10 May that year after Michael Voss was placed on the long-term injury list.[1]
AFL Career
editCopeland made his debut for the Brisbane Lions in Round 9, 2001 against Adelaide. Copeland was regularly employed in a tagging role. Copeland's tagging job on Collingwood Captain, Nathan Buckley in the 2003 AFL Grand Final was considered a decisive influence in the Brisbane Lions win.
Copeland played 143 games for the Lions, usually as an automatic selection. However in September 2008 Copeland was delisted due to recurrent injuries and inconsistent performance.[2] After being overlooked in the 2008 draft Copeland was chosen to be the inaugural captain for new first division QAFL club Aspley Hornets.[3][4]
Statistics
edit G
|
Goals | K
|
Kicks | D
|
Disposals | T
|
Tackles |
B
|
Behinds | H
|
Handballs | M
|
Marks |
| Season | Team | No. | Games | Totals | Averages (per game) | ||||||||||||
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| G | B | K | H | D | M | T | G | B | K | H | D | M | T | ||||
| 2001 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 17 | 7 | 4 | 93 | 27 | 120 | 37 | 26 | 0.4 | 0.2 | 5.5 | 1.6 | 7.1 | 2.2 | 1.5 |
| 2002 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 17 | 3 | 3 | 74 | 36 | 110 | 25 | 32 | 0.2 | 0.2 | 4.4 | 2.1 | 6.5 | 1.5 | 1.9 |
| 2003 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 18 | 3 | 2 | 143 | 61 | 204 | 63 | 49 | 0.2 | 0.1 | 7.9 | 3.4 | 11.3 | 3.5 | 2.7 |
| 2004 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 25 | 2 | 3 | 179 | 93 | 272 | 80 | 66 | 0.1 | 0.1 | 7.2 | 3.7 | 10.9 | 3.2 | 2.6 |
| 2005 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 15 | 4 | 0 | 88 | 54 | 142 | 31 | 59 | 0.3 | 0.0 | 5.9 | 3.6 | 9.5 | 2.1 | 3.9 |
| 2006 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 17 | 1 | 0 | 134 | 85 | 219 | 65 | 38 | 0.1 | 0.0 | 7.9 | 5.0 | 12.9 | 3.8 | 2.2 |
| 2007 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 21 | 15 | 10 | 140 | 94 | 234 | 70 | 49 | 0.7 | 0.5 | 6.7 | 4.5 | 11.1 | 3.3 | 2.3 |
| 2008 | Brisbane Lions | 30 | 13 | 4 | 3 | 68 | 57 | 125 | 34 | 39 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 5.2 | 4.4 | 9.6 | 2.6 | 3.0 |
| Career | 143 | 39 | 25 | 919 | 507 | 1426 | 405 | 358 | 0.3 | 0.2 | 6.4 | 3.5 | 10.0 | 2.8 | 2.5 | ||
Achievements
edit- Brisbane Lions Rising Star Nomination 2001
- Brisbane Lions Best First Year Player 2001
- Brisbane Lions Premiership Player 2001
- Brisbane Lions Premiership Player 2003
References
edit- ^ a b c 2023 Queensland Football Hall of Fame – Robert Copeland 14 September 2023
- ^ "Brisbane Lions discard premiership player Copeland". AFL Website. 19 September 2008. Archived from the original on 22 September 2008. Retrieved 19 September 2008.
- ^ AFL Queensland: Copeland to inspire new club Aspley
- ^ Couriermail.com: Brisbane Lions stars Jamie Charman, Daniel Merrett to play practice match for Aspley
- ^ Robert Copeland's player profile at AFL Tables
External links
edit