| Jason Akermanis | ||
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| Personal information | ||
|---|---|---|
| Full name | Jason Dean Akermanis | |
| Date of Birth | 24 February 1977 | |
| Place of Birth | Mildura, Victoria[1] | |
| Recruited from | Mayne Football Club | |
| Draft | NAT Zone Selection, 1994 Brisbane Bears |
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| Height/Weight | 177cm / 83kg | |
| Position | Midfielder | |
| Club information | ||
| Current club | Western Bulldogs | |
| Number | 21 | |
| Playing career1 | ||
| Years | Club | Games (Goals) |
| 1995-1996 1997-2006 2007- Totals |
Brisbane Bears Brisbane Lions Western Bulldogs |
38 (44) 210 (263) 40 (63) 288 (370) |
| ¹ Playing statistics to end of R21, 2008 season. | ||
| Career highlights | ||
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Jason "Aka" Akermanis (born 24 February 1977) is an Australian rules footballer who currently plays for the Western Bulldogs. Known for his outspoken nature, Akermanis made a name for himself as a Brownlow medal-winning and triple premiership player with the Brisbane Lions before leaving the club in highly controversial circumstances.
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Akermanis grew up in Victoria, moving to Queensland in his youth where he was educated at St. Joseph's Nudgee College and played football with the Mayne Football Club where he was spotted by Brisbane Bears talent scouts.
Akermanis was a solid contributor to the Brisbane Bears midfield (wing), with his pace and skills evident even early in his career. It was after the Brisbane Lions formed that he began to shine, bulking up significantly and a move to the forward line enabled him to make the most of his opportunities and develop a reputation as a goal sneak.
Akermanis became one of the Brisbane Lions' most experienced players. His flamboyant talents and bleach-blond hair and contrasting black beard make him easy to identify on the field. At the Lions he made his name as a speedy midfielder or on-baller with blistering acceleration and an uncanny ability to kick exceptionally well with either foot, talents which helped him win the AFL's coveted Brownlow Medal in 2001.
He was also a crowd favourite for Lions fans, being famous for his handstands. Following a winning match, he usually performed a handstand and kissed the ground, much to the delight of his home crowd. Since joining the Western Bulldogs he's agreed not to perform them any more. Akermanis is also known for his goalscoring abilities. He is a previous winner of the AFL Goal of the Year award and has an ability to kick goals from extraordinary angles. In a match in 2005, he kicked two goals within minutes of each other from almost the exact same spot: deep in the right forward pocket on the run.
Early in the 2006 season, Akermanis was dropped from the Brisbane Lions side for Round 7, playing a game with the Suncoast Lions. This coincided with inflammatory comments he made about coach Leigh Matthews during the week and there was major speculation that his time at the club was up, only a few games after he won the 2005 club best and fairest award.
However, Akermanis was soon recalled to the side and responded with 22 disposals across half-back in the game against Port Adelaide Power and gave a post-match interview to Channel Nine which showed him smiling and visibly happy with his performance.
On 20 July 2006, Akermanis was again dumped from the side after comments regarding his future at the club appeared in the Herald-Sun newspaper. According to a press release on the Brisbane Lions, "Akermanis has caused great concern and has convinced us that he is not currently prepared to accept the team first attitude required of all our players".
On July 27 2006 it was reported that the coaching panel and senior playing group voted unanimously (12-0) to not allow him back into the club. On September 6, it was reported that the Western Bulldogs were in front in the race to sign Akermanis for the 2007 season. On September 15, Akermanis confirmed that he wanted to join the Bulldogs and it was then down to the Lions agreeing on the trade price[2], which they did on October 9, when Brisbane Lions football manager Graeme Allan announced that the team had agreed to trade Akermanis to the Bulldogs[3].
Akermanis confirmed that he will retire at the end of the 2009 season.
Off the field, Akermanis is also very outspoken on issues concerning the Australian Football League and other codes.
Some of his controversies include:
Akermanis is fluent in Auslan, often using it to communicate messages to his wife and her (deaf) family during matches. He can speak Spanish and intends to learn Japanese. He is of Latvian descent.
His brash, over-confident demeanor often makes him a favourite target for abuse by some supporters of other clubs, although some others regard him as a colourful character and an antidote to the range of footballers who only speak in tedious clichés. He often appears on The AFL Footy Show.
He co-wrote a book with Gary Smart titled AKA - The Battle Within, which was released in 2003.
Akermanis is married to Megan Legge. They have two daughters, Charlotte and Sienna.
| Preceded by Chris Scott |
Brisbane Lions Best and Fairest winner 1999 (shared with Justin Leppitsch) |
Succeeded by Michael Voss |
| Preceded by Shane Woewodin |
Brownlow Medallist 2001 |
Succeeded by Simon Black |
| Preceded by Nigel Lappin |
Brisbane Lions Best and Fairest winner 2005 |
Succeeded by Simon Black |
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