Dyson Heppell
Encyclopedia
Dyson Heppell is an Australian rules football
er for the Essendon Football Club
in the Australian Football League
(AFL).
competition for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Named as Gippsland's captain for the 2010 season, Heppell also played for the Victorian Country side at the 2010 AFL National Under 18 Championships, where he was named in the All-Australian team. At 189 cm, Heppell played as a "line-breaking defender" for the first half of the 2010 season, while moving into the midfield for the second half of the season. After his move to the midfield, Heppell finished strongly in the Morrish Medal
count, which is awarded to the best and fairest player in the TAC Cup regular season, eventually tying for the award with Jackson Sketcher of the Sandringham Dragons, after achieving the maximum votes possible from rounds 13 to 17. Despite finishing the season sixth, both Gippsland and Heppell had an excellent finals series, with Heppell having 36 disposals in the elimination final and being best on ground in the preliminary final, and Gippsland made the TAC Cup Grand Final. Heppell, in a stark contrast to the rest of his season, had a relatively poor game, gathering only 20 touches, as the Power were outclassed by Calder Cannons
to the tune of 56 points.
, with some even claiming he would go as high as top three. Most speculation suggested that the Brisbane Lions
would select Heppell, who with his "silky" skills and raking left foot, models his style on the Lions' own Josh Drummond
. In the week before the draft, however, a rumour, which Heppell denied, began circulating that he was suffering from groin problems. Due to this, Essendon, which had the eighth selection, became interested in him, and Heppell spoke to new Essendon coach, James Hird
, days before the draft. Hird, who claimed he had been interested in Heppell for months, believed that Heppell would be selected well before Essendon had the chance to draft him, but when Heppell did slide back due to groin concerns, Essendon were only too happy to select Heppell, who had supported the Bombers as a child and had "idolised" Hird when he was growing up.
Heppell was awarded the first NAB Rising Star nomination for 2011 after recording 20 possessions in his debut AFL match, against the Western Bulldogs in round 1 of the 2011 AFL season.
In his first season, Heppell played every match of the home and away season and was described as a major contributor in helping Essendon make the finals. Throughout the year, and leading into the vote count, Heppell was widely considered to be the favourite for the Ron Evans Medal, awarded to the Rising Star of each season. He won the Medal, polling 44 of a possible 45 votes and became the first Essendon player to win the award. Heppell described winning the Rising Star Award as "a dream come true".
Australian rules football
Australian rules football, officially known as Australian football, also called football, Aussie rules or footy is a sport played between two teams of 22 players on either...
er for the Essendon Football Club
Essendon Football Club
The Essendon Football Club, nicknamed The Bombers, is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League...
in the Australian Football League
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League is both the governing body and the major professional competition in the sport of Australian rules football...
(AFL).
Junior career
Heppell began playing football with Leongatha Football Club, but played for Gippsland Power in the TAC CupTAC Cup
The TAC Cup is an under 18 Australian rules football representative competition held in Victoria, Australia. It is based on geographic regions throughout country Victoria and metropolitan Melbourne with each team representing 12 Victorian regions....
competition for the 2009 and 2010 seasons. Named as Gippsland's captain for the 2010 season, Heppell also played for the Victorian Country side at the 2010 AFL National Under 18 Championships, where he was named in the All-Australian team. At 189 cm, Heppell played as a "line-breaking defender" for the first half of the 2010 season, while moving into the midfield for the second half of the season. After his move to the midfield, Heppell finished strongly in the Morrish Medal
Morrish Medal
The Morrish Medal is an Australian rules football award.Formerly awarded to the Best and Fairest player in the VFL Under 19 competition , since 1992 the award has been given to the best player in the Victorian TAC Cup Under 18 competition.The Morrish Medal was named in honour of Tom Morrish, a...
count, which is awarded to the best and fairest player in the TAC Cup regular season, eventually tying for the award with Jackson Sketcher of the Sandringham Dragons, after achieving the maximum votes possible from rounds 13 to 17. Despite finishing the season sixth, both Gippsland and Heppell had an excellent finals series, with Heppell having 36 disposals in the elimination final and being best on ground in the preliminary final, and Gippsland made the TAC Cup Grand Final. Heppell, in a stark contrast to the rest of his season, had a relatively poor game, gathering only 20 touches, as the Power were outclassed by Calder Cannons
Calder Cannons
The Calder Cannons are an Australian rules football club from Melbourne, Australia.The club competes in the TAC Cup and fields squads in the U15, 16 and most importantly the U18s. The club was formed in 1995 after the need for two more metropolitan clubs...
to the tune of 56 points.
AFL career
Despite his performance in the Grand Final, Heppell was an impressive performer at the AFL Draft Camp, and was still touted by many as being a potential top five draft pick in the 2010 AFL Draft2010 AFL Draft
The 2010 AFL Draft consists of four opportunities for player acquisitions during the 2010/11 Australian Football League off-season. These are the Trade Week; held between , the National Draft; held on the , the Pre-Season Draft and the Rookie Draft .This is the first national draft to feature the...
, with some even claiming he would go as high as top three. Most speculation suggested that the Brisbane Lions
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions is an Australian rules football club which plays in the Australian Football League . The club is based in Brisbane, Queensland. The club was formed from the merger of the Brisbane Bears and the Fitzroy Lions in 1996...
would select Heppell, who with his "silky" skills and raking left foot, models his style on the Lions' own Josh Drummond
Josh Drummond
Josh Drummond is an Australian rules footballer in the Australian Football League. He is a rebounding defender with a raking and pin-point left shoe. He is also capable of playing on a wing....
. In the week before the draft, however, a rumour, which Heppell denied, began circulating that he was suffering from groin problems. Due to this, Essendon, which had the eighth selection, became interested in him, and Heppell spoke to new Essendon coach, James Hird
James Hird
James Hird is a former professional Australian rules footballer and the current coach of the Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League....
, days before the draft. Hird, who claimed he had been interested in Heppell for months, believed that Heppell would be selected well before Essendon had the chance to draft him, but when Heppell did slide back due to groin concerns, Essendon were only too happy to select Heppell, who had supported the Bombers as a child and had "idolised" Hird when he was growing up.
Heppell was awarded the first NAB Rising Star nomination for 2011 after recording 20 possessions in his debut AFL match, against the Western Bulldogs in round 1 of the 2011 AFL season.
In his first season, Heppell played every match of the home and away season and was described as a major contributor in helping Essendon make the finals. Throughout the year, and leading into the vote count, Heppell was widely considered to be the favourite for the Ron Evans Medal, awarded to the Rising Star of each season. He won the Medal, polling 44 of a possible 45 votes and became the first Essendon player to win the award. Heppell described winning the Rising Star Award as "a dream come true".
External links
- Dyson Heppell profile on essendonfc.com.au
- Draft profile on afl.com.au