Jason Dean Akermanis (born 24 February 1977) is a former professional

Australian rules football Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an Australian rules football playing field, oval field, often a modified ...

player who played in the

Australian Football League The Australian Football League (AFL) is the pre-eminent professional sports, professional competition of Australian rules football. It was originally named the Victorian Football League (VFL) and was founded in 1896 as a breakaway competition ...

(AFL). He is a

Brownlow Medal The Charles Brownlow Trophy, better known as the Brownlow Medal (and informally as Charlie), is awarded to the best and fairest player in the Australian Football League (AFL) during the home-and-away season, as determined by votes cast by the f ...

list and triple premiership player who played for the

Brisbane Bears The Brisbane Bears were a professional Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, Brisbane, Queensland, now known as the Brisbane Lions. Granted a Australian Football League, Victorian Football League (VFL), licence in 1986, ...

Brisbane Lions The Brisbane Lions are a professional Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules football club based in Brisbane, Queensland, that compete in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. Brisbane are the ...

and

Western Bulldogs The Western Bulldogs are a professional Australian rules football club based in the Melbourne suburb of Footscray. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition. Originally named the Footscray F ...

Early life

Akermanis was born in

Mildura, Victoria Mildura ( ) is a regional city in north-west Victoria, Australia. Located on the Victorian side of the Murray River, Mildura had a population of 34,565 at the 2021 census. When nearby Wentworth, Irymple, Nichols Point, Merbein and Red ...

, to a Canadian father John Akermanis, and an Australian mother Shona Carswell, but moved to

Brisbane Brisbane ( ; ) is the List of Australian capital cities, capital and largest city of the States and territories of Australia, state of Queensland and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia, with a ...

at 9 years of age. Upon arriving in Queensland in 1986, Akermanis signed up to play for the Mayne under-10s side. When he was 13, Akermanis discovered that he was not the son of his mother's former partner, John Akermanis. His biological father was Denis Dezdjek, a mechanic from Mildura with whom his mother had had an affair. He was educated at Wavell State High School then at St. Joseph's Nudgee College and played football with the Mayne Football Club in the QAFL where he was spotted by

talent scouts. He completed year 12 at high school in 1995, during his first year with the Brisbane Bears.

AFL career

Brisbane Bears (1995–1996)

Akermanis was a solid contributor to the Brisbane Bears midfield (wing), with his pace and skills evident even early in his career. Akermanis made his debut in Round 4 of the

1995 AFL season The 1995 AFL season was the 99th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The league expanded to ...

, he had a solid debut, accumulating 19 disposals and kicking 1 goal in the Bears loss to Carlton. He played a total of 17 games in this debut season and kicking 12 goals. The

1996 AFL season The 1996 AFL season was the 100th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured six ...

saw Akermanis play 21 games and kick 32 goals for the season, he doubled his disposal count from the previous season to finish with 328 total disposals for the season. His season was highlighted with a 19 disposal & 6 goal effort against the West Coast Eagles in Round 17.

Brisbane Lions (1997–2006)

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 played 34 games across the 1997 and 1998 seasons and tallied 532 disposals and 32 goals.

1999 AFL season The 1999 AFL season was the 103rd season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured six ...

saw Akermanis have a breakout year, winning the

Merrett–Murray Medal The Merrett–Murray Medal has been awarded annually since 1997, to the player adjudged the Brisbane Lions club champion over the immediately preceding Australian Football League (AFL) season. It is named after Roger Merrett and Kevin Murray (Aus ...

as Brisbane's Best & Fairest player for the season. Jason gathered 469 disposals and booted 16 goals for the season. Akermanis became one of the

' most talented players. His flamboyant talents and bleached-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

in 2001 in which he polled 23 votes to beat Adelaide's Andrew McLeod. The 2001 season saw Jason tally 510 disposals and kick 28 goals for the season, ultimately capping off a magnificent week/season, finishing as a premiership player. The 2002 AFL season saw Akermanis impact the scoreboard by kicking 49 goals for the season, and becoming a premiership player again, as the Brisbane Lions defeated Collingwood in the decider. Akermanis played with a torn right adductor, in which he suffered early in the first quarter, this effected his ability to kick with his dominant right foot, resulting in Jason kicking on his left foot for the majority of the game, he eventually kicked a left foot snap over his shoulder late in the last quarter in which would be the sealer, guiding the Lions to victory. Akermanis is also known for his goal-scoring abilities. He was a winner of the AFL Goal of the Year 2002 award and had an ability to kick goals from acute angles. In a match in 2005, he kicked two goals within minutes of each other from almost exactly the same spot: deep in the right

forward pocket In the sport of Australian rules football, each of the eighteen players in a team is assigned to a particular named position on the field of play. These positions describe both the player's main role and by implication their location on the gro ...

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 that he made about the coach,

Leigh Matthews Leigh Raymond Matthews (born 1 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for Hawthorn Football Club, Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (1897–1989), Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached and the ...

, during the week, and there was speculation that his time at the club was up only a few months after he had 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 Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide city centre, Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is t ...

, and a post-match interview with Channel Nine showed him smiling and visibly happy with his performance. On 27 July 2006 it was reported that the coaching panel and senior playing group had voted unanimously (12–0) to not allow him back into the club.

Western Bulldogs (2007–2010)

On 6 September, it was reported that the

were leading in the race to sign Akermanis for the 2007 season. On 15 September, Akermanis confirmed that he wanted to join the Bulldogs. It was then down to the Lions agreeing on the trade price, which they did on 9 October, when Brisbane Lions football manager Graeme Allan announced that the team had agreed to trade Akermanis to the Bulldogs. At the end of the 2008 season, Akermanis made a statement that he would retire at the end of 2009 when his three-year contract expired, however he displayed excellent form at the start of the 2009 season, and later retracted his earlier comment about retirement. Western Bulldogs coach

Rodney Eade Rodney Eade (born 4 April 1958) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach in the Australian Football League. He is a former coach of the Sydney Swans, the Western Bulldogs and the Gold Coast Football Club. He has, to date, coached 377 ...

said he had not ruled out the possibility of extending Akermanis's contract depending on his performance for the rest of the season. He then signed with the Bulldogs for another year, hoping to play in a fourth premiership side. It is assumed his contract would be for substantially less pay than his previous deal, which is estimated at between $350,000 and $400,000 a year. In July 2010 it was announced that the Western Bulldogs had terminated Akermanis' contract due to the club's judgement that the two were on different paths. At the time of his sacking, he was one of only two former Brisbane Bears players left in the AFL, with the other being Daniel Bradshaw. He and Bradshaw were also the last remaining members of the Brisbane Lions inaugural 1997 list.

Post-AFL playing career

Akermanis began playing with the Glenorchy Football Club in the

Tasmanian State League The Tasmanian State League (TSL), colloquially known as the Tasmanian Football League (TFL), was the highest-level Australian rules football competition in the state of Tasmania. It disbanded following the end of the 2024 TSL season, 2024 season ...

in 2011 as well as playing a number of one-off games at various country clubs. In 2013, he became captain-coach of the

North Albury Football Club The North Albury Football Netball Club, nicknamed the ''Hoppers'', is an Australian rules football and netball club playing in the Ovens & Murray Football League (O&MFL). They are incorporated as part of the North Albury Sports Club licensed cl ...

in the

Ovens & Murray Football League The Ovens and Murray Football Netball League (OMFNL or O&MFNL) is an Australian rules football and netball competition containing ten clubs based in north-eastern Victoria, Australia, Victoria, the southern Riverina region of New South Wales ...

Over-40 Men's International rules coaching appointment

Akermanis served as coach for the Australian Men's over-40s team in

international rules football International rules football (; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed to facilitate international represe ...

Controversy

Akermanis threatened to switch codes to

rugby union Rugby union football, commonly known simply as rugby union in English-speaking countries and rugby 15/XV in non-English-speaking world, Anglophone Europe, or often just rugby, is a Contact sport#Terminology, close-contact team sport that orig ...

in 2002 if Brisbane signed former

Kangaroos Football Club The North Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Kangaroos or colloquially the Roos, is a professional Australian rules football club. The men's team competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), and the women's team in the AFL Women's (AF ...

star

Wayne Carey Wayne Francis Carey (born 27 May 1971) is a former Australian rules footballer who played with the North Melbourne Football Club and Adelaide Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A dual-premiership captain at North Melbourne ...

, and leaked to the media that teammate Nigel Lappin had broken his ribs during the 2003 preliminary final against Sydney. In 2007, Akermanis wrote a column about performance-enhancing drugs and his views on their presence in sport, which included comments that he believed a specific opposing player, whom he did not name, had been using the drugs based on how strong a runner the player was for his size. The

Seven Network Seven Network (stylised 7Network, and commonly known as Channel Seven or simply Seven) is an Australian commercial free-to-air Television broadcasting in Australia, television network. It is owned by Seven West Media, Seven West Media Limited, ...

and

Fairfax Media Fairfax Media was a media (communication), media company in Australia and New Zealand, with investments in newspaper, magazines, radio and digital properties. The company was founded by John Fairfax as John Fairfax and Sons, who purchased ''The ...

inferred and named the player as the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 and first competed in 1987 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known ...

' Michael Braun, damaging Braun's reputation and subjecting him to an investigation by the

Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority The Australian Sports Anti-Doping Authority (ASADA) was a Australian Government, government statutory authority tasked to protect Australia's sporting integrity through the elimination of doping in sport, doping. The authority was part of the D ...

, which cleared him of wrongdoing. Braun was ultimately awarded defamation damages against Seven and Fairfax, and received an apology from Akermanis, who conceded that he had been referring to Braun, and admitted that he had been wrong. In a May 2010 column, he wrote about homosexuality in sports, and expressed an opinion that he believed homosexual players should stay in the closet, as he did not believe football culture was at that time ready to fully accept them. Numerous people spoke out against his column, and the Western Bulldogs, who were worried about the negative publicity, suspended him for two matches for not having the column approved by the club before having it published. Akermanis would later be dismissed by the Western Bulldogs two months later, partly related to leaking confidential team information to the media as part of a media career which the Bulldogs believed was taking an undue amount of his focus. In a radio interview shortly after the death of former

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons or colloquially the Dees, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Melbourne, Victoria, Australia. It competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier comp ...

player and president

Jim Stynes James Peter Stynes OAM (23 April 196620 March 2012) was an Irish footballer who converted from Gaelic football to Australian rules football and the first international player to be inducted into the Australian Football Hall of Fame in 2003. ...

in 2012, Akermanis commented that Stynes was "a nasty man in his day", was treated as a "demi-god", and questioned his deservedness to receive a state funeral just two days after Stynes' death. In October 2014, Akermanis was suspended for four matches as head coach of the

after being found guilty of breaching the AFL Victoria cyber-bullying policy in regards to several umpires' decisions during the 2014 Ovens & Murray Football League season. By 2019, Akermanis had reportedly been banned by three golf clubs for alleged cheating incidents. Akermanis denied the clubs’ claims. In October 2023, Akermanis was featured in the reality TV show '' SAS Australia''. He left in the first episode due to what he claimed was a toe injury; however, medical personnel for the show disputed this claim. In November 2023, while working as a real estate agent, it was reported that Akermanis disclosed sensitive personal information about a survivor of

domestic abuse Domestic violence is violence that occurs in a domestic setting, such as in a marriage or cohabitation. In a broader sense, abuse including nonphysical abuse in such settings is called domestic abuse. The term "domestic violence" is often use ...

to a potential property buyer, among other ethical impropriety. Akermanis's ethical violation was reported by '' A Current Affair'' and print media.

Personal life

Akermanis is married to Megan Legge, a speech pathologist. They have three daughters. Akermanis learned

Auslan Auslan (; an abbreviation of Australian Sign Language) is the sign language used by the majority of the Australian Deaf community. Auslan is related to British Sign Language (BSL) and New Zealand Sign Language (NZSL); the three have descended f ...

to communicate with his wife's hearing-impaired parents. He also speaks

Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many countries in the Americas **Spanish cuisine **Spanish history **Spanish culture ...

Statistics

:Jason Akermanis' player profile at AFL Tables
/ref> , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1995 1995 was designated as: * United Nations Year for Tolerance * World Year of Peoples' Commemoration of the Victims of the Second World War This was the first year that the Internet was entirely privatized, with the United States government ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 35 , , 17 , , 12 , , 8 , , 101 , , 65 , , 166 , , 30 , , 15 , , 0.7 , , 0.5 , , 5.9 , , 3.8 , , 9.8 , , 1.8 , , 0.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1996 1996 was designated as: * International Year for the Eradication of Poverty Events January * January 8 – A Zairean cargo plane crashes into a crowded market in the center of the capital city of the Democratic Republic of the Congo ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 20 , , 21 , , 32 , , 14 , , 240 , , 88 , , 328 , , 76 , , 26 , , 1.5 , , 0.7 , , 11.4 , , 4.2 , , 15.6 , , 3.6 , , 1.2 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1997 Events January * January 1 – The Emergency Alert System is introduced in the United States. * January 11 – Turkey threatens Cyprus on account of a deal to buy Russian S-300 missiles, prompting the Cypriot Missile Crisis. * January 1 ...

, style="text-align:center;",

, 12 , , 17 , , 20 , , 17 , , 185 , , 65 , , 250 , , 67 , , 12 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 10.9 , , 3.8 , , 14.7 , , 3.9 , , 0.7 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1998 1998 was designated as the ''International Year of the Ocean''. Events January * January 6 – The ''Lunar Prospector'' spacecraft is launched into orbit around the Moon, and later finds evidence for Lunar water, frozen water, in soil i ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 17 , , 12 , , 11 , , 187 , , 95 , , 282 , , 51 , , 18 , , 0.7 , , 0.6 , , 11.0 , , 5.6 , , 16.6 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

1999 1999 was designated as the International Year of Older Persons. Events January * January 1 – The euro currency is established and the European Central Bank assumes its full powers. * January 3 – The Mars Polar Lander is launc ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 24 , , 16 , , 7 , , 331 , , 138 , , 469 , , 105 , , 36 , , 0.7 , , 0.3 , , 13.8 , , 5.8 , , 19.5 , , 4.4 , , 1.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2000 2000 was designated as the International Year for the Culture of Peace and the World Mathematics, Mathematical Year. Popular culture holds the year 2000 as the first year of the 21st century and the 3rd millennium, because of a tende ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 21 , , 26 , , 13 , , 322 , , 138 , , 460 , , 107 , , 36 , , 1.2 , , 0.6 , , 15.3 , , 6.6 , , 21.9 , , 5.1 , , 1.7 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

2001 The year's most prominent event was the September 11 attacks against the United States by al-Qaeda, which Casualties of the September 11 attacks, killed 2,977 people and instigated the global war on terror. The United States led a Participan ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 24 , , 28 , , 20 , , 332 , , 178 , , 510 , , 103 , , 60 , , 1.2 , , 0.8 , , 13.8 , , 7.4 , , 21.3 , , 4.3 , , 2.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

2002 The effects of the September 11 attacks of the previous year had a significant impact on the affairs of 2002. The war on terror was a major political focus. Without settled international law, several nations engaged in anti-terror operation ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 22 , , 49 , , 31 , , 297 , , 105 , , 402 , , 95 , , 90 , , 2.2 , , 1.4 , , 13.5 , , 4.8 , , 18.3 , , 4.3 , , 4.1 , -style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center;" ,

2003 2003 was designated by the United Nations as the International Year of Fresh water, Freshwater. In 2003, a Multi-National Force – Iraq, United States-led coalition 2003 invasion of Iraq, invaded Iraq, starting the Iraq War. Demographic ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 25 , , 28 , , 32 , , 350 , , 102 , , 452 , , 99 , , 84 , , 1.1 , , 1.3 , , 14.0 , , 4.1 , , 18.1 , , 4.0 , , 3.4 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2004 2004 was designated as an International Year of Rice by the United Nations, and the International Year to Commemorate the Struggle Against Slavery and Its Abolition (by UNESCO). Events January * January 3 – Flash Airlines Flight 60 ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 25 , , 44 , , 32 , , 390 , , 107 , , 497 , , 110 , , 63 , , 1.8 , , 1.3 , , 15.6 , , 4.3 , , 19.9 , , 4.4 , , 2.5 , -style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 2005 was designated as the International Year for Sport and Physical Education and the International Year of Microcredit. The beginning of 2005 also marked the end of the International Decade of the World's Indigenous Peoples, Internationa ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 21 , , 25 , , 22 , , 295 , , 146 , , 441 , , 71 , , 90 , , 1.2 , , 1.0 , , 14.0 , , 7.0 , , 21.0 , , 3.4 , , 4.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 2006 was designated as the International Year of Deserts and Desertification. Events January * January 1– 4 – Russia temporarily cuts shipment of natural gas to Ukraine during a price dispute. * January 12 – A stampede during t ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 12 , , 14 , , 15 , , 16 , , 194 , , 66 , , 260 , , 78 , , 40 , , 1.1 , , 1.1 , , 13.9 , , 4.7 , , 18.6 , , 5.6 , , 2.9 , -style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2007 2007 was designated as the International Heliophysical Year and the International Polar Year. Events January * January 1 **Bulgaria and Romania 2007 enlargement of the European Union, join the European Union, while Slovenia joins the Eur ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 19 , , 20 , , 17 , , 219 , , 80 , , 299 , , 91 , , 50 , , 1.1 , , 0.9 , , 11.5 , , 4.2 , , 15.7 , , 4.8 , , 2.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 2008 was designated as: *International Year of Languages *International Year of Planet Earth *International Year of the Potato *International Year of Sanitation The Great Recession, a worldwide recession which began in 2007, continued throu ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 25 , , 49 , , 28 , , 297 , , 132 , , 429 , , 142 , , 41 , , 2.0 , , 1.1 , , 11.9 , , 5.3 , , 17.2 , , 5.7 , , 1.6 , -style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2009 2009 was designated as the International Year of Astronomy by the United Nations to coincide with the 400th anniversary of Galileo Galilei's first known astronomical studies with a telescope and the publication of Astronomia Nova by Joha ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 24 , , 43 , , 35 , , 282 , , 189 , , 471 , , 124 , , 86 , , 1.8 , , 1.5 , , 11.8 , , 7.9 , , 19.6 , , 5.2 , , 3.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2010 The year saw a multitude of natural and environmental disasters such as the 2010 Haiti earthquake, the Deepwater Horizon oil spill, and the 2010 Chile earthquake. The 2009 swine flu pandemic, swine flu pandemic which began the previous year ...

, style="text-align:center;", , 21 , , 9 , , 2 , , 7 , , 79 , , 73 , , 152 , , 44 , , 27 , , 0.2 , , 0.8 , , 8.8 , , 8.1 , , 16.9 , , 4.9 , , 3.0 , - class="sortbottom" ! colspan=3, Career ! 325 ! 421 ! 310 ! 4101 ! 1767 ! 5868 ! 1393 ! 774 ! 1.3 ! 1.0 ! 12.6 ! 5.4 ! 18.1 ! 4.3 ! 2.4

Honours and achievements

*Team **

AFL premiership This page is a complete chronological listing of VFL/AFL premiers. The Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) until 1989, is the elite national competition in men's Australian rules football. The inaugur ...

(

** NAB Cup (

*Individual **

: 2001 ** AFL Goal of the Year: 2002 ** Merrett–Murray Medal (Brisbane Lions Best & Fairest): 1999, 2005 **

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perfo ...

: 1999, 2001, 2002, 2004 ** Brisbane Lions Leading Goalkicker: 2004 ** Western Bulldogs Leading Goalkicker: 2009

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Akermanis, Jason 1977 births Aberfeldie Football Club players All-Australians (AFL) Allies State of Origin players Brisbane Bears players Brisbane Lions players Brisbane Lions premiership players Brownlow Medal winners Glenorchy Football Club players Living people Merrett–Murray Medal winners Australian rules footballers from Mildura Mayne Australian Football Club players Western Bulldogs players Australian Football Hall of Fame inductees Australia international rules football team players People educated at St Joseph's College, Nudgee VFL/AFL premiership players Australian people of Croatian descent Australian rules footballers from Brisbane