Past Simon Atkins (1995-1996)

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Pick 32 in the 1995 Pre-Season Draft

 

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Wikipedia

Atkins played most of his football as a centreman, complementing a strong midfield that also comprised the Brownlow Medallists Scott Wynd and Tony Liberatore. This successful combination was one of the reasons that Footscray made it to the preliminary final in 1992 after having a season that took most experts by surprise (remembering that the club almost disappeared at the end of the 1989 season).

Atkins is best remembered as a consistent winner of the ball who had a great capacity to feed the ball out to team mates from tight situations with "quick hands". His best seasons were in 1991 and 1992. When Alan Joyce took over from Terry Wheeler at the end of round two in 1994, it soon became clear that Atkins was not an automatic selection for a midfield role, and he was traded to Fitzroy at the end of that season.

Holmesby and Main describe Atkins as "one of the side's best in its last two seasons" (talking about Fitzroy), and "at his peak ... he was one of the most productive midfielders in the competition". Another attribute he is remembered for is the ability to kick goals from one quick step at the 50 metre mark. His return of 76 goals in 127 games with the Bulldogs is a very good one for a centreman. He was also the last person to kick a goal for Fitzroy.

Statistics:

afl tables
footywire
final siren

 

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fullpointsfooty

After playing briefly with Wynyard, Simon Atkins was recruited by Footscray and made his VFL debut in 1987. Superb in the clinches and on heavy grounds, he was a prolific possession gatherer who used the ball extremely effectively, especially by hand. During the 1990 season he executed no fewer than 291 handballs to head the AFL's list. A Tasmanian state of origin representative, he twice finished second in the Bulldogs' best and fairest voting. After 127 games for Footscray, Atkins crossed to Fitzroy in 1995 and was a consistently conspicuous performer in 41 games during that club's final couple of seasons in the AFL. Between 1997 and 2000 he played 80 games for Werribee, winning the club's best and fairest award in his debut season. He coached Coburg in 2004 and in 2005 returned to Werribee as senior coach.

 

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Twins to have played VFL/AFL

Simon Atkins (Footscray 1987-94, 127 games; Fitzroy 1995-96)
Paul Atkins (Sydney 1992, 2 games)

 

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List of players to kick two goals from their first two kicks

• David Armour, Geelong, Round 8, 1974
• Simon Atkins, Footscray, Round 2, 1987
• Edo Benetti, Richmond, Round 8, 1961
• Nathan Bock, Adelaide, Round 5, 2004
• Randall Bone, Adelaide, Round 3, 1992
• Jeff Bruce, Fitzroy, Round 9, 1995
• Scott Cummings, Essendon, Round 14, 1994
• Michael Dunstan, Fitzroy, Round 1, 1993
• Ryan Fitzgerald, Sydney, Round 1, 2000
• Ilija Grgic, Footscray, Round 2, 1993
• Patrick Karnezis, Brisbane Lions, Round 13, 2011
• Ben Moore, Richmond, Round 11, 1996
• Matthew Pavlich, Fremantle, Round 5, 2000
• Andrew Pugsley, Collingwood, Round 4, 1998
• Brent Staker, West Coast, Round 17, 2003
• Mark Stevens, North Melbourne, Round 10, 1995
• Justin Stubbs, Essendon, Round 12, 1988
• Peter Tossol, Melbourne, Round 6, 1982
• Vin Waite, Carlton, Round 5, 1966

 

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1990 State of Origin: Tasmania

B:       M. Mansfield   B. Stephens   B. Macpherson
HB:      T. Spearman    J. McCarthy   M. Gale
C:       D. Pritchard   S. Clayton    G. Wright
HF:      D. Barwick     B. Gale       P. Hudson
F:       C. Alexander   S. Fell       A. Lynch
R:       J. Manson      [COLOR=Red][B]S. Atkins[/B][/COLOR]     T. Nichols
I:       S. Wade        D. Noonan
         S. Byers       D. Davies
Coach:   R. Shaw

 

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Interview

So, how did Footscray come to hear of you?

When I was 16 years old I was selected to play for Tasmania under Gary Davidson. I had been playing seniors for a few seasons at Wynyard. In my last season there, our coach was David Thorpe. He had Garry Merrington & Stephen Nash come over to watch myself & my brother Paul a few times. We signed form fours tieing us to Footscray. Paul was keener than I was to come across & he came here prior to Christmas in 1986 & I joined him in January 1987.

Did you always wear long sleeves as a kid?

Yes. As some of the guys got older they cut the arms off. I never bothered.

So, why did you leave the Bulldogs?

Joycey felt I was only a one-position player & decided to delist me.

So how did you end up with Fitzroy?

Thank Hawk for that. I had been training for 3 months with Collingwood, who were all set to pick me up via the PSD. Anyhow a day before the draft Leigh Matthews & Gubby Allen were walking towards me. When they saw me they separated & went different ways. I thought to myself, this doesn’t look good. As it turns out, a week before the PSD Collingwwod did some testing with Dermott Brereton & had decided to go with him.

 

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1992 review

DOUG HAWKINS reappointed on-field leader of Footscray with SIMON ATKINS as vice-captain …

Round 1 1995

But the yarn we like best is the one told by the Doggies' favourite son, Doug Hawkins when he played his first game for Fitzroy in 1995. Hawkins knew the first half against Essendon had been ugly but he didn't quite realise just how bad it was until walking off at half-time. When he looked up to see the scoreboard read Essendon 7.12, Fitzroy (blank) he commented to fellow Lions' first-gamer Simon Atkins that in all his Western Oval playing days he could never remember the scoreboard breaking down. "What do you mean?" asked Atkins. "Well, look, there's no score next to Fitzroy," said Hawkins. Noted Atkins: "That's because we haven't scored, you idiot."

 

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Fitzroy's last game

B:       Brett Chandler   Jarrod Molloy   Stephen Paxman
HB:      Martin Pike      Rowan Warfe     Shane Clayton
C:       John Barker      [COLOR=Red][B]Simon Atkins[/B][/COLOR]    Nick Carter
HF:      Brad Boyd (c)    John McCarthy   Chris Johnson
F:       Marty Warry      Simon Hawking   John Rombotis
Foll:    Matthew Primus   Matthew Dent    Scott Bamford
Int:     Peter Doyle      Jeff Hogg       Danny Morton
Coach:   Alan McConnel

Link

The following week September 1st 1996, saw Fitzroy's last and 1,928th match in the VFL/AFL. The players with the club emblem tattoed on their arms entered the ground through a banner displaying the names of every player who played 90 or more games for Fitzroy. Fitzroy lost by 86 points. Brad Boyd was the last captain, Simon Atkins kicked the last goal and Martin Pike was later voted the last Fitzroy Best and Fairest. A lone singer sang "Auld Lang Syne" as the last ever Fitzroy team departed the VFL/AFL competition, in which their club had been a participant in for the last 100 years.

 

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Old Lions snarl

• by: Glenn McFarlane
• From: Sunday Herald Sun
• August 26, 2006 11:30PM

Former Lion and Bulldog Simon Atkins, now coaching Werribee, recalled taking calls from his bank manager during the club's troubles wondering if he would be able to make his mortgage payments.

"I suppose at the end of the day it was put in the too-hard basket, I reckon they thought 'this is too hard to manage, let's push some players up to Brisbane and give them strength'. "

 

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Matthew Richardson picks his best Tasmanian 22

CENTRES

Simon Atkins
A great exponent of the handball in his days at Footscray and Fitzroy. I played against his twin brother, Paul, who played for the Burnie Hawks when I played for Devonport back in 1992.

 

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Jobe Watson, the new Simon Atkins?

Gets a lot of it, usual disposal is a handball, kinda slow. Though never rated highly enough.

I remember seeing the Axeman cut us up at the Western Oval one day.

Wheeler loved him. I wished he was playing for us.

Why did Joyce not like him?. could never understand how a player like him could fall out of favour with a coach.

Losing Axeman and recruiting Alan Jackovich doesnt look good for Joyce.

 

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Tasmanian side for 2006 (latest)
Tuesday, 17 October 2006

Simon Atkins:
Played with Footscray (Western Bulldogs) and Fitzroy from 1987 to 1996. Recruited from Wynyard, Atkins was a highly prolific possession winner who played the majority of his career in the midfield. He was regarded as one of Fitzroy's best in the clubs final two years in the competition, but did not make the trip to Brisbane in the merger and retired at the end of 1996.

When he and his twin brother Paul were both at Footscray they were renowned for playing tricks; Paul would often attend team meetings instead of Simon, sometimes without coaches or players being aware. Simon is now coach of the Werribee Tigers.

 

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Atkins the key to Werribee

CHIRNSIDE Park has been home to Simon Atkins for that long he surely must have his own set of keys. Certainly, he’s earned them. Atkins has been virtually a fixture at Werribee since he ended his days playing for Footscray in the mid 1990s.
He racked up four years as a player, another year as reserve coach before a two-year hiatus where he was a runner for the Western Bulldogs and spent another season as an assistant coach at Coburg Tigers.
At the end of the 2009 season, Atkins made his situation abundantly clear. He told the club if they wanted a full time coach they should advertise the position as he could not commit to a full time role.

Atkins re-appointed Tigers coach
14 Sep 09 @ 04:36pm

THE Werribee Football Club has announced that Simon Atkins will continue on as senior coach in 2010. The former Footscray and Fitzroy midfielder has been at the helm at Chirnside Park for five years taking the club to finals in three of those years including the 2005 Grand Final.

Coach Atkins parts ways with Werribee

• by: Paul Amy
• From: Leader
• August 12, 2010 2:36PM

SIMON Atkins is stepping down as senior coach of Werribee.
The Tigers' board has decided to make the coaching position full-time and Atkins says he can only serve in a part-time capacity.
The former Footscray and Fitzroy centreman has led Werribee for six seasons and will finish up after next weekend's Round 18 clash with the Casey Scorpions.
"I've got other things outside footy. I’m not getting in to full-time footy," he told Leader this afternoon.

Simon Atkins and Dean Laidley Join St. Bernard's
20 November 2011

St. Bernard's OCFC is pleased to announce the appointment of Simon Atkins to the position of Director of Football Development for the football club. Simon's role will incorporate responsibilities for the senior football club (assisting in the development of the coaching group, the development of the senior playing group and the implementation of the key elements of the senior coaching group's preferred game style to the reserve, U19 and U18 teams), the junior football club (assisting in the development of the junior coaches, focusing on skills acquisition for junior footballers commensurate with their age group) and the school football team.