Tom Lipson hopes to help end North Haven’s 32-year flag drought – three seasons after his fourth knee reconstruction
TOM Lipson has overcome four knee reconstructions and rejected retirement to help put North Haven Football Club on the verge of ending a 32-year A-grade premiership drought.
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TOM Lipson has overcome four knee reconstructions and rejected retirement to help put North Haven Football Club on the verge of ending a 32-year A-grade premiership drought.
The Magpies will play Morphettville Park at Alberton Oval in the Adelaide Footy League’s division four grand final this Saturday and are seeking their first A-grade flag since 1985.
Lipson, 27, has spearheaded their charge, booting an impressive 80 goals in 18 games this season to help the club finish as minor premier with just one loss.
But three years ago he was considering hanging up the boots, requiring a fourth knee reconstruction after North Haven’s last flag decider – a 51-point loss to underdog Westminster Old Scholars.
“It was shocking,” Lipson, of North Haven, says.
“We qualified first for that grand final and played a team that qualified fifth so we probably thought we had it won but we were shell-shocked.
“Doing my knee with 10 minutes to go meant it was a really s*** day.
“After that game I kind of told people at the club that I wasn’t going to play again – four was enough.”
Lipson, who had his first knee reconstruction at 19, was sidelined for all of 2015 and half of last year.
Yet he opted against pulling the pin because he was enthused by the club’s progress.
“Watching those guys play I thought ‘yep, I’ve got to get back and play with these guys, there’s something pretty special here’.
“I still don’t have great sideways movement ... but I think they (knees) are as good as they’re going to be.
“Whenever I go down with an injury or even a little niggle, everyone rushes out and makes sure I’m OK.”
North Haven has lost preliminary finals in each of the past two years and Lipson believes his side is ready to finally claim silverware.
“Hopefully we can put a smile on the face of a few older blokes who have been around for some really s*** years for our footy club.
“I’m excited to be back there playing and I really want to win a grand final with my mates.
“Plenty of people told me to stop playing after my second (reconstruction), my third and my fourth, so to get back and win a flag would be worth all the time off work, the rehab, time off footy and lonely nights on the side of the track.”