Brisbane Lions players Jack Payne, Eric Hipwood and Carter Michael reflect on AFL journey

A trio of Brisbane Lions stars have opened up on their journey from the Sunshine Coast and reveal why they believe the region will produce many more AFL heroes in the future.

Brisbane Lions players Jack Payne, Eric Hipwood and Carter Michael.

Before bursting onto the elite stage, a number of Brisbane Lions stars honed their skills on the Sunshine Coast and have reflected on the pathways they took to reach the AFL.

Current Brisbane Lions listed players who originate from the Sunshine Coast include Eric Hipwood, Jack Payne, Carter Michael and Shadeau Brain.

Those names join a long list of Sunshine Coast AFL players such as Jono Freeman, Josh Drummond, Tom Fullerton and Sam Reid and AFLW stars such as Sharni Webb, Maggie Harmer, Bella Smith, Mikayla Pauga, Lily Postlethwaite, Shannon Campbell and Tahlia Randall.

AFL Queensland’s growth, participation operations manager Richie Lyons said he was ‘thrilled’ with how the game is progressing on the Sunshine Coast.

“Junior and youth footy has grown by 15 percent over the last couple of years and Auskick is flying having grown by 37 percent in 2023,” he said.

“We have more than 2,500 participants in junior footy alone and the Sunshine Coast is one of our strongest regions in the state with school participation, with a record amount of school teams entering into local competitions.

Richie Lyons. Picture: Grimes Film

“In 2024 we are launching an under 9 girls’ competition, which will complete the female pathway from junior footy all the way through to the QAFLW competition.

“Currently we have 15 players from the Sunshine Coast playing in the elite AFL and AFLW competitions and the Lions’ recent visit to the community only reinforces to the kids there that a professional career is possible.”

Speaking at their Sunshine Coast community camp on Wednesday, Hipwood, Payne and Michael reflected on their journey to the AFL.

Hipwood, a former Maroochydore State High School student and Caloundra Panthers junior said he was proud of the attention the rising Sunshine Coast players were receiving.

“I think the development of the game on the Sunshine Coast, especially in the last five years has been rapid,” he said.

“I think it’s a credit to the Lions academy and the pathway they’ve been able to create.

Eric Hipwood in action for Caloundra. Picture: John McCutcheon.

“It certainly wasn’t like that when I was coming through in the early days but to watch that program come to life and to have so many Queenslanders on our list is awesome.”

Hipwood was drafted in 2015 and has since played 153 games for the club.

“To be totally honest my parents drove me a lot to Brisbane from the Sunshine Coast to do a lot of training sessions and matches so to give that exposure to the Sunshine Coast will be fantastic for footy and hopefully we can have a few more players like the ones mentioned come through the ranks.”

Payne was a former Noosa Tigers junior and attended St Andrew’s Anglican College in Peregian.

“I’m not sure of the exact figure over the years but there’s probably been about ten Sunshine Coast academy kids that have found themselves on an AFL list,” he said.

“It’s definitely growing which is good and there’s no doubt the sport as a whole is growing throughout Queensland for both boys and girls.”

Noosa’s Jack Payne (left) attempts to tackle Zachary Neely in the Under 14 Division 1 Grand Final in 2012. Picture: Geoff Potter

Payne made his debut in 2020 and played his 50th AFL match in the 2023 grand final.

“Obviously Eric got drafted a couple years before me, young Carter Michael was a few years later and Shadeau Brain was a bit after him so we’re all sort of around a similar age group and I remember there were times when I was in the academy that we would all train with each other,” he said.

“It’s really cool we’re all on the list now and great to be back on the Sunshine Coast giving back to the local clubs, schools and community any way we can.
“The Tigers look pretty decent this year too with Dan Rich on board and Matty Leuenberger as the coach.”

Michael is one of the more recent Sunshine Coast juniors to have broken into the elite level after making his professional debut in 2022.

The 21-year-old labelled his debut match as the highlight of his career but has since suffered a series of injury setbacks which have kept him on the sidelines since July 2022.

“I’m on track to be back for round one so hopefully this year is better than the last couple,” he said.

“I’m feeling really fit at the moment and I start kicking in a few weeks which is exciting.”

The former Siena Catholic College student and Maroochydore Roos junior said he was looking forward to seeing more and more players from the region break into the AFL.

“The sport is definitely growing on the Sunshine Coast, there’s even a few schools now like Mountain Creek where Aussie rules is an actual subject,” he said.

Maroochydore Roos player Carter Michael in action. Picture: Russell Freeman.

“I’m really keen to start getting back here and even do some training with the local academy boys because there’s a lot of talent coming through the juniors, especially at my local club Maroochydore.”

Michael was also the teammate of current Richmond Tigers player Noah Cumberland.

He said it was a comfortable transition for him knowing there were other Sunshine Coast players in the Lions squad.

“We’re all pretty close us Sunshine Coast boys so hopefully we can keep adding more and more players in the next few seasons,” he said.

“I try and get back here as often as I can so I was absolutely thrilled when I heard the camp was on the Sunshine Coast this year and hopefully there’s a good turnout on Friday.”

The Lions will host their second open training session on Friday, January 26 from 8am at the Maroochydore Multisport Complex.