Surfers coach Matthew Lappin lauds Billy Beardsell’s courage, but it comes at a cost

Matthew Lappin has seen plenty of tough footballers across his 251-game AFL career, so see why a QAFL bull takes the cake, and why his absence will be so costly.

Matthew Lappin is the Surfers Paradise QAFL coach in 2024.

Matthew Lappin has seen plenty of tough footballers across his 251 game AFL career - think Byron Pickett and Barry Hall.

So who was Lappin describing when he said “he’s pound for pound the toughest player I’ve seen in my life”?

None other than Surfers Paradise QAFL talent Billy Beardsell.

Beardsell’s toughness may be one of his greatest attributes, but it’s also his kryptonite.

After breaking a collarbone in the final home and away round of the 2023 season and subsequently missing the finals, Beardsell is set for another six to eight weeks on the sidelines, having fractured his leg in a 15-point round four loss to Labrador.

Billy Beardsell celebrates a goal. Picture: Mark Wilson

“He’s a tough little bugger and he plays like he’s 110 kilos, but he’s not,” said Demons coach Lappin.

“He’s never gonna change, I’ve asked him to because whenever he’s out of the team it hurts us, but he’s not going to change, he’s just wired that way.

“He’ll always be tough little bugger and put himself in some positions where he can get those sorts of contacts.

“At a guess he’s 74, 75 kilos, he just throws himself in, he’s the biggest dog in the fight but he’s not built for a lot of the collisions that he’s in.”

Lappin praised the talent of Beardsell, lauding at how the bull terrier can takes hangers, kicks goals, and plenty of wins contested ball.

“We’ll miss him but it gives someone else an opportunity to step up,” he said.

Billy Beardsell clunks a mark.

Surfers have had a testing start to the season off the back of last year’s narrow elimination final defeat, and have a 2-2 record.

It was also the Demons second home defeat of the season a result which disappointed Lappin, especially off the back of a heartbreaking one-point defeat at the hands of Aspley in round three.

Surfers have been battling a number of other injury concerns throughout the early stages of the season, and have lost Isaac Cassidy and Nick Harrison to hamstring injuries, among several others.

“We play a game style that requires intensity and running and we have to red-line a few blokes to get to that point,” Lappin said.

“They’ll drip feed back into the side, a couple will come back this week, that’s just the way it goes.

He noted it was an 18 round season and “you just need your best players available when the whips are cracking”.

“The most important thing you need in your footy club is player availability, at any club you need the best player’s playing in your team.”

The Demons have also largely lost Josh Hall to a career opportunity, as he’s been picked up as the Gold Coast Suns high performance manager.

A versatile character, Hall played seven AFL games for the Suns and also earned himself a Panthers NRL contract but never cracked an NRL game, and was an athletics world youth championships high jump bronze medallist. He will still line-up for Surfers when he can.

The Demons will face Broadbeach at Neptune Homes Oval this Sunday.

The Cats have had a tough start to the season with just one win from three matches and are also facing significant injury struggles.