Simon Atkins

Infobox afl player


firstname = Simon
lastname = Atkins


| birthdate = Birth date and age|1968|12|23|df=y
birthplace =
originalteam = Wynyard
dead = alive
deathdate =
deathplace =
debutdate = 1987
debutteam = Western Bulldogs
debutopponent =
debutstadium =
playingteams = Western Bulldogs (1987, 1989 — 1994)

127 games, 76 goals

Fitzroy (1995- 1996)

41 games, 13 goals
coach = notcoach
coachingteams =
statsend = 1996
careerhighlights =

* Losing preliminary final side in 1992 (Geelong vs Bulldogs).
* Twice runners-up in best and fairest for the Bulldogs. Simon Atkins (born 23 December, 1968) was an Australian rules football player who played with Footscray from 1987 to 1994, before joining Fitzroy in its last two seasons as a club in its own right (it merged with the Brisbane Bears in 1997). He was recruited from Wynyard, Tasmania. He played most of his football as a centreman, complementing a strong midfield that also comprised the brownlow medalists 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.

External links

*

References

* Holmesby, Russell & Main, Jim (2002) "The Encyclopedia of AFL Footballers", Crown Content, Melbourne.