Angelo Lekkas (born 29 June 1976) is a former
Australian rules football
Australian football, also called Australian rules football or Aussie rules, or more simply football or footy, is a contact sport played between two teams of 18 players on an oval field, often a modified cricket ground. Points are scored by k ...
er who played his entire professional career with the
Hawthorn Football Club
The Hawthorn Football Club, nicknamed the Hawks, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Mulgrave, Victoria, that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL). The club was founded in 1902 in the inner-east suburb of Hawt ...
in the
Australian Football League
The Australian Football League (AFL) is the only fully professional competition of Australian rules football. Through the AFL Commission, the AFL also serves as the sport's governing body and is responsible for controlling the laws of the gam ...
(AFL). After a stellar year playing in the TAC competition with the Northern knights in 1993 and winning the best and fairest he was highly sought after by AFL clubs being a first round pick in the AFL draft and number 17 overall.
Early life
Lekkas was born to Greek parents and grew up in the northern suburbs of
Melbourne
Melbourne ( ; Boonwurrung/Woiwurrung: ''Narrm'' or ''Naarm'') is the capital and most populous city of the Australian state of Victoria, and the second-most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Its name generally refers to a met ...
. Raised by a single mother he has often attributed a lot of his success to his mother's strong personality.
AFL career
Lekkas was taken by Hawthorn at pick number 17 overall (Hawthorn's first pick) in the
1993 AFL Draft which was a trade for
Tony Hall (when Hall left the Hawks for
Adelaide
Adelaide ( ) is the capital city of South Australia, the state's largest city and the fifth-most populous city in Australia. "Adelaide" may refer to either Greater Adelaide (including the Adelaide Hills) or the Adelaide city centre. The dem ...
).
Arriving at the Hawthorn football club at a time of so many great premiership players meant that Lekkas would spend the first couple years in the reserves while the team would transition into a rebuild.
Lekkas blossomed under coach Ken Judge. starting his career in the seniors as a defender with some midfield glimpses. Lekkas then evolved his game to be one of the main midfielders in the Hawks team being a dynamic midfielder who would regularly kick goals.
In 1999, he was a Victorian state representative
In 2002, he represented Australia in the
International Rules
International rules football ( ga, Peil na rialacha idirnáisiunta; also known as international rules in Australia and compromise rules or Aussie rules in Ireland) is a team sport consisting of a hybrid of football codes, which was developed ...
series.
After a practice match in February 2005, Lekkas suffered an apparent minor stroke and was told he might never play again. Losing some coordination, Lekkas committed himself to a rehabilitation program and inside 3 months fully recovered.
He made a successful return to AFL football in round 14, 2005, against Geelong where he kicked 3 goals in the first half.
Lekkas shocked most at Hawthorn when he announced his early retirement from AFL football on 26 August 2005, his last game being played at the
MCG
The Melbourne Cricket Ground (MCG), also known locally as "The 'G", is an Australian sports stadium located in Yarra Park, Melbourne, Victoria. Founded and managed by the Melbourne Cricket Club, it is the largest stadium in the Southern Hem ...
against
Sydney
Sydney ( ) is the capital city of the state of New South Wales, and the most populous city in both Australia and Oceania. Located on Australia's east coast, the metropolis surrounds Sydney Harbour and extends about towards the Blue Mountain ...
on 27 August 2005. In his retirement speech he told the media that the Hawthorn Football club was a blessing in his life and when asked if he felt like the unluckiest man in the world he responded "for the good that has happened to me playing this game, i wouldn't touch it".
Lekkas finished his AFL career with 180 games and 120 goals to his credit and a career total of 14
Brownlow votes.
Ambassadorial roles
Lekkas was named the 2005 stroke foundation Ambassador and in 2007 awarded the Australian football league multi cultural ambassador.
Lekkas was selected to attend the 2005 Anzac presentation in Gallipoli, Turkey to represent the AFL along with legend Ron Barassi. His AFL role would also take him to South Africa in 2007, where he would oversee a program to encourage the growth of Australian football.
Return to Australian rules
After a period of disenchantment with the game, Angelo returned to work with the AFL in 2007 as part-time as a multicultural officer and AFL ambassador and also in a community liaison role at Hawthorn as part of the settlement with the club.
Present day
Lekkas now currently runs his own private sports tuition company with a focus on helping fast track young footballers overall development.
Saying that he is passionate about assisting in the development of the next generation of potential AFL players
Lekkas also runs a mortgage brokering company based in Collins street, Melbourne.
References
{{DEFAULTSORT:Lekkas, Angelos
1976 births
Australian rules footballers from Melbourne
Australian people of Greek descent
Hawthorn Football Club players
Victorian State of Origin players
Northern Knights players
Living people
Australia international rules football team players
People from Williamstown, Victoria