Mark LeCras (born 30 August 1986) 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 for the

West Coast Eagles The West Coast Eagles are a professional Australian rules football club based in Perth, Western Australia. The club was founded in 1986 as one of two expansion teams in the Australian Football League (AFL), then known as the Victorian Football ...

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). He was predominantly used as a small forward, though he has occasionally played in the midfield. He won an AFL Premiership with West Coast in 2018, his last season. His father played senior football for in the

West Australian Football League The West Australian Football League (WAFL) is an Australian rules football league based in Perth, Western Australia. The league currently consists of ten teams, which play each other in a 20-round season usually lasting from March to September, ...

(WAFL), and his brother, Brent LeCras, played for in the AFL. His cousins,

Toby Toby is a popular, usually male, name in many English speaking countries. The name is from the Middle English vernacular form of Tobias. Tobias itself is the Greek transliteration of the Hebrew טוביה ''Toviah'', which translates to ''Good i ...

Ashley Ashley is a place name derived from the Old English words '' æsc'' (“ash”) and '' lēah'' (“meadow”). It may refer to: People and fictional characters * Ashley (given name), a list of people and fictional characters with the given name ...

and

Cory McGrath Cory McGrath (born 4 February 1979) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played with the Carlton and Essendon Football Clubs in the Australian Football League (AFL), South Fremantle in the West Australian Football Leagu ...

, also played senior football in the WAFL and AFL. He made his debut for West Coast late in the 2005 season, and played his first full season in

2007 File:2007 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Steve Jobs unveils Apple's first iPhone; TAM Airlines Flight 3054 overruns a runway and crashes into a gas station, killing almost 200 people; Former Pakistani Prime Minister of Pakistan, Pr ...

. LeCras kicked 58 goals in

2009 File:2009 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The vertical stabilizer of Air France Flight 447 is pulled out from the Atlantic Ocean; Barack Obama becomes the first African American to become President of the United States; 2009 Iran ...

and 63 goals in

2010 File:2010 Events Collage New.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2010 Chile earthquake was one of the strongest recorded in history; The Eruption of Eyjafjallajökull in Iceland disrupts air travel in Europe; A scene from the opening ceremony of ...

, leading the club goalkicking in both years. He won the club best and fairest in 2010, and was also named in the

All-Australian team The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...

. In

2017 File:2017 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: The War Against ISIS at the Battle of Mosul (2016-2017); aftermath of the Manchester Arena bombing; The Solar eclipse of August 21, 2017 ("Great American Eclipse"); North Korea tests a ser ...

, LeCras broke Phil Matera's club record for the most career goals by a small forward. In the same season he also became just the third West Coast player to kick 400 career goals, after

Peter Sumich Peter may refer to: People * List of people named Peter, a list of people and fictional characters with the given name * Peter (given name) ** Saint Peter (died 60s), apostle of Jesus, leader of the early Christian Church * Peter (surname), a su ...

and Josh Kennedy. He now works as a coastal reporter for Seven News Perth.

Early life

LeCras was born to Peter and Leonie LeCras on 30 August 1986. Originally from

Cervantes Miguel de Cervantes Saavedra (; 29 September 1547 (assumed) – 22 April 1616 Old Style and New Style dates, NS) was an Early Modern Spanish writer widely regarded as the greatest writer in the Spanish language and one of the world's pre-emin ...

, he began with the Cervantes Football Club in the Central Midlands Coastal Football League (CMCFL), but moved to

Perth Perth is the capital and largest city of the Australian state of Western Australia. It is the fourth most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a population of 2.1 million (80% of the state) living in Greater Perth in 2020. Perth is ...

to attend Prendiville Catholic College, playing with Whitfords JFC and Quinns, before returning to Cervantes after his graduation.Pick 37: Mark LeCras
– eaglesflyinghigh.com. Published 20 November 2004. Written by Danny Brockhoff. Retrieved 15 October 2011. He played for

Western Australia Western Australia (commonly abbreviated as WA) is a state of Australia occupying the western percent of the land area of Australia excluding external territories. It is bounded by the Indian Ocean to the north and west, the Southern Ocean to th ...

at the 2003 and 2004 Under-18 Championships, and was named in the 2004 Under-18

. He played colts football for in the WAFL in 2003 and 2004, and was named as a half-forward flank in the Team of the Year in both seasons. LeCras made his senior debut for West Perth against in round 20 of the 2004 season, and played two further games for the season, in rounds 21 and 23.

Career

Early career

LeCras was recruited by the

with the 37th pick overall in the 2004 National Draft. After spending the first half of the season with West Perth, He made his debut for West Coast in round 10 of the

2005 AFL season The 2005 AFL season was the 109th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season featured sixt ...

, kicking two goals and recording 12 disposals. He played one more game before being dropped back to the WAFL, where he played the rest of the season. He was recalled in 2006 for the Round 14 clash against Hawthorn, but only managed a total of 16 disposals in two games before being dropped and recalled for the Round 22 demolition of Richmond, where LeCras put in a surprise performance, booting 5 goals. LeCras placed fourth in the Sandover medal for the best player in the WAFL in 2006. The award was won by fellow West Coast Eagle player

Matt Priddis Matthew Harley Priddis (born 21 March 1985) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the West Coast Eagles in the Australian Football League (AFL). Prior to being drafted, Priddis won two premierships with the Subia ...

. He fought his way back into the team in 2007, and had a stellar season, kicking 36 goals for the season. In 2009, Mark LeCras kicked 58 goals in the home-and-away season, leaving him in

All-Australian The All-Australian team is an all-star team of Australian rules football in Australia, Australian rules footballers, selected by a panel at the end of each season. It represents a complete team, including an interchange bench, of the best-perf ...

contention. Ultimately he missed out on selection. In round 13, 2009, he scored his 100th AFL career goal in West Coast's 20-point win against Hawthorn at Subiaco Oval. For the overall 2009 season, LeCras became the most potent forward in the team kicking 30 goals in the first 12 rounds, and 58 for the season, topping the Eagles' goalkicking list. Marklecras

2010: All-Australian

In round 16 of 2010, LeCras kicked a personal best of 12 goals, doubling his previous record of 6, in an outstanding individual display against Essendon at

Etihad Stadium The City of Manchester Stadium in Manchester, England, also known as the Etihad Stadium for sponsorship reasons, is the home of Premier League club Manchester City F.C., with a domestic football capacity of 53,400, making it the 6th-largest ...

. It broke the previous record of 11 (kicked by

Stephen Milne Stephen Milne (born 8 March 1980) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). A small forward, he held the record for the most games played by a play ...

) for the most goals kicked by an individual in a game at the stadium. This was one of a few highlights in a dark season for the Eagles in which they won the

wooden spoon Wooden Spoon may refer to: * Wooden spoon, implement * Wooden spoon (award) A wooden spoon is an award that is given to an individual or team that has come last in a competition. Examples range from the academic to sporting and more frivolous e ...

for the first time in its history. The performance also earned LeCras 226 points in the Herald Sun Supercoach competition, the highest score for the 2010 season. LeCras later finished Third in the

Coleman Medal The Coleman Medal is an Australian rules football award given annually to the Australian Football League (AFL) player who kicks the most goals in the home-and-away season. It is named after Essendon full-forward John Coleman, one of the most ...

with 63 goals from 21 games, behind

Jack Riewoldt Jack Riewoldt ( ; born 31 October 1988) is a professional Australian rules footballer who plays for the Richmond Football Club in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is a three-time premiership player, a three-time Coleman Medallist, a ...

and

Barry Hall Barry Hall (born 8 February 1977) is a former professional Australian rules footballer who played for the St Kilda Football Club, Sydney Swans and Western Bulldogs in the Australian Football League (AFL). He is considered to be one of the be ...

. On 10 September 2010, LeCras was awarded the "prestigious" award of the West Coast Eagles Club Champion. On 13 September, LeCras was selected at forward-pocket in the 2010

, the only player from the West Coast Eagles in the team. He was also nominated as one of the three contenders for goal of the year for his effort against

Essendon Essendon may refer to: Australia *Electoral district of Essendon *Electoral district of Essendon and Flemington *Essendon, Victoria **Essendon railway station **Essendon Airport *Essendon Football Club in the Australian Football League United King ...

Round 16 Round or rounds may refer to: Mathematics and science * The contour of a closed curve or surface with no sharp corners, such as an ellipse, circle, rounded rectangle, cant, or sphere * Rounding, the shortening of a number to reduce the number ...

, one of twelve goals scored on the night, eventually losing out to

Lance Franklin Lance Franklin (born 30 January 1987), also known as Buddy Franklin, is a professional Australian rules footballer playing for the Sydney Swans in the Australian Football League (AFL). He previously played for the Hawthorn Football Club from 20 ...

for the award.

2011–2012: Midfield move and injury

After a strong pre-season, LeCras ruptured his

anterior cruciate ligament The anterior cruciate ligament (ACL) is one of a pair of cruciate ligaments (the other being the posterior cruciate ligament) in the human knee. The two ligaments are also called "cruciform" ligaments, as they are arranged in a crossed formation ...

(ACL) at a West Coast training session in February 2012, and was ruled out for the remainder of the season, opting to undergo a full

knee reconstruction Anterior cruciate ligament reconstruction (ACL reconstruction) is a surgical tissue graft replacement of the anterior cruciate ligament, located in the knee, to restore its function after an injury. The torn ligament can either be removed from ...

2015: Return to form and Grand Final Heartache

2015 would see Mark LeCras to form as a small forward. Mark went onto kick 45 goals for the season. In the 2015 AFL Grand Final between the West Coast Eagles Football Club and Hawthorn Football Club Mark would only kick one goal. Hawthorn Football Club won by 46 points. The 2015 would be Mark's first Grand Final appearance as a player. After being on the West Coast Eagles list when the West Coast Eagles lost the 2005 Grand Final and won the 2006 Grand Final. The 2018 Grand Final was Mark's second Grand Final appearance.

2017–2018: Later years and premiership

Against

Port Adelaide Port Adelaide is a port-side region of Adelaide, approximately northwest of the Adelaide CBD. It is also the namesake of the City of Port Adelaide Enfield council, a suburb, a federal and state electoral division and is the main port for the ...

in round seven of the

2017 AFL season The 2017 AFL season was the 121st season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

, LeCras kicked his 390th career goal, breaking Phil Matera's club record for the most goals kicked by a small forward. He kicked his 400th career goal in the round 17

Western Derby The Western Derby () is the name given to the Australian rules football match between the West Coast Eagles and the Fremantle Dockers, who both participate in the Australian Football League (AFL). As both teams are based in Perth, the capital ...

against

Fremantle Fremantle () () is a port city in Western Australia, located at the mouth of the Swan River in the metropolitan area of Perth, the state capital. Fremantle Harbour serves as the port of Perth. The Western Australian vernacular diminutive for ...

, in his 190th game, becoming only the third West Coast player to reach the milestone (after

and Josh Kennedy). LeCras had an improved season and defied many critics who thought he had nothing left to give. He finished his career on a high with being part of the West Coast Eagles' premiership winning team in 2018, and announced his retirement after the AFL trade period. In 2019, LeCras signed with West Coast's fierce local rivals,

, as a part-time specialist forwards coach, for the

2020 AFL season The 2020 AFL season was the 124th season of the Australian Football League (AFL), the highest level senior men's Australian rules football competition in Australia, which was known as the Victorian Football League until 1989. The season feature ...

Statistics

: , - style="background-color: #EAEAEA" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2005 File:2005 Events Collage V2.png, From top left, clockwise: Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf of Mexico; the Funeral of Pope John Paul II is held in Vatican City; "Me at the zoo", the first video ever to be uploaded to YouTube; Eris was discovered in ...

, , , 19 , , 2 , , 2 , , 0 , , 12 , , 1 , , 13 , , 7 , , 3 , , 1.0 , , 0.0 , , 6.0 , , 0.5 , , 6.5 , , 3.5 , , 1.5 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2006 File:2006 Events Collage V1.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2006 Winter Olympics open in Turin; Twitter is founded and launched by Jack Dorsey; The Nintendo Wii is released; Montenegro 2006 Montenegrin independence referendum, votes to declare ...

, , , 19 , , 4 , , 5 , , 6 , , 23 , , 12 , , 35 , , 15 , , 6 , , 1.3 , , 1.5 , , 5.8 , , 3.0 , , 8.8 , , 3.8 , , 1.5 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , , 2 , , 19 , , 36 , , 19 , , 122 , , 57 , , 179 , , 58 , , 43 , , 1.9 , , 1.0 , , 6.4 , , 3.0 , , 9.4 , , 3.1 , , 2.3 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2008 File:2008 Events Collage.png, From left, clockwise: Lehman Brothers went bankrupt following the Subprime mortgage crisis; Cyclone Nargis killed more than 138,000 in Myanmar; A scene from the opening ceremony of the 2008 Summer Olympics in Beijing; ...

, , , 2 , , 11 , , 23 , , 8 , , 87 , , 28 , , 115 , , 49 , , 8 , , 2.1 , , 0.7 , , 7.9 , , 2.5 , , 10.5 , , 4.5 , , 0.7 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , , 2 , , 21 , , 58 , , 26 , , 194 , , 98 , , 292 , , 87 , , 48 , , 2.8 , , 0.2 , , 8.6 , , 6.2 , , 14.8 , , 2.6 , , 1.6 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , , 2 , , 21 , , 63 , , 24 , , 213 , , 73 , , 286 , , 97 , , 36 , , 3.0 , , 1.1 , , 10.1 , , 3.5 , , 13.6 , , 4.6 , , 1.7 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2011 File:2011 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: a protester partaking in Occupy Wall Street heralds the beginning of the Occupy movement; protests against Libyan dictator Muammar Gaddafi, who was killed that October; a young man celebrate ...

, , , 2 , , 22 , , 47 , , 29 , , 237 , , 121 , , 358 , , 92 , , 86 , , 2.1 , , 1.3 , , 10.8 , , 5.5 , , 16.3 , , 4.2 , , 3.9 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2012 File:2012 Events Collage V3.png, From left, clockwise: The passenger cruise ship Costa Concordia lies capsized after the Costa Concordia disaster; Damage to Casino Pier in Seaside Heights, New Jersey as a result of Hurricane Sandy; People gather ...

, , , 2 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , , 0.0 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2013 File:2013 Events Collage V2.png, From left, clockwise: Edward Snowden becomes internationally famous for leaking classified NSA wiretapping information; Typhoon Haiyan kills over 6,000 in the Philippines and Southeast Asia; The Dhaka garment fact ...

, , , 2 , , 15 , , 30 , , 27 , , 191 , , 46 , , 237 , , 80 , , 46 , , 2 , , 1.8 , , 12.7 , , 3.1 , , 15.8 , , 5.3 , , 3.1 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2014 File:2014 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Stocking up supplies and personal protective equipment (PPE) for the Western African Ebola virus epidemic; Citizens examining the ruins after the Chibok schoolgirls kidnapping; Bundles of wat ...

, , , 2 , , 15 , , 30 , , 14 , , 175 , , 97 , , 272 , , 69 , , 63 , , 2.0 , , 0.9 , , 11.7 , , 6.5 , , 18.1 , , 4.6 , , 4.2 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2015 File:2015 Events Collage new.png, From top left, clockwise: Civil service in remembrance of November 2015 Paris attacks; Germanwings Flight 9525 was purposely crashed into the French Alps; the rubble of residences in Kathmandu following the Apri ...

, , , 2 , , 24 , , 45 , , 31 , , 284 , , 156 , , 440 , , 122 , , 66 , , 1.9 , , 1.3 , , 11.8 , , 6.5 , , 18.3 , , 5.1 , , 2.8 , - ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

2016 File:2016 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: Bombed-out buildings in Ankara following the 2016 Turkish coup d'état attempt; the impeachment trial of Brazilian President Dilma Rousseff; Damaged houses during the 2016 Nagorno-Karabakh ...

, , , 2 , , 23 , , 38 , , 27 , , 269 , , 107 , , 376 , , 127 , , 75 , , 1.7 , , 1.2 , , 11.7 , , 4.7 , , 16.3 , , 5.5 , , 3.3 , - style="background:#eaeaea;" ! scope="row" style="text-align:center" ,

, , , 2 , , 19 , , 32 , , 21 , , 190 , , 80 , , 270 , , 94 , , 45 , , 1.7 , , 1.1 , , 10.0 , , 4.2 , , 14.2 , , 4.9 , , 2.4 , - , style="text-align:center;background:#afe6ba;",

2018 File:2018 Events Collage.png, From top left, clockwise: The 2018 Winter Olympics opening ceremony in PyeongChang, South Korea; Protests erupt following the Assassination of Jamal Khashoggi; March for Our Lives protests take place across the United ...

† , , , 2 , , 23 , , 32 , , 21 , , 230 , , 101 , , 331 , , 89 , , 70 , , 1.4 , , 0.9 , , 10.0 , , 4.4 , , 14.4 , , 3.9 , , 3.0 , - ! colspan=3, Career ! 219 ! 441 ! 253 ! 2227 ! 977 ! 3204 ! 986 ! 595 ! 2.0 ! 1.2 ! 10.2 ! 4.5 ! 14.6 ! 4.5 ! 2.7

Personal life

LeCras married Emily Marshall in a private ceremony on 23 December 2011, with the reception held at Cottesloe Beach. They share two children.

References

External links

* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Lecras, Mark 1986 births All-Australians (AFL) Australian rules footballers from Western Australia Living people People educated at Aquinas College, Perth People from the Wheatbelt (Western Australia) John Worsfold Medal winners West Coast Eagles players West Coast Eagles Premiership players West Perth Football Club players Australian people of French descent One-time VFL/AFL Premiership players