Clinton "Clint" Bizzell (born 28 June 1976) is a former professional

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 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 ...

Early life

The son of Robin Bizzell a

QAFL The Queensland Australian Football League (QAFL) is an Australian rules football competition organised by the AFL Queensland, contested by clubs from South East Queensland. Previously known as the Queensland Football League (QFL), Queensland ...

player who played over 200 games, Clint was born in and grew up in

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

Queensland ) , nickname = Sunshine State , image_map = Queensland in Australia.svg , map_caption = Location of Queensland in Australia , subdivision_type = Country , subdivision_name = Australia , established_title = Before federation , established_ ...

and attended Payne Road Primary School, then attended

Brisbane Boys' College (Let Honour Stainless Be) , established = 1902 , type = Independent, single-sex, day and boarding , denomination = Presbyterian and Uniting Church , slogan = , headmaster = André Casson , city = Toowong , state = Queensland , count ...

. He was soon identified by talent scouts.

AFL career

Bizzell began his professional football career at the

Geelong Football Club The Geelong Football Club, nicknamed the Cats, is a professional Australian rules football club based in Geelong, Victoria, Australia. The club competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's premier competition, and are the 2022 ...

after being taken at #74 overall in the 1995 AFL Draft. During his stint at Geelong, Bizzell usually played in the forward line and by many accounts, was regarded as a "reasonable" player with some signs of potential, especially in the weeks following his 5 goals against Collingwood in 2001. However, that potential would not be realised at Geelong. At the end of the 2001 season, he was traded to the

Melbourne Football Club The Melbourne Football Club, nicknamed the Demons, is a professional Australian rules football club that competes in the Australian Football League (AFL), the sport's elite competition. It is based in Melbourne, Victoria (Australia), Victoria, ...

. At the Demons, Bizzell quickly rose to become a first class and reliable defender, who was capable of playing forward if the need arose. Throughout the 2003 and 2004 seasons, commentators began to recognise Bizzell as a strong playmaker off the back-half and a genuine talent in the AFL.In 2004 Bizzell was involved in a mini documentary where he explained the game of AFL to actor

Matt Damon Matthew Paige Damon (; born October 8, 1970) is an American actor, film producer, and screenwriter. Ranked among ''Forbes'' most bankable stars, the films in which he has appeared have collectively earned over $3.88 billion at the North Americ ...

, Damon was also presented with a Melbourne Demons jumper. In 2005, he played 20 games for the season, including his 150th. However, a back injury resulted from a knock he sustained in a preseason match in 2006 and shortly after, he sustained a leg fracture which ultimately impeded his ability regain the senior-level match fitness before the end of the season. While he played a number of solid games for the Demon's VFL affiliate

Sandringham Sandringham can refer to: Places * Sandringham, New South Wales, Australia * Sandringham, Queensland, Australia * Sandringham, Victoria, Australia **Sandringham railway line **Sandringham railway station **Electoral district of Sandringham * Sand ...

when he recovered from injury, he was unable to break into the senior side due to a number of factors, including the fact that Bizzell was competing for a spot against some young emerging talent, most of whom began earning regular senior selection in 2006. Unfortunately, he did not play a senior AFL game in 2006. Breaking back into the side in round 8 in 2007, Bizzell produced a string of performances which guaranteed his re-selection, including a near best-on-ground performance against the Kangaroos, despite Melbourne losing by a solitary point. Bizzell retired at the end of 2007.

Post AFL

Following his retirement from the AFL, Bizzell pursued an acting career. He obtained a five-week guest role as

Adam Clarke Adam Clarke (176226 August 1832) was a British Methodist theologian who served three times as President of the Wesleyan Methodist Conference (1806–07, 1814–15 and 1822–23). A biblical scholar, he published an influential Bible commentary ...

in the Australian

soap opera A soap opera, or ''soap'' for short, is a typically long-running radio or television serial, frequently characterized by melodrama, ensemble casts, and sentimentality. The term "soap opera" originated from radio dramas originally being sponsored ...

Neighbours ''Neighbours'' is an Australian television soap opera, which has aired since 18 March 1985. It was created by television executive Reg Watson. The Seven Network commissioned the show following the success of Watson's earlier soap '' Sons an ...

''. Along with his partner, former Channel 7 news presenter Jennifer Adams, Bizzell produces and hosts a TV travel series, ''Places We Go'', which is broadcast on

Network Ten Network 10 (commonly known as Ten Network, Channel 10 or simply 10) is an Australian commercial television network owned by Ten Network Holdings, a division of the Paramount Networks UK & Australia subsidiary of Paramount Global. One of five ...

. They have also written a book, ''Australia’s Top 100 Places To Go – The Ultimate Bucket List''.

References

External links

*
DemonWiki profile
* * {{DEFAULTSORT:Bizzell, Clint 1976 births Living people Melbourne Football Club players Geelong Football Club players Kedron Grange Football Club players Sportsmen from Queensland People educated at Brisbane Boys' College Australian rules footballers from Queensland Sportspeople from Brisbane Australian television presenters Australia international rules football team players