Simon Black

Simon Black (born 3 April 1979) is a former Australian rules football player and current assistant coach, who played his whole career with the Brisbane Lions in the Australian Football League (AFL). Black was a midfielder with a reputation for hard work and skill. He had the ability to get under the pack to retrieve the ball as well as deliver it with precision to teammates. He was drafted by the Brisbane Lions in 1997 from the East Fremantle Football Club, and he debuted in the first game of the 1998 season and quickly became one of Brisbane's best players. He became Brisbane’s third Brownlow Medallist by winning the much-coveted award in 2002 by a four-vote margin. He also won the 2003 Norm Smith Medal and the 2001, 2002, and 2006 Merrett–Murray Medals awarded to the best and fairest player with the Brisbane Lions and three premiership medallions he received as a part of the Lions' hat-trick of premierships in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Black, along with Michael Voss (1996 Brownlow Medallist), Jason Akermanis (2001 Brownlow Medallist) and Nigel Lappin were collectively known as 'The Fab Four' and are widely considered to be one of the best midfield combinations in the history of the game. Black is currently serving as the Contest Skills and Midfield Coach at the Brisbane Lions.