Jason Akermanis, a colourful life

Click for more photos The Akermanis era Aker almost unadorned, 1995. Photo: Allsport The story of Jason Akermanis is as colourful as any of the controversies he has involved himself with via the media, and would have been fascinating if he had never pulled on a pair of football boots. He was born on Feburary 24 1977, to Shona Carswell, a Queensland native who had travelled to Mildura with her brother seeking work picking fruit. At the time she was married to John Akermanis, but that relationship faltered, and the homesick Canadian had returned to the northern hemisphere before the pregnancy was revealed. It later emerged that Shona had an affair with a married Mildura mechanic, Denis, and he was the father of Jason and his brother, Rory, who was born in 1979. Advertisement: Story continues below Jason Akermanis with captain Brad Johnson yesterday at Bulldogs training. Photo: Vince Caligiuri Shona struggled to raise her two boys as a single mum, originally working in a local car dealership and living in a caravan. Jason first played football as a sevenyearold, for the South Mildura under11s, at Sarah Oval, stunning coach Gordon "Mr C" Casey, when he starred against much bigger, stronger opponents in his first match. Shona took her young family back to Queensland in 1986, and Akermanis excelled playing for Mayne, a natural footballer playing in a rugby leaguedominated region. He was never scared to stand out. When he was 13, Akermanis discovered that he was not the son of John Akermanis, as he had been led to believe. At 14, he suffered depression, and says he contemplated suicide, after a serious accident whilst rollerblading led to a stint in intensive care with a blood clot on the brain. With the support of his mother, he resumed his exuberant ways, taking a year off Aussie Rules, and excelling at athletics, winning a sports scholarship to the prestigious Nudgee College, the strongest rugby union school in Queensland. He was mocked for carrying a Sherrin, but became dux of his class. Often impulsive, but never stupid Rosetta Stone , Akermanis was very proud of this achievement. In his final year at school, and first for the Brisbane Bears, in 1995, Jason's mother became seriously ill with brain cancer, and she died, aged only 41, in 1997. He earned the nickname 'Akermaniac' from his AFL teammates at this time, but apart from some speeding fines, Akermanis was never in serious trouble, and it was his attentionseeking flamboyance, not any major infractions, that caught the attention. Intensely competitive, dedicated to training and improving his skills, Akermanis developed quickly as a pacy backman under coaches Robert Walls, John Northey, and Leigh Matthews. Lions psychologist Phil Jauncey was also a key influence, and became an enduring confidante. By the time the Lions became a superteam, at the turn of the millennium, Akermanis was an elite onballer, his speed, twosided skills, and brilliant goalkicking making him a cog of the powerful Brisbane midfield, featuring Simon Black, Michael Voss and Luke Power. He was also turning his love of the limelight into a media career, with a radio program, newspaper column, and TV appearances. At the height of his powers, he suggested a stint playing rugby was on his mind. Off the field, Jason had met speech pathologist Megan, who became his wife in 2001, and had begun to learn sign language in order to converse with her hearing impaired parents. He also learnt Spanish, played chess and utilised a "power breathing device" and an ideas whiteboard in his house. Akermanis was clearly a unique footballer, but at this stage, with honours arriving, including a Brownlow medal (2001) two club best and fairest awards, four AllAustralian berths, and three premierships (2001, 2002, 2003), his eccentricites were tolerated. However, rifts developed, as Jason's occasionally tactless utterances in the press infuriated coach club officials and teammates. A sad impasse had developed by 2006, Akermanis blaming it in part on two players snubbing an invitation to his wedding in 2001. But it was the unwelcome frankness of Akermanis opinions about upcoming opponents, and the form of the declining Lions, that caused most grief for his peers.