Fantastic bloke, good player. But let’s be honest, can anyone think of any match winning performances in his career? Match winning moments? Never had the competitive edge for mine, but deserved a better club around him.
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I get needing a tall (should’ve been Hayes) but it just had to be Heppell over Kelly.
Anyway, it’s done now. He still had a great moment with the fans last week and the send off tonight was done well.
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He had a 2-3 interrupted years there where he regularly produced performances of that ilk. Not his fault that injury and WADA/Hird/Evans/Dank robbed us of his best years.
Sigh.
I’m feeling old now. He’s the first guy I watched all the way through the u18s, wanted us to draft, and followed his career to the end.
Deserved better than he got. Had the prime years of his career ripped out by the Saga, consistently betrayed by his body from the very beginning - his feet never let him put on the muscle mass than he needed to in order to play the big-bodied inside role that he did so devastatingly as a junior. Gave everything he had, and was loved by everyone.
Like all EFC players (Hird excepted, in my recollection), accumulated a wide chorus of haters later in his career who forgot how good he was in his prime. But we’re used to that by now, right? Probably should never have cut his hair though, he kinda lost his mojo after that…
Good luck for whatever happens next, Hepp.
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Love ya Hepp. Thank you for giving everything you had to the club and the fans.
I’m sorry the club has been a hot mess pretty much the entire time and you didn’t get the best opportunity to achieve some success.
Bloke was banned for a year in his prime and then copped some big injuries that robbed us of seeing more of his best footy, which was excellent. Peak Heppell was a tough competitor, composed with the ball, brave in the air, and such a clever reader of the play who would run all day.
253 games is a mighty achievement and you fought it out right til the end Hepp, shakas brother.
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You are only remembering his last 5 years. Round 1 2017 is a pretty obvious one.
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My fav Hepp memory will always be him kicking the sealing goal against the hawks in our first game post saga.
We forget how special a player he was before injuries got him. But we were never in any doubt of how special a person he was throughout his career.
Congratulations on a wonderful career Hepps
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His final game reminds me a bit of Goddard’s. Well below is peak but a strong way to end it all things considered.
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Yeah, really solid game and one of our best tonight.
12 intercepts & 475m gained, 5th most on the ground.
https://x.com/afl/status/1827336846289887734?s=46&t=yfIMIPcIchLUazwpjEMkcw
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what year did you start watching footy?
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i’d struggle to name a more liked-by-all-other-players player than heppell. maybe late career eddie betts
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There was one in adelaide, played hurt but was inspirational. Mitch brown kicked a couple that night. Maybe 2018 ? Hepp was huge
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The game vs FARK CARLTON toward the end of 2017, too.
Captains game that one. He was basically the only reason FARK CARLTON didn’t put on a lead we couldn’t catch (well Hurley was great too), and then really lifted when it was there to be won.
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Got a little emotional watching his post-game interview and seeing him chaired off. He was a nice person who absolutely loved the club. It’s a shame he never had any career success.
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Would you put it past someone like North to offer him a year for some leadership behind the ball?
Stranger things have happened.
There is no way Clarkson engages Heppell at their club.
Wanted to like but kept the hearts at 21
There’s a vacant spot on the Board
LOL
He’s suffered enough.
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