Simon Black was one of the game’s most elite midfielders. Drafted to the Brisbane Lions in 1997, he swiftly became one of Brisbane’s best and most decorated players. He won the 2002 Brownlow Medal, the 2003 Norm Smith Medal, the 2001, 2002 and 2006 Merrett-Murray medals as well as three premiership medallions with the Lions in 2001, 2002 and 2003. He retired in 2013 after playing 322 games. In 2016, Black founded the Simon Black Australian Rules Academy, a full-time sport and education program which provides pathways for students to pursue University and Fitness qualifications while training and playing AFL in an elite academy environment.