Leo Lombard

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Leo Lombard
Personal information
Full name Leonardo Lombard
Date of birth (2006-10-05) 5 October 2006 (age 18)
Place of birth Gold Coast, Queensland
Original team(s) Broadbeach (QAFL) / Gold Coast Suns Academy (Talent League) / Burleigh Bombers (QFA)
Draft No. 9, 2024 AFL draft
Height 179 cm (5 ft 10 in)
Position(s) Forward/Midfielder
Career highlights

Leo Lombard is a professional Australian rules footballer who was selected by the Gold Coast Suns with pick 9 in the 2024 AFL draft. [1]

Contents

Early life

Lombard was born on the Gold Coast into a family with a Cuban father and an Australian mother. He attended Varsity College throughout his upbringing and took part in their ASPIRE AFL excellence program with future Suns teammate Jake Rogers. [2] Lombard's father, Héctor, is a professional mixed martial artist who competed in the Ultimate Fighting Championship [3] and a formerly competed as an Olympic judoka who represented Cuba at the 2000 Sydney Olympics. His father introduced him to Brazilian jiu-jitsu at six years of age [4] and Lombard was considered a promising prospect years later when he claimed a gold medal at the Pan Pacific Championships in 2017 and was crowned the under-12 BJJ Australian Open champion in 2018. [5] He also began playing Australian rules football at eight years of age for the Burleigh Bombers and excelled as a junior footballer, which was rewarded with an invitation to join the Gold Coast Suns Academy at 12 years of age. [6]

Lombard later admitted he only played football "for fun" on the side and was focused on pursuing a career in mixed martial arts, until the greater levels of development opportunities provided by the Suns Academy convinced him to quit Brazilian jiu-jitsu and chase a career in the AFL. [7] Lombard progressed his way through the Gold Coast Suns Academy junior grades earning representative honours along the way such as being selected in the 2022 U16 All-Australian team. [8] In 2023, he was selected to represent the victorious Allies team as a bottom ager in the U18 National Championships alongside future AFL teammates Jed Walter, Ethan Read, Jake Rogers and Will Graham. [9] Lombard capped off his 2023 season by taking part in the Gold Coast's VFL grand final winning side at 16 years of age. [10] He returned to the U18 National Championships a year later and was awarded the Larke Medal as the best performed Division I player in the country as well as selection in the starting U18 All-Australian team. [11]

AFL career

Lombard was drafted to his hometown AFL club, the Gold Coast Suns, when they decided to match a pick 9 bid from St Kilda at the 2024 AFL draft. [12]

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References

  1. ↑ "Lombard joins the SUNS". Gold Coast Suns. 2024-11-20. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  2. ↑ "Our Senior ASPIRE AFL Players Kicking Goals". Varsity Life. 2023-05-15. Retrieved 2024-08-28.
  3. ↑ "UFC Profiles - Hector Lombard". UFC.com. Retrieved 2024-11-30.
  4. ↑ "Leo vs A 6'3 Foot Gigantic kid and 6 years older than him!". Gold Coast Suns. 2024-11-22. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  5. ↑ "BJJ Spring Australian Open 2018". BJJAO Smoothcamp. 2023-09-09. Retrieved 2024-11-29.
  6. ↑ "Gold Coast Suns draftee Leo Lombard drops profanity live on TV moments after being picked". Wide World of Sports. 2023-11-21. Retrieved 2024-11-21.
  7. ↑ "Inside Leo Lombard's Gold Coast Suns rise". Code Sports. 2024-11-19. Retrieved 2024-11-22.
  8. ↑ "2022 NAB AFL National Development Championships U16 Boys All-Australian Team". AFL.com.au. 2022-08-03. Retrieved 2024-11-16.
  9. ↑ "Academy prospects make Allies history". goldcoastfc.com.au. 2023-06-10. Retrieved 2024-11-18.
  10. ↑ "SUNS make history with first premiership". goldcoastfc.com.au. 2023-09-24. Retrieved 2024-11-23.
  11. ↑ "Allies gun, Vic Country mid tie for Larke Medal". AFL.com.au. 2024-07-14. Retrieved 2024-11-20.
  12. ↑ Smith, Martin (2024-11-21). "AFL draft gets X-rated with Gold Coast player Leo Lombard forgetting his place". 7News. Retrieved 2024-11-28.
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