Heath Shephard
Collingwood and Brisbane Bears
AFL career
15 games17 goals
- Debut
- R3 1989 v BRB15 Apr 1989
- Most recent
- R12 1992 v MEL7 June 1992
Stats
Bio
Heath Shephard was a flamboyant forward whose AFL career is best remembered for one of the most explosive debuts in Collingwood history. Arriving as a father-son recruit—his father Graeme played for the club in the 1970s—Shephard was drafted from Robinvale despite his Tasmanian origins. He announced himself in Round 3, 1989, booting five goals and taking spectacular marks against the Brisbane Bears, a performance that instantly made him a cult figure at Victoria Park. Possessing natural flair, a dual-sided kick, and strong aerial ability, he nonetheless struggled to find consistency and was delisted following the 1990 season. He spent a year in the TFL before the Bears threw him a lifeline in 1992, ironically recruiting the player who had tormented them on debut, but he added just four more games to his tally. Shephard remains a classic "what if" story, a talented attacker who showed glimpses of brilliance but couldn't quite sustain a long-term career at the elite level.
Profile
- Born
- 07 Sept 1969 (age 57y 45d)
- Height
- 179 cm
- Weight
- 73 kg
Teams
Family
- Father:Graeme Shephard
Bio
1 revisionHeath Shephard was a flamboyant forward whose AFL career is best remembered for one of the most explosive debuts in Collingwood history. Arriving as a father-son recruit—his father Graeme played for the club in the 1970s—Shephard was drafted from Robinvale despite his Tasmanian origins. He announced himself in Round 3, 1989, booting five goals and taking spectacular marks against the Brisbane Bears, a performance that instantly made him a cult figure at Victoria Park. Possessing natural flair, a dual-sided kick, and strong aerial ability, he nonetheless struggled to find consistency and was delisted following the 1990 season. He spent a year in the TFL before the Bears threw him a lifeline in 1992, ironically recruiting the player who had tormented them on debut, but he added just four more games to his tally. Shephard remains a classic "what if" story, a talented attacker who showed glimpses of brilliance but couldn't quite sustain a long-term career at the elite level.