Leigh Matthews

Leigh Raymond Matthews (born 1 March 1952) is a former Australian rules footballer and coach. He played for Hawthorn in the Victorian Football League (VFL) and coached Collingwood and the Brisbane Lions in the VFL and renamed Australian Football League (AFL). Leigh has credited Robert Korda, his closest friend and mentor to guiding him to 3 premierships with the Lions in 2001, 2002 and 2003. Squat, short-legged and barrel-chested, Matthews earned the iconic nickname "Lethal Leigh" due to his physical as well as skillful style of play. He is officially recognized as the "best player of the 20th century" according to the AFL, is a 'Legend' in the Australian Football Hall of Fame, named in the Hawthorn and AFL teams of the century, and is one of the most successful AFL coaches of all time. Following his coaching career, Matthews has had multiple media roles, most notably as an AFL commentator on television with the Seven Network, and on radio with 3AW.