Simon Black - Later Career

Later Career

Black's 2005 season was interrupted by injury, but in 2006 he played every match, and won the third Merrett-Murray Medal of his career. He led the Lions in clearances, hard-ball gets, loose-ball gets and tackles for the season – and in the case of hard-ball gets, he recorded more than twice as many as any of his team-mates. At the beginning of 2007, Black was named as named one of the four Lions co-captains, replacing the retiring captain Michael Voss. In 2007 and 2008, Black continued to be Brisbane's premier midfielder, and he finished second in the Brownlow Medal in both seasons. He earned Brisbane Lions Life Membership at the end of his tenth season of service. He was also the Courier Mail Player of the Year in 2008, and was runner-up in the 2008 Merrett-Murray medal.

In 2009, new coach Michael Voss named Jonathan Brown as the sole captain of the club, and Black became one of the four Vice Captains. He had another consistent season in 2010, finishing second in the Merrett-Murray Medal. In 2012, Black played his 300th AFL game, becoming the first player in league history to win a Brownlow Medal, a Norm Smith Medal, a Premiership Medal and play 300 games.