SIMPKIN, Jonathan

Jonathan Simpkin was a well-travelled footballer who had been on the lists of Sydney, Geelong and Hawthorn for a total of 37 games, one of which was Hawthorn's 2013 Grand Final win, before arriving at Essendon.

He was a hard-at-it midfielder who played 2006 and 2007 with the Sydney Swans Reserves and was elevated to the senior list for the 2007 season but played no senior games and was delisted at the end of the year.

He trained briefly with Melbourne then returned to his home town, Colac, before playing eight games with Geelong's VFL team on permits in 2008. He continued to play for them for the next three seasons, winning their best and fairest awards in 2011 and 2012, and the premiership in 2012. He was elevated to Geelong's rookie list in 2012 but only managed four senior games before being delisted at the end of the year.

Simpkin joined Hawthorn in 2013 as a delisted free agent and played 33 games, but found it hard to keep his place in a Hawthorn team brimming with talent and was delisted at the end of the 2015 season. He did manage an unusual double at Hawthorn by being part of two premiership teams in the same season - with Hawthorn's VFL affiliate team, Box Hill, and then the Hawthorn senior team in 2013. He won another flag with Box Hill in 2015.

Simpkin was given another chance by Essendon as one of the ten "top-up" players, replacing those suspended because of the supplements saga.

He made his Essendon debut in a Round 1 loss to Gold Coast and played two more before a hamstring injury against Sydney in Round 7 caused him to miss nine rounds. He made his way back through the VFL and played his final game, again against Gold Coast, in Round 21.

Simpkin was delisted at the end of the 2016 season.

His brother, Tom, played for St Kilda.