A lot of media attention in 2007 has focused on Murphy, Gibbs, Kennedy and the development of Carlton’s younger brigade. However one of the big positives to come out of the first seven rounds has been the consistency of Matthew Lappin. The versatile Carlton veteran has started to reproduce the form which saw him earn a 2004 All-Australian guernsey, and he was a worthy winner of Mike and Dan’s Play of the Week in Round 7 for his long, long goal in the second quarter in the loss against Collingwood.

You are Mike and Dan’s Player of the Week this week for your sensational goal Matthew. It’s a very prestigious award, what are your thoughts about winning it?

What can I say, its right up there behind the All-Australian selection and the Mark of the Year in 1999!

When you talk about the distance of a kick, do you add in the distance it bounced? Can you say it was a 90 metre goal?

I haven’t thought about it to be honest and haven’t actually seen the replay yet. It was supposed to be a pass to young Josh Kennedy, I was waiting for him to lead towards me and I kicked it where I thought he was going to run, but the ball kept rolling towards the goal. I don’t even know how far out I was, but I was pretty happy to snag one at that time in the game.

So far this year we've seen you back, forward, wing, middle and bench. Where do you feel most comfortable?

Around the middle and back is where I feel most comfortable, although the team probably doesn’t need me in those positions any more. I’ve been spending time up forward which can make it harder to get a kick but I’m just happy to contribute where I can.

We counted 5 players in the 1 week from our list getting injured - McLaren, Teague, Edwards, Thornton and Cloke. Have you ever seen more carnage than that?

Well we just had a pretty good run with injuries for the whole NAB Cup, but then we lost Stevo and the injuries have gone downhill for us as a team after that. But its a part of footy and part of having a young group, and you have to deal with injuries and look at the positives. It gives other guys an opportunity, for example this week Bret Thornton had to pull out before the game and Saddo came in and played a really good game, and the boys just have to be able to adjust to the circumstances.

You are a 200 game player, what kind of advice can you give to the younger guys in the playing group?

Nowadays there are so many coaches to give advice to the younger boys. If they ask me I am more than happy to help out but I don’t force stuff down their throat. There is the senior coach, reserves coach, and a number of specialist coaches at the club so you want to be careful about giving them too much advice.

You've had a good run with injuries over your career - can you put that down to your training and preparation or is it just good luck?

I think it’s a combination of both of those things. I’ve been blessed genetically and got my body shape from my parents, which has been fantastic for getting through games of footy but not putting weight on! I look after myself during the week and am careful about my preparation and train the right way, and all up I’ve only missed about 7-8 games in 14 years.

The media tends to concentrate on your lack of body size and bulk, although that clearly hasn't impacted the way that you play. Have you tried to bulk up or is it a deliberate move to retain speed and agility?

I tried to bulk up when I was younger and have always tried to put weight on since then as it helps to be stronger in the contest. I still do weights like all the other guys to maintain strength, but putting weight hasn’t been easy. Still, I can’t complain as I’ve managed to play 240 games of AFL football and haven’t had any major injuries.

One of the biggest grins we've ever seen on a football field is after you took a speccie against Essendon about 8 years ago from a long Matthew Allen bomb. Is that the highest you've ever got?

That is definitely the highest I’ve got, and its one of the great memories from my footy career. I am fortunate enough to have a painting of the mark which I can hang it up after my career is finished. Its certainly a highlight, I’ve got the trophy at home and I remind all the boys about it a lot as most of them were only 8 or 9 when I took it!

I didn’t use my hands to get up high when I took the mark so the new rules wouldn’t have made a difference, you can still get up there legitimately. But I’ll say that in the Social Club there are about three paintings and photographs of Steve Silvagni’s mark, and I’ve been complaining for years that there are no paintings up of mine, so I hope to get one up in the Social Club one day!

People forget that you were recruited from St Kilda, and you were swapped you for picks that were used by the Saints to recruit James Begley (pick 22) and Troy Schwarze (pick 53). Do you get satisfaction that this was one of the only really successful trade deals done by Carlton in the 1990s?

Not really, but I suppose there was a bit of me that thought that if St Kilda wanted to get rid of me, I wanted to show form that would make them regret it. We got some players from other clubs who did well too, particularly Adrian Hickmott who was a terrific pick up for us. I’m just thankful for the opportunity to come to Carlton and I needed the change at the time.

I remember the circumstances exactly as it all happened in about an 8 hour stretch. I was watching the news on the day before the draft deadline and saw that St Kilda were keen to let me go and that Carlton was interested. My manager then rang and said that Carlton wanted me to come over, and I met him, David Parkin and some of the assistant coaches at 6am the next morning and by 12pm that day trade was done. It all happened so quickly, and I’m really thankful that it turned out the way it did.

Your junior team was Chiltern in the northern region of Victoria. Can you tell us a bit about Chiltern? Any reason for people to visit?

I grew up there and in fact I lived my whole life there to age of 17. There are about 1000 people in the town, and all you did was play sport. As soon as school finished you went out and played footy and cricket, it was all about sport and there are quite a few Lappins in the area and it kept us pretty fit.

There are some big grapevines there but no major tourist attractions. Its a historic little town, heritage listed,and its worth a look if you are near Beechworth and Rutherglen.

You were one of the most popular players at the Family Day for Photos with kids - do you get asked for autographs everywhere you go? Is that just part of being a footy player?

You don’t get asked everywhere, but it really depends where you are and who you are with. For example if you are out with Brendan Fevola you tend to get asked a lot! At some places every Tom Dick and Harry wants an autograph, but other times when I’m just out at dinner with friends people respect your privacy.

We're all hanging out waiting for our resurgence - we see good signs, but its not coming through with the four points. How do the players feel about it?

After round 3 the whole club felt really good about everything, we had just won NAB cup and had the magnificent comeback game when we rolled Essendon. The place was really bubbling, then Stevo went down and the wheels fell off a bit which highlighted the lack of depth at the club. We have to be patient, we have got Murphy and Gibbs coming through, they will take some time and we know that supporters understand that and can accept that in 3-5 years Carlton will be back at the top. We’ve got the talent coming through on the field and the talent off the field with Richard Pratt coming in, so we will only be able to blame ourselves if we don’t get back up there.

As a senior player, a bloke who's played 200+ games of AFL footy, when the club gets new assistant coaches what do you take out of it?

They bring a whole new fresh range of ideas, fresh ways of doing things, and their own experiences as players and specialist coaches. This year we’ve had Ratten, Braddles and Crosisca come into the club which has been a breath of fresh air, and training is different now as the players can get sick of doing the same drills. The fresh stuff is good for the boys and helps them develop and mature.

What are Braddles and Rats like as coaches? You played with them for years - does that make it easier to work with, or more difficult?

Neither really, they don’t put the same amount of time into me as the younger guys who they are teaching and mentoring. Its been terrific to have them back at the club, and it gives the likes of Gibbs, Murphy and Walker a taste of what Carlton was like when we were firing. Kouta, Lance and I remember those days and know how good it can be, and having Braddles and Rats around gives the younger boys a lot of direction.

They don’t bark any instructions as such, they steer me in right direction. They are mates that I played with for a long time so they don’t ride me too hard on the track!

Any comments you want to make about your teammates? Anyone particularly annoying or any fashion sense that is going too far?

A few of the boys are shaving their head at the moment, first of all it was Walker, then Kouta, then couple of other blokes. But I’ll have to say that Brendan Fevola can be a bit annoying in the car as he has to have his window down slightly even when its freezing cold, otherwise he gets carsick!

After an indifferent 2006 season where Lappin saw Bullants colours for the first time, Matthew Lappin's contribution in 2007 is restoring his reputation as a leader on the field. His presence has been invaluable in a team full of talented but inexperienced youngsters, which has also been hit by injuries to key players. Along with fellow veterans Koutoufides and Whitnall, Lappin's measured approach and range of skills will serve the Blues well as Carlton's rise up the ladder gains momentum in the coming years.