Lion Hipwood not just a Buddy AFL clone

Eric Hipwood knows comparisons with Lance Franklin are inevitable, but the tall left-footer hopes to rid himself of that tag and forge his own AFL path.

Eric Hipwood

Brisbane player Eric Hipwood aims to make his own mark on the AFL. (AAP)

Comparisons to Sydney's Lance Franklin are coming thick and fast for young Brisbane AFL forward Eric Hipwood.

While admitting their styles are similar, the tall left-footer aims to make his own mark on the AFL rather than live in Franklin's shadow.

A star in the Lions' defeat of Carlton, Hipwood is dreaming of back-to-back victories when the Lions meet West Coast on Sunday in Perth.

The similarities were there to see when the 19-year-old swung onto his left foot from outside the arc to steady the Lions against the Blues at the Gabba.

But Hipwood says his footballing influences stretch further than just the Swans star.

"I guess you can look at his game and mine and see that they are pretty similar," he said on Tuesday.

"But I like to take parts out of everyone's games - I look at Harris Andrews, look at Joe Daniher, look at Tom Lynch - that's how you become a great player, is taking parts of every player.

The Lions will be without Dayne Zorko in the west, the midfielder accepting a one-game suspension for striking.

Hipwood said that wouldn't deter them from bringing another aggressive mindset into Sunday's clash.

"We made it pretty obvious that we didn't want to be bullied against Carlton," he said.

"We wanted to throw the first punch and we don't want to be going over there (to Perth) shaking hands - we want to hit them hard."

As part of the AFL's Multicultural Round, the Lions will wear special guernseys featuring the word "welcome" in 30 different languages.


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Source: AAP


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