Craig Starcevich

{{Infobox AFL biography

| name = Craig Starcevich

| image = AFLWGF 2023 - Koenen and Starcevich trophy (cropped — Starcevich).jpg

| caption = Starcevich holding the AFLW premiership cup in 2023

| fullname =

| birth_date = {{Birth date and age|1967|5|16|df=y}}

| birth_place =

| death_date =

| death_place =

| originalteam = East Perth (WAFL)

| debutdate = Round 1, 1987

| debutteam = Collingwood

| debutopponent = Sydney Swans

| debutstadium = Victoria Park

| height =

| weight =

| position =

| currentclub = {{AFL BL}} (women's coach)

| statsend = 1995

| years1 = 1985-1986

| club1 = East Perth

| games_goals1 = 37 (41)

| years2 = 1987–1993

| club2 = {{AFL Col}}

| games_goals2 = 124 (162)

| years3 = 1994–1995

| club3 = {{AFL BB}}

| games_goals3 = {{0}}20 {{0}}(16)

| games_goalstotal = 177 (219)

| coachyears1 = 2017–

| coachclub1 = {{AFLW|Bri}} (W)

| coachgames_wins1 = 78 (54–23–1)

| coachstatsend = the end of the 2023 season

| careerhighlights = * AFL premiership player: 1990

Harry Collier Trophy: 1987
AFL Women's premiership coach: 2021, 2023

}}

Craig Starcevich (born 16 May 1967) is a former Australian rules footballer and current senior coach. Starcevich played for {{AFL Col}} and the {{AFL BB}} in the Australian Football League (AFL), known as the Victorian Football League (VFL) prior to 1990. He is the current senior coach of {{AFLW|Bri}} in the AFL Women's (AFLW), having led the team since its inception. Starcevich was the first person to win both an AFL and an AFLW premiership, having won the latter as coach.

Playing career

Starcevich was recruited from East Perth, for whom he played 37 games for after he won the 1986 F. D. Book Medal for being judged their best and fairest player. On the back of this, Starcevich was recruited to Collingwood in the VFL.

Starcevich made his VFL debut in 1987. He played the role of a key-position player, coming off the bench in Collingwood's 1990 premiership side to be a solid contributor during the grand final. He played 124 games and kicked 162 goals for Collingwood before moving to the Brisbane Bears at the end of 1993 as part of the trade that saw Nathan Buckley go to Collingwood. He played 20 games and kicked 16 goals for the Bears before retiring at the end of 1995.

Coaching career

= Fitness coaching =

Following his retirement from AFL football as a player, Starcevich became one of the most prominent fitness trainers in the AFL.

In 2006, he was recruited as part of the St Kilda Football Club's head of training services in an attempt to turn around the club's large injury list in the 2005 season. During the 2006 pre-season, Starcevich adopted a controversial policy whereby players were banned from wearing thongs, citing the fact that they could increase the risk of injuries to feet. He left the Saints before the 2007 season, citing "family reasons".{{cite web|url=http://www.foxsports.com.au/story/0,,21158740-23211,00.html?from=public_rss|title=Starcevich quits Saints for family|date=2007-02-02|access-date=2007-09-28|work=Fox Sports}}

In March 2007, Starcevich joined A-League team Queensland Roar as strength and conditioning coach.{{cite news|url=http://www.news.com.au/couriermail/story/0,23739,21378818-5003412,00.html|title= Footy Code Switch|date=2007-03-14|access-date=2007-09-04|publisher=Courier Mail, Brisbane | first=Marco | last=Monteverde}}

= Senior coaching =

In June 2016, Starcevich was appointed head coach of the Brisbane Lions women's team.Michael Whiting, [http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-06-22/coup-for-lions-as-inaugural-womens-coach-named "Coup for Lions as inaugural women's coach named"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20161102203506/http://www.afl.com.au/news/2016-06-22/coup-for-lions-as-inaugural-womens-coach-named |date=2 November 2016 }}, AFL.com.au, 22 June 2016. Retrieved 10 September 2016. Starcevich guided the Lions to the minor premiership in the inaugural season of AFL Women's in 2017. By finishing first, the Lions qualified for the 2017 AFL Women's Grand Final. The team lost to the Adelaide Crows in the decider. In the league's second season, the Lions once again lost the Grand Final by six points under Starcevich, in a game which ended 27–21 in favour of the Western Bulldogs.

Since arriving in Brisbane at the end of 1993, Starcevich has been involved in every one of the Brisbane Lions' four premierships (three AFL and two AFLW) and eight grand final appearances (four AFL & four AFLW).

Personal life

Starcevich's son Jackson played for Collingwood in the VFL, and nephew Brandon currently plays for Brisbane in the AFL.{{Cite news|url=https://www.perthnow.com.au/sport/afl-draft/afl-draft-2017-starry-eyed-east-perth-draftee-brandon-starcevich-ready-for-lift-off-at-brisbane-lions-ng-b88671442z|title=Starry-eyed Starcevich ready for Lions lift-off|last=Lacy|first=Bridget|date=2017-11-25|work=PerthNow|access-date=2018-08-19|language=en-GB}}

Coaching statistics

:Statistics are correct to the end of the 2023 season

| 2017 || {{AFLW|Bri}} || 8 || 6 || 1 || 1 || 75.00% || 1 || 8

| 2018 || {{AFLW|Bri}} || 8 || 4 || 4 || 0 || 50.00% || 2 || 8

| 2019 || {{AFLW|Bri}} || 7 || 2 || 5 || 0 || 28.57% || 4^c/9^o{{efn|name=conferences|In 2019 and 2020, the AFLW was split into two conferences. ^c denotes the statistic for Brisbane's conference, while ^o denotes the statistic if the conferences were combined.}} || 5^c/10^o

| 2020 || {{AFLW|Bri}} || 6 || 3 || 3 || 0 || 50.00% || 3^c/7^o{{efn|name=conferences}} || 7^c/14^o

| bgcolor="F0E68C" | 2021^# || {{AFLW|Bri}} || 11 || 9 || 2 || 0 || 81.82% || 2 || 14

| 2022 (S6) || {{AFLW|Bri}} || 12 || 9 || 3 || 0 || 75.00% || 3 || 14

| 2022 (S7) || {{AFLW|Bri}} || 13 || 11 || 2 || 0 || 84.62% || 1 || 18

| bgcolor="F0E68C" | 2023^# || {{AFLW|Bri}} || 13 || 10 || 3 || 0 || 76.92% || 4 || 18

|- class="sortbottom"

! colspan=2| Career totals

! 78

! 54

! 23

! 1

! 69.23%