Cupido headed to Brisbane after the Lions took him with their sixth selection in the 1999 National Draft. He made his AFL debut in 2000 and played six games that year and after seven games in 2001 he looked to be a star in the making. However a severe shoulder injury sidelined him for eight weeks - he managed to recover in time to play in Brisbane’s AFL Queensland premiership side. Another shoulder operation at the beginning of 2002 saw him miss a chunk of last season and he was unable to break into the Brisbane side late in the season.
“The shoulder feels really good now. I have already had Ian Reynolds (Essendon club doctor) look at it and he was really happy with it. I’ll head back to Brisbane this week to get my stuff and then it is all systems go for pre-season. I can’t wait to get stuck into it,” Cupido said.
Cupido was born in Capetown and he is the first South African to be drafted by an AFL club. He shifted to Australia with his family when he was five. He played his junior football with Croydon and the Eastern Ranges. He played with the Victorian under 16 side in 1997 / 98, making the All Australian under 16 side in 1997. He toured Ireland with the AFL / AIS squad the following year. Cupido was Victoria’s number one goalkicker at the 1999 All Australian carnival and was runner-up in the TAC Cup goalkicking in 1999. He finished 10th in the Morrish Medal that year. Cupido is an explosive type, a burst player who is a prodigious left-foot kick.
Damian Cupido
Age: 20
Height: 182cm
Weight: 83 kg
Games: 13
Goals: 16
