A Griffith physiotherapy graduate has landed his dream job with the BrisbaneLions AFL club before he has even graduated.
Luke Licht, will graduate this week from a Master of Physiotherapy following aBachelor of Exercise Science with Honours. Thanks to links with academic staff atGriffith, Luke completed professional placements with the Brisbane Lions andGold Coast Suns AFL clubs, immersing himself in high performance environmentsand the demands of professional sporting teams.
He was backed by a demanding academic education which stretched hisknowledge and abilities, but which he found invaluable.
“I found the Exercise Science part of the degree really hard, but I’ve come tounderstand the importance of having that background in giving me moreconfidence to ‘talk-the-talk’ as a therapist. The professional placements andeducation at Griffith set me up to do exactly what I always wanted,” says Luke.
“I always wanted to be a physio, even when I first started an education degree inTasmania. When I came to Queensland I thought it was pretty unlikely I’d getanywhere near an AFL club; there was only one at the time, but it’s proven to bethe opposite, the clubs were fantastic and really encouraging.
“The high performance manager at Brisbane is extremely good and runs a reallytight ship; I’ll be learning a lot from them.”
The Collingwood supporter will begin work with the Queensland Sports MedicineCentre (which is the Lions affiliate physiotherapy team) in February as the firstgraduate the Centre has hired. He will also be the physiotherapist for the Brisbanereserves team.
During his degree Luke took every opportunity to hone his skills in sportingscience, including working with the Papua New Guinea cricket team, whichrecently reached the final rounds of the world 20/20 qualifiers in Dubai.
“That was a fantastic experience. Cricket is really growing in PNG and some oftheir players are playing in the Australian big bash league this summer. They lostto Hong Kong in the final qualifier, but they’re getting better all the time,” he says.
“My education at Griffith has been a pretty remarkable time. The academic side ofthings really pushed me and the professional placements gave me the chance to
prove myself and aim for my dreams.”