LEGENDARY AMERICAN FOOTBALL coach Vince Lombardi, for whom the Super Bowl trophy is named, once said that “Winning means you’re willing to go longer, work harder and give more than anyone else.”
In sport, victory comes at a price. Jy Simpkin, captain of the North Melbourne Kangaroos, understands this better than most. As Simpkin trudges off a fairly desolate Bellerive Oval in Tasmania the weekend before his cover shoot with Men’s Health, his face carries a sense of relief. He’s just helped the Kangaroos defeat Richmond in the club’s penultimate game of the season, lifting them out of the bottom two on the AFL ladder for the first time since 2019. While that may seem like a small accomplishment to celebrate, for Simpkin, it’s the product of years of hard work. “We’ve been waiting a while for a win,” he admits.
In the nine seasons since Simpkin was drafted into the AFL, North Melbourne have missed the finals every single year. The club was at its lowest ebb when Simpkin won consecutive best and fairest awards in 2021 and 2022, collecting back-to-back wooden spoons. It was a barren period, which, widening the timeframe, also saw the Kangaroos churn through six different coaches and spend five consecutive seasons in the bottom two.
“There’s no doubt it’s been tough,” says Simpkin, who’s decked out today in Uniqlo’s new Sport Utility Wear range as he sits down with Men’s Health a few days after the win over Richmond. “The last few years have really tested me, especially with the added responsibility of being captain. When you have that burden on your shoulders and the team’s not doing well, everyone looks to you.”
![There is hope on the horizon, however. Whereas in the past, North Melbourne have been bereft of the young talent needed to improve, the club now possesses a stockpile of prodigious youngsters that are the envy of much of the league. As Simpkin says, “We’ve got some really special young guys coming through.” One of those young guys is Harry Sheezel, the 20-year-old midfielder who equalled the single-game record for most disposals in the win over Richmond. “It seemed like he had the ball in his hand the whole game,” Simpkin says, before rattling off a lengthy list of his club’s most promising stars. “Then there’s guys like Colby McKercher, Nick Larkey, Cam Zurhaar, LDU [Luke Davies-Uniacke], Finn O’Sullivan – who I think is an absolute star – Paul Curtis, Tristan Xerri, Charlie Comben. “We’re a competitive group and we want to win,” the Simpkin continues. “I think it's only a matter of time. We’ve got some really high-end talent and unfortunately it just hasn't quite clicked and come together yet. But as I said, it's only a matter of time. I'm very confident it will turn around.” Simpkin doesn’t include himself in his list of North Melbourne’s high-end talent. He’s humble by nature, so he won’t sing his own praises, but he doesn't need to. The skipper is perhaps the best example of a player who has done everything he can to help his team win. He’s changed positions, become sole captain far earlier than expected and trained harder than anyone, all for the good of the side. Simpkin knows that winning comes with a price, and he’s prepared to pay it over and over again.](https://menshealth.com.au/wp-content/uploads/2025/09/1800x2400-Template-7-768x1024.jpg)
There is hope on the horizon, however. Whereas in the past, North Melbourne have been bereft of the young talent needed to improve, the club now possesses a stockpile of prodigious youngsters that are the envy of much of the league. As Simpkin says, “We’ve got some really special young guys coming through.”
One of those young guys is Harry Sheezel, the 20-year-old midfielder who equalled the single-game record for most disposals in the win over Richmond. “It seemed like he had the ball in his hand the whole game,” Simpkin says, before rattling off a lengthy list of his club’s most promising stars. “Then there’s guys like Colby McKercher, Nick Larkey, Cam Zurhaar, LDU [Luke Davies-Uniacke], Finn O’Sullivan – who I think is an absolute star – Paul Curtis, Tristan Xerri, Charlie Comben.
“We’re a competitive group and we want to win,” Simpkin continues. “I think it’s only a matter of time. We’ve got some really high-end talent and unfortunately it just hasn’t quite clicked and come together yet. But as I said, it’s only a matter of time. I’m very confident it will turn around.”
Simpkin doesn’t include himself in his list of North Melbourne’s high-end talent. He’s humble by nature, so he won’t sing his own praises, but he doesn’t need to. The skipper is perhaps the best example of a player who has done everything he can to help his team win. He’s changed positions, become sole captain far earlier than expected and trained harder than anyone, all for the good of the side. Simpkin knows that winning comes with a price, and he’s prepared to pay it over and over again.
ON THE DAY of his Men’s Health cover shoot, Simpkin rocks up solo, with no manager or entourage and no fuss. He says he’s done an ice bath and sauna session in the morning – something he does most Mondays to recover from playing on the weekend. He’s confident in front of the camera despite being new to the experience. “I haven’t really done too much like this before,” he says. Even so, he doesn’t hesitate to take his shirt off when the time comes – a useful inclination for a Men’s Health cover guy – and while most of the shots are serious and moody, Simpkin lights up with a smile off camera.
That willingness to push himself into unfamiliar territory, whether it’s standing half-naked in a photography studio or adjusting to a new role on the field, is something Simpkin was taught in his childhood. The 27-year-old grew up in Mooroopna, a small town in country Victoria of just a few thousand people. To a young boy in Mooroopna, the big city can feel a world away, but Simpkin always harboured dreams of one day leaving town to play in the AFL. “Me and my classmates would be at the oval every single day after school just kicking a footy around until dinner time,” he says.
Simpkin’s upbringing was also shaped by his Indigenous heritage, something he carries proudly in his role as a leader. His grandmother’s stories in particular have left a lasting impression. “My Nana’s parents grew up in the Cummeragunja mission,” he says. “They weren’t allowed in town and were basically kept in this small area out in the bush.
“Eventually they decided they wanted to leave and headed off with no idea where they were going and eventually ended up near Mooroopna,” Simpkin continues. “It wasn’t until my Nan was a little bit older that her and other Aboriginal families moved from living on the river banks of Mooroopna to living in town. Hearing stories like that from my Nan, who passed away earlier this year, has shaped who I am.”
This year, Simpkin found a powerful way to honour that heritage with a role in Bush Boots, a short film that recently premiered at the Melbourne Film Festival. “It’s a film about leading the next generation of Indigenous kids and being a role model for the next wave coming through,” he says. “I think we’ve got an important role to play as Indigenous athletes in giving back to our communities and showing the next generation that there is a way forward.”
That sense of legacy carried through to the Indigenous All Stars game in February, which was held for the first time since 2015. Simpkin was ultimately named best on ground and awarded the Polly Farmer medal. “It was a pretty special moment,” he says. “As a kid, you grow up watching these games and hoping one day you can be a part of them, so to be able to do that was special.”
EVENTUALLY, SIMPKIN MADE the move out of Mooroopna to pursue a career in the AFL. He received a scholarship for Indigenous students from Hawthorn’s Scotch College and impressed scouts while playing for the school’s team, establishing himself has a top draft prospect. But then, in just the fourth game of his year 12 season, Simpkin broke his fibula and tore a ligament.
His draft stock took a hit, but he’d still shown enough promise for North Melbourne to take a gamble on him with the 12th pick in the 2016 draft. Then came his next challenge: making it in the AFL.
“When I first got into the system I wanted to be the best straight away,” Simpkin says. “I very quickly learnt that doesn’t just happen. As an 18-year-old coming up against men who are at the top of their game, I was training very hard and not getting much reward on game day. It used to really stress me out.”
Simpkin figured it out eventually. By his fourth professional season, he finished second in North Melbourne’s best and fairest voting. A year later, he topped it. And in 2022, he won the Syd Barker medal for the second year running. When prompted, Simpkin singles out that second medal as the highlight of his career. Why not the first, you ask? According to Simpkin, “Anyone can play good footy for a year, get to the top and then fall off pretty quickly,” and he values consistency above all else. “To be able to stay at the top for two years in a row was twice as special.”
Following his back-to-back Syd Barkers, Simpkin became a co-captain for the Kangaroos, which presented a whole new range of challenges. When he was handed the co-captaincy, Simpkin was in the midst of a positional change, moving from the midfield to the half-forward flank. The shift coincided with the added pressure of responsibility, and for a while he admits he lost sight of himself.
“I was trying to worry about everyone else before me,” he says. “After reflecting on the year, I realised that I still have to prioritise myself sometimes. Of course, you have to be a leader for the team, but if you don’t have your own backyard sorted, then it’s hard to be able to lead and play at your best.”
While Simpkin’s on-field consistency was never in question, he feels that the work he’s done off it over the last few seasons has made him a more complete player. “I think the biggest thing for me over the last couple of years has been my off-field stuff,” he says. “I’ve really focused on improving my mental space and actually understanding myself more, which has helped me become a much better leader at the footy club, but also away from football.”
SPECIAL MOMENTS MAY be hard-earned at North Melbourne, but they’re never taken for granted. For Simpkin, the week-to-week rhythm of training, recovery and preparation has become a kind of discipline in itself. But inevitably, age has changed the way Simpkin’s body responds. “This year has probably been the worst I’ve started to pull up after games,” he admits. “I no longer feel like I’m invincible like when I was younger. I do ice baths, I do saunas, spas – they all help me get my body in a place where I’m feeling good.”
It’s easy to forget that Simpkin is still only 27. At North Melbourne, he’s already something of an elder statesman, and he doesn’t count himself among the young brigade he’s so quick to praise. “Sometimes I feel like I’m nearly 40 with the way my body’s pulling up post-game,” he jokes. But don’t panic, Kangaroos fans, Simpkin insists “I’ve still got a lot of games left to play.”
For Simpkin, crucial in ensuring that longevity is the work he does for his mind. Journaling has become a daily ritual he shares with his partner. “We get up, have breakfast and write in our journals. I feel like it’s so good to just write things down and get it out of your head,” he says. Meditation, breathwork and regular sessions with North Melbourne’s recently hired leadership mentor, former Richmond captain Kane Johnson, have also helped him find clarity. “If I had focused more on mindfulness and my mental space when I was younger, it would have helped me a lot,” he reflects.
Away from the club, Simpkin is happiest on the golf course. He doesn’t need to worry too much about following a strict diet either, thanks to his partner, popular vegan chef Chloe Wheatland, who is “a wizard in the kitchen” according to Simpkin. “She cooks very healthy food all the time. I’m very lucky in that sense,” he says.
When asked how he wants to be remembered once he does decide to hang up his boots, Simpkin reveals that his goals are simple: to be remembered as a great teammate and someone who always gave it everything he had. “At the end, when it’s all said and done, if people can say I was a great teammate, that they loved playing with me and I always gave 100 per cent, then I’d be quite happy,” he says.
It’s a fitting response, one that strips the game back to its essence. For Simpkin, success isn’t defined by premierships or accolades but by the daily act of persistence – the training sessions nobody sees, the decision to show up again week after week, and the ability to keep shouldering the weight of expectations. He understands that victory has a price, and he’s willing to pay it; for himself, for his teammates, and for the club he believes will rise again.
Words: Cayle Reid
Head of Brand: Ben Jhoty
Photography: Sam Bisso
Group Style Director: Grant Pearce
Production director: Rebecca Moore
Digital Director: Arielle Katos
Hair & make-up: Blanka Dudas
Fashion Assistant: Bree Pritchard
Video: Jordan Coles
