Aggression, whole-hearted desire and courage were all hallmarks of Michael Voss the star AFL player. The triple premiership-winning skipper’s attributes certainly remain at the fore as coach following a bold and stunning 2010 recruitment campaign.

After a sixth-placed finish in his debut season, Voss has made Brisbane’s premiership intentions crystal clear by luring north half a dozen established players, highlighted by the controversial signing of Brendan Fevola.

The disgraced Carlton star’s acquisition has seen 2010 branded a “Fevolution” for the Lions and it’s brought attention and hype back to the Gabba.

Since falling short in their fourth straight grand final in 2004, levels of expectation and interstate interest in Brisbane had disappeared.

All that changes now.

Kevin Sheedy was among those quick to brand the Lions genuine premiership contenders with Fevola partnering captain Jonathan Brown up forward.

Despite the strength of Geelong, St Kilda, Hawthorn, Western Bulldogs and Collingwood, Fevola says he and his teammates expect nothing short of a top-four finish.

It’s an attitude that resonates with Voss, even though he couldn’t care less about pre-season talk.

“I’ve never been one for expectations,” he said. “But through all my time I always come in with a hope I will win a premiership.

“If I don’t come in with my hope then what am I here for?

“All you’re after is a chance, the top four gives you a chance.”

Voss has certainly rolled the dice to achieve the goal with Brent Staker (West Coast), Amon Buchanan (Sydney), Xavier Clarke (St Kilda), Andrew Raines (Richmond) and Matt Maguire (St Kilda) also moving to Brisbane.

It didn’t need Fevola’s latest scandal – the Lara Bingle nude picture – to underline the gamble could come up snake eyes.

The Lions let go crowd favourite Daniel Bradshaw and also the under-rated Joel Macdonald while injury or form clouds hover over Raines, Staker, Clarke and Maguire.

Voss openly describes the Lions’ 2009 performance – ending with a 51-point semi-final loss to the Bulldogs – as modest but fair for their list.

He never went to trade week expecting to return home with a handful of signatures, later added to by key defender Maguire’s at the national draft.

“I knew we certainly had a strategy we were working towards over the whole year and then at the end of the year we had to make some critical decisions and we went with them,” he said.

“You get few opportunities in this game and we saw an opportunity.”

The strategy was assisted by the club’s most pleasing aspect of 2009 for Voss: the rapid development and marked improvement of select youngsters.

Tall utility Mitch Clark was the undoubted success story while the rise of Justin Sherman also lifted the firepower of a team which has relied too heavily on Brown, Simon Black and Luke Power for too long.

Add to that Rising Star Daniel Rich and fellow first-year Jack Redden as well as the likes of James Polkinghorne and Sam Sheldon.

“That enabled us to do some different things with the list, that emerging of those players actually gave us an opportunity to perhaps think our depth has changed and the personnel of our depth had changed considerably,” Voss said.

According to the coach, all his recruits have “fitted in beautifully”.

But the rubber hits the road on March 27 when the Lions start their season against West Coast at the Gabba, five days before an Easter Thursday blockbuster against Carlton.

For Voss, who replaced Leigh Matthews, it will represent a new era at the Lions following the departure to GWS of football manager Graeme Allan, Matthew’s right-hand man.

“In some ways Gubby Allan leaving ends that transition period for us,” he said. “I thought it was good for Gub and symbolic for us.

“We are definitely truly past that era of Leigh Matthews and now into a completely different one and this one is forging its own reputation.”

BRISBANE LIONS

Coach: Michael Voss

Captain: Jonathan Brown

Last five years: 11-13-10-10-6

Premierships: 11 (Eight as Fitzroy, three as Brisbane Lions (1898-99, 1904-05, 1913, 1916, 1922, 1944, 2001-03)

Star five: Jonathan Brown, Simon Black, Mitch Clark, Luke Power, Jared Brennan.

One to watch: Brendan Fevola. No great surprise that Brisbane’s 2010 “Fevolution” is already suffering through a rocky start. The ex-Carlton spearhead can’t escape the headlines despite doing his best to turn a new leaf with the Lions. While he’s been embraced by new team-mates, the Lara Bingle nude picture scandal has highlighted the extra maintenance required. The biggest question mark is if he can finally settle down and stay out of trouble. Then Fevola must strike the right chemistry with big Jon Brown in attack.

Ins: Callum Bartlett (Geelong U18), Amon Buchanan (Sydney), Xavier Clarke (St Kilda), Brendan Fevola (Carlton), Pearce Hanley (rookie elevation), Ryan Harwood (Glenorchy, Tas), Matt Maguire (St Kilda), Jesse O’Brien (North Adelaide), Andrew Raines (Richmond), Bryce Retzlaff (Labrador, Qld), Brent Staker (West Coast).

Outs: Daniel Bradshaw (Sydney), Scott Clouston (delisted), Bradd Dalziell (West Coast), Scott Harding (Port Adelaide), Lachlan Henderson (Carlton), Rhan Hooper (Hawthorn), Kieran King (delisted), Joel Macdonald (Melbourne), Tim Notting (retired), Jason Roe (delisted), Matthew Tyler (delisted).

Best line-up:

B: Ash McGrath, Daniel Merrett, Joel Patfull

HB: Jed Adcock, Matt Maguire, Josh Drummond

C: Justin Sherman, Daniel Rich, Jared Brennan

HF: Brent Staker, Jonathan Brown, Travis Johnstone

F: James Polkinghorne, Brendan Fevola, Amon Buchanan

Fol: Mitch Clark, Simon Black, Luke Power

IC: Matthew Leuenberger, Michael Rischitelli, Jack Redden, Xavier Clarke

© AAP 2012

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