It’s been close to a decade, but in 2013 the Brisbane Lions may have nearly finished their long march back to AFL contention.
Last year we were all taken aback after Adelaide dominated the NAB Cup, winning in convincing fashion by 34 points against West Coast.
The Crows went on to have a great year, and despite one of the easier draws, were impressive in proceeding to a gallant loss in the preliminary final.
Adelaide made a huge amount of ground in just twelve months and as I look back over Brisbane’s pre-season grand final win over the weekend, I wonder if the Brisbane Lions will have a similar fate.
Notching up 10 wins last year was already a big improvement but before the NAB Cup started I had them struggling to fight further up the ladder this year. In my pre-season picks they still missed the finals, finishing 11th in a group of five teams fighting for the eight.
But after their victory on Friday night and their undefeated tournament, I have to reassess whether they will make further inroads in the season to come.
Jonathan Brown is of course key, as he has been for so long, and as his five goals in the grand final attest. He has to stay injury free, but no doubt he’ll attack the contest as fearlessly as ever.
Journeyman Brent Moloney is a great recruit, having come to the club via stints at Melbourne and Geelong. As a hard-nosed midfielder, Moloney will help relieve the pressure on Simon Black to be the club’s number one midfielder at the tail end of his career.
He will also attract a decent opponent, leaving either the improved Tom Rockliff or Jack Redden to get at the ball with less attention.
Martin Pike famously blossomed at Brisbane after moving through several other AFL sides. It would be great to see a player of Moloney’s ability doing the same.
Josh Green and Dayne Zorko have improved and now add some spark. Daniel Merrett has to hold down full back to give Joel Patfull a chop out.
Daniel Rich was a worthy winner of the Michael Tuck Medal, and his running this year looks so much more powerful. Patrick Karnezis is another who has taken big steps forward to be almost been his side’s best performer over the pre-season tournament.
Brisbane were the best contested-ball team in the NAB Cup, and second in clearances. This highlights two massive areas of improvement, after finishing 15th and 17th in those respective categories last year.
The Lions are scoring on a regular basis from their forward 50 entries. The main issue will be whether the defence can restrict the opposition on a week-by-week basis.
There was some public negativity about the AFL’s decision to play the pre-season grand final in Melbourne.
But internally, the Lions would have been happy enough with the decision, given they play the same stadium in round one against the Bulldogs and in round four against North Melbourne. This was a dress rehearsal that will now see the Lions back themselves in.
It could be the start of an impressive season. Brisbane’s home games are once again becoming a lock. Only 10 of their 22 rounds are against top eight sides from last year.
If you have a look at their first five games, they play the Bulldogs at Etihad, Adelaide at the Gabba, Gold Coast at Metricon, North at Etihad, and Melbourne at the Gabba.
They could quite easily have four wins after five weeks, which would be a massive confidence boost for a side that is improving.
They’ve been a long time down, but the Brisbane Lions may surprise a lot of teams this year.
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We’re taking a look at one player from each team that needs to make a difference this week, starting with the ANZAC Day games.
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