The Roar
The Roar

AFL
Advertisement

How your AFL team will fare in 2016: Brisbane Lions

6th January, 2016
Advertisement
The Lions had no choice but to release Leppitsch. (AAP Image/Julian Smith)
Roar Guru
6th January, 2016
20
1968 Reads

2016 is here and the AFL season promises to be another gripping, must-watch 26 weeks of action.

Throughout January I will run through a full preview of each team, in predicted reverse-ladder order, and list the best 22 at each club.

Each club will be given a ranking out of 10 in five categories, starting with the most important and finishing with the least important.

Forward line. Never has scoring been more important than it is in today’s AFL. Conversion rates are key and the highest scoring teams have the best chance of success.

Backline. A close second in terms of importance. Versatility is key and defending with a zone is as prevalent as an old-fashioned, man-on-man back six.

Midfield. So many players run through the middle, but the elite midfields are almost always playing come September. The best players play their best football on the ball.

Fixture. Each draw is assessed based on opponents played twice, travel, six-day breaks and any other relevant information.

Coaching. Each team’s coach will be rated out of 10, with a comment on their career record, recent history and potential to improve.

Advertisement

With the criteria now established, let’s take a look at the side predicted to prop up the table in 2016.

Brisbane Lions
The Lions narrowly avoided the wooden spoon in 2015, winning just four games on the back of the second-worst forward line and second-worst back-line.

Their midfield has depth and may have improved slightly from last season, but there is little doubt they are destined to sit at the foot of the ladder yet again.

Best 22
B: Ryan Harwood, Darcy Gardiner, Justin Clarke
HB: Tom Cutler, Harris Andrews, Pearce Hanley
C: Ryan Bastinac, Dayne Beams, Tom Bell
HF: Allen Christensen, Josh Walker, Dayne Zorko
F: Josh Green, Josh Schache, Lewis Taylor
R: Stefan Martin, Ton Rockliff, Mitch Robinson
I: Daniel McStay, Marco Paparone, Sam Mayes, Daniel Rich

Forward line
There is very little to write home about here. As the second overall pick in the national draft, Josh Schache represents the future of the Lions and should be thrown straight in at full-forward. Learning on the job will benefit this rare talent, although it shapes as a baptism of fire given the lack of support he will have.

Recruit Josh Walker will find the going tougher than he did last year at Geelong, and will need to get some more consistency in his game; of the 19 goals he kicked in 15 games last season, 12 came in just three games.

Brisbane’s small forwards are serviceable. Josh Green does his job and Lewis Taylor will be keen to respond to a nightmare 12 months where he fell from the heights of the NAB Rising Star to being dropped from the Brisbane line-up and being in trouble with the law.

Advertisement

Rating: 2/10

Backline
Pearce Hanley may play in the midfield, but if not he stands out as the star of Brisbane’s defence. Arguably the most talented Irishman to ever play in the AFL, he will look for an injury-free run after a poor few seasons on that front.

Youth is on the side of Darcy Gardiner, Harris Andrews and Tom Cutler, and the Lions need to embrace the growing pains that will come with them playing together. With 50 games under both their belts, Brisbane will be hoping Justin Clarke and Ryan Harwood take a step up in quality.

This backline should be selected with an eye for the future, meaning the experienced Daniel Merrett, who has 55 more caps than any of his teammates, should only be used in times of crisis and may not add to his 181 game career.

Rating: 3/10

Midfield
This is the one area where the Lions can be competitive. Dayne Beams is an A-grader and skipper Tom Rockliff is not far behind. Allen Christensen, Dayne Zorko and Mitch Robinson provide solid depth.

New recruits Ryan Bastinac and Tom Bell should provide the Lions with quality service to their forwards. If Beams can remain injury-free and Rockliff can settle into being the second or third best midfielder, the Lions may well be able to cover the losses of Jack Redden and James Aish and surprise a few teams.

Advertisement

Ruckman Stefan Martin is one of the more underrated big men in the AFL, and reportedly considered leaving the Lions in the off-season. His choice to stay at Brisbane should reap rewards for both sides as Martin will look to replicate a successful 2015 when he ranked fifth in hit outs in the league and first in contested possessions among ruckman.

Rating: 5/10

Fixture
The Lions have a decent draw, playing just one of last year’s top eight (West Coast) twice and also playing fellow strugglers Carlton and Gold Coast on two occasions. Old Fitzroy fans will be excited to see them in action seven times in Melbourne, and the club has just five six-day breaks.

With that said, the first three weeks shapes as a brutal test for Brisbane. The Lions start their season against the Eagles in Perth, followed by matchups with North Melbourne and Geelong. Any hopes of a resurgence may well be dashed by Round 4.

Rating: 6/10

Coaching
Justin Leppitsch has coached for two years and won just 11 of 44 games. He hasn’t had a strong side to work with – injuries and lack of talent are never easy to work with – but has shown few signs of being a successful coach.

The murmurs of friction at the club are not positive. Leppitsch may demand respect as a former champion of the club, but that alone won’t translate to coaching success. He needs this limited list to buy-in for him to remain as coach by the end of the season.

Advertisement

Rating: 3/10

Summary
The talent is simply not there for Brisbane. While the midfield depth is solid, weaknesses at either end of the ground mean the gap between the Lions and the majority of the competition is too great. Lions fans would be best served to write off this season and hope for quick development of their young talent.

Predicted finish: 18th

close