What a difference a year makes. Last year’s AFL cellar dwellers clashed not in a battle for the number one draft, pick but in a match that highlighted the completely different trajectories these teams are on in 2016.
Rewind to Round 20 last year at the Gabba where Brisbane and Carlton did battle for the figurative “Weitering Cup,” with the loser more than likely winning the number one pick and the rights to phenomenon Jacob Weitering.
The Lions were winners on the night and a win against the Bulldogs in the final round made Weitering a Blue, however Brisbane were safe in the knowledge they would draft the best forward available, Josh Schache, and had instilled a winning feeling into the list after a tough year. Brighter days awaited the Lions in 2016 it appeared, while Carlton seemed a coachless basket case with possibly the worst list in the competition.
Fast forward to the present day and the bottom two clubs of last year couldn’t be any more different. The Blues are rejuvenated under new coach Brendon Bolton, who has his men playing structured and ultra-competitive, uncompromising football.
His Blues, after disposing of the Lions are 6-5, already surpassed their win total from last year and have provided their supporters with hope for the future as they rise up the ladder. What supporters of developing teams want from their team is competitiveness and effort week to week and visible improvement in both individual players and team play. Bolton has provided this and then some.
Their opponents on the night, however, are a rabble on the field. They appear rudderless at times, their foot skills deplorable. The first half score of one goal, seven behinds has become all too familiar for Lions supporters in recent years, with their lack of scoring punch and skill execution undermining their at times excellent endeavour.
The game plan of this week from the Lions seemed to be based on playing laborious keepings off. That requires precise kicking skills, something that is painfully lacking in Brisbane.
This is just another example of the lack of clarity coming from the coaches box regarding the Lions’ game plan. Some weeks they play fast and play on at all cost. Other weeks it’s death by a thousand cuts as it was against Carlton. Ask a Lions fan what their team’s game plan is and you will get furrowed brows, shrugging shoulders and frustrated exasperations.
Conversely, a Carlton fan will be confident in the knowledge that when they watch their team play they know the game plan and structure their team will play with. A clear, well executed plan promotes confidence and hope, whereas lack of a plan leads to frustration and disillusionment.
The stark contrast between the two teams is not limited to their differing on-field fortunes but is also evident in the men that occupy the coach’s boxes. While Justin Leppitsch was winning premiership number three with the Lions in 2003, Bolton was captain coach of North Hobart and leading them to a premiership of their own.
Bolton served a long and decorated coaching apprenticeship both at VFL and AFL level, most notably as one Alastair Clarkson’s lieutenants at Hawthorn. Leppitsch, conversely, is another member of the “he was a great player, therefore he will be a great coach” production line that has had disastrous results in the recent past.
With Bolton, you can see a man who has honed his craft and has a clear and unshakeable belief in how football should be played and has the ability to teach his players how to execute this vision and improve as individuals and as a whole.
Leppitsch, meanwhile, appears to an outsider to be a coach without a clear vision or unable to communicate or teach his vision to his players, leaving them floundering on game day.
If Leppitsch and his coaching team are unable or incapable of implementing a clear football vision and game plan, then the Lions can look forward to years of competing for the “Weitering Cup” in September instead of the real thing.
Who’s in your ultimate team? Pick the best team and compete with other fans for daily prizes on Draftstars. For the best odds on the game try out Aussie bookmaker PlayUp. Think. Is this a bet you really want to place? Set a deposit limit.
Brisbane coach Chris Fagan has defended the AFL Tribunal's controversial decision to overturn star forward Charlie Cameron's one-match suspension for a dangerous tackle, as…
Chris Fagan took issue with repeat questions about the Lions' Tribunal defence of Charlie Cameron, which saw the star forward controversially reprieved.
There’s a slight disconnect between the data, the record and the eye test for the Brisbane Lions to start season 2024. This week, Champion…
Charlie Cameron escaped his one-game ban by arguing he had an 'exemplary' record. But AFL360 has found proof that while he has not been…
Charlie Cameron escaped a ban with his dangerous tackle on Jake Lever downgraded at the tribunal. Cameron's "character reference" and his record contributed to…
Brisbane star Charlie Cameron is free to face Geelong on Saturday after the AFL Tribunal used its discretion to turn his one-game suspension into…
