To say that the two Queensland clubs had very different trade periods in 2013 is an understatement. The Brisbane Lions had a lot of activity, while the Gold Coast Suns were not sighted.
How this particular trade period will define the next two to four years for each club will make for fascinating viewing.
Brisbane Lions
The Brisbane Lions were forced to be active due to five players claiming homesickness as the reason they wanted to depart the club. Whether genuine or not, it is was still interesting to observe that some players nominated the club they wanted to go to and basically forced the club to salvage what it could.
Lions National Talent Manager Rob Kerr stated that the Lions entered the trade period basically “not wanting to get ripped off”.
Pearce Hanley took a swipe at the players who had left, finishing his now infamous tweet with “#mummiesboysarehomenow”, a not too subtle dig at those who departed.
It was a tough time, and that is not even getting into the chaos that was developing at board level.
What this trade period leaves the Lions with is picks 7, 22, 25, 28, 33, 34, 63 and 81. They also bought in Jackson Paine from Collingwood and Trent West from Geelong.
Losing four first round draft picks from 2010 and 2011 is going to hurt – there is no denying that.
What this will also do is place further pressure on the current midfield leaders – Rockliff, Redden, Moloney, Rich and Zorko. A number of the players that have left were expected to push for game time in the midfield and provide the Lions with valuable depth.
This was topped off by the retirement of Simon Black, a truly modern day great of the game.
Two players who should see plenty of game time next year are Sam Mayes and Marco Paparone, who have showed glimpses of what they may become as AFL footballers.
Mayes in particular had a number of impressive games towards the end of season 2013, and with another solid pre-season under his belt should enjoy greater responsibility in 2014.
Another problem area for the Lions is their forward line, and in particular finding a replacement for Jonathan Brown.
Brown has been a stalwart for the past decade and had the benefit of starting his career with both Lynch and Bradshaw around him, so he was able to play as the third tall. He now has possibly the 2014 season left before it is all over.
The Lions have so far failed to find the next key forward to drive the club up the ladder and into the finals. This process will now have to be accelerated.
This is where Paine might ultimately benefit, with plenty of game time and training sessions right next to Brown.
This draft is important for the Lions. Pick #7 should bring a quality player to the club, and after that the picks they have from 22-34 must be used wisely. All is not lost when your picks are predominately in the second round.
A number of club recruiters have stated that this is one of the most unpredictable drafts in recent years. The belief is that picks 1 to 12-14 are unlikely to have any major surprises, but the next group of picks up to #30 will generate a lot of interest and intrigue.
The view from the recruiters is that clubs will start drafting on a needs basis earlier than before, having a ripple effect on the entire draft. Quality midfielders may slip down the order as clubs pick taller players on a “needs” basis rather than on a “best available” basis.
A quick scan of recent drafts shows the following players were picked later in their respective drafts:
Jack Darling (West Coast, #26 in 2010)
Jack Gunston (Hawthorn, #29 in 2009)
Mitch Duncan (Geelong, #28 in 2009)
Jake Carlisle (Essendon, #24 in 2009)
Nat Fyfe (Fremantle, #20 in 2009)
Jackson Trengove (Port Adelaide, #22 in 2008)
David Zaharakis (Essendon, #23 in 2008)
Dayne Beams (Collingwood, #29 in 2009)
Daniel Hannebery (Sydney, #30 in 2008)
That is one talented group of players and if the Lions can unearth two or three such players in this draft (or the next) they would be thrilled.
There are signs that slowly but surely the Lions are getting themselves set up for the future. A new coach (with some apprenticeship experience under his belt), a new board and plans for a new training facility in Springfield are all positives.
The Lions won’t make the finals next season, or the couple after that, and I think they will end up with somewhere between eight and 10 wins again.
The difference will be that Leppitsch will have begun to put his processes and plans into the players, bringing all the experience he has garnered through his apprenticeship time in the AFL system.
Gold Coast Suns
The Gold Coast Suns obviously view the players on their list as the group that is going to take this club to the finals, and possibly its first grand final appearance. They had no players come into the club during the trade period and had no players leaving either.
They have picks 5, 20, 27, 61 and 79, but I have a feeling they will probably only use the first three of those. That’s potentially three more quality kids into a club, and system, that is oozing talent and also confidence.
They had a sharp improvement in their third season in the AFL and managed to claim eight wins, despite an injury toll that kept them from being able to consistently field their best 22.
The Suns are getting fitter and stronger in all areas of the ground.
They have a plethora of talls for the ruck, key back and key forward positions. Smith, Day, Gorringe, Thompson, Lynch, Nicholls, Dixon and May are a stack of talent which the Suns will be hoping to keep on the park as much as possible in 2014.
The midfield is probably the greatest strength of the team at the moment. Led by their inspirational skipper Gary Ablett Jr, it also includes O’Meara, Bennell, Prestia, Swallow, Stanley, Shaw, Hall and Rischitelli.
Being added to this group is Jack Martin, who has huge wraps on him after starring in the NEAFL last season as he was too young to play AFL.
For the Suns, it is about consistency of effort throughout the season. They are going through another pre-season so fitness and strength should continue to increase, meaning they will stay competitive for longer in all matches.
Coach Guy McKenna should be trying as hard as possible to eradicate from the group the ‘shocker’ match that pops up from time to time – it will be the difference between playing finals and missing out.
My prediction is that the Suns will win somewhere between 10-12 games in season 2014 and they might just sneak into eighth position, but will probably finish ninth or 10th.
The Suns will also win both QClash games next season to bring the ledger back to 5-3 in favour of the Lions. I have a feeling that the Suns are set to dominate this fixture for the next few years and will be ahead on the ledger after their first meeting in 2015.
The Brisbane Lions will be hoping stability at board level, a grant of $1.8 million from the AFL for football department spending, along with a six draft picks inside the top 35 can put the club back in the right direction to build towards finals in 2016.
The modern day inspiration for the Lions will be Port Adelaide of 2013. They put the right staff into the club at board and coaching level and it brought renewed hope and confidence, taking the players to the second week of the finals in 2013 after finishing 14th with five wins the previous years.
The Gold Coast are moving full steam ahead as they hunt for a historic finals berth, only seeing the need to top up their young and talented list.
The two Queensland clubs could not be in more different positions leading into the 2014 season.
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.
If the Lions are clever they can use this season as a passing of the guard season and send off some very talented players whilst also trying to be competitive.
There’s no disputing that Cam Guthrie will be important against Melbourne, given Patrick Dangerfield is set to miss due to injury.
The AFL need a more simple approach to high contact and one that makes players accountable, regardless of intent.
Collingwood led by a point with minutes to go, Kyle Langford had the chance to be the hero with a set shot, however, he missed, and we saw the first draw of the season.
The Southport defender clapped his hands as the kick was taken, which the umpire seemed to think was the ball hitting his hands -…
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.
