Brisbane’s one strength during the last few lean years has been their midfield.
1. Too much of a good midfield
With young midfielders aplenty in Jack Redden, Pearce Hanley, Daniel Rich, Tom Rockliff, Dayne Zorko, Lewis Taylor, James Aish, Claye Beams and Sam Mayes, Brisbane had glaring weaknesses elsewhere heading into the 2014 player movement period.
A club does not want to turn back talent of the likes of Allen Christensen and Dayne Beams but now the reality of fitting up to 12 midfield options into the one team begins.
In most ways Brisbane’s ability to develop and grow relies on a number of these midfield options sacrificing their own games for the betterment of the team.
2. Sacrifice down back
Even last year you could start to see some of the sacrifices that individuals were willing to make at Brisbane to help give the team the right balance.
Former captain Jed Adcock has always had the potential to be a top midfielder, but has been content to give Brisbane drive and experience behind the ball. Last year Sam Mayes revitalised his season with a stint in the back half where his disposal and run again proved to be an asset. Looking ahead to the 2015 which other players are willing to work in defensive capacity for Brisbane is crucial for trying to obtain a finals contending make up.
On the surface the majority of the Brisbane midfield options are attacking players and so it is likely to be a tough transition, but one or two of the Brisbane midfielders must make it.
3. Mosquito fleet
The midfield is small, the forward line is smaller. Brisbane have bucked recent draft trends by going for a brigade of fleet-footed youngsters who keep themselves close to the ground and goal.
Josh Green would be the biggest surprise as a team’s leading goal kicker in 2014 but with 33 goals he took the honours at the Lions. He was one of only two Lions to pass 20 goals on the season and as this highlights goals were a tough assignment to get in 2014. Again in 2015 the reliance is going to be on the small players at the club to contribute to winning scores.
4. Ruck dilemma
One of the other under-appreciated talking points of the Brisbane season is what they do with their ruck division and most significantly what role promising yet injury prone big man Matthew Leuneberger plays.
Brisbane won five games in the second half of last season which coincided with Stefan Martin becoming the number one ruck. Martin’s ability to have an impact in the ruck but also his athletic ability at ground level meant he was a unique option for Brisbane. What has been evident over a career though is that Martin likes being the number one ruck. Now with Leuneberger back, how Brisbane decide to use him is pivotal to both players.
Round 23 against Geelong showed that they can play in the same team together but whether that works over a 22-game season is a 2015 watch point.
5. Captain’s call
The appointment of Tom Rockliff as the new Brisbane captain was met with positivity from the wider football community. But whether Brisbane’s decision to allow the player’s sole responsibility to decide a leader does have backfire potential.
Internally Rockliff is spoken of as a vocal and strong leader but there is a difference between being vocal and being a strong leader. Incidents over the past two seasons lend themselves towards Rockliff being vocal more than strong.
Perhaps the real issue with the Rockliff appointment was the reaction from outgoing captain Jed Adcock. Since his dumping Adcock has spoken of the disappointment he has felt. Through the tough times Adcock has been the leader Brisbane needed and one feels he had earned the right to lead Brisbane towards better times. Adcock put it best when he said that he did not think that he had done anything wrong as captain. He hadn’t and really a captaincy vote should have been at least 12 to 24 months away, allowing a smooth transition.
Hawthorn, Sydney and Geelong have been calculated with how they have approach leadership, getting buy-in from all parties about captaincy transition. For Brisbane it is obvious that there is no buy-in from Adcock.
As for Rockliff it has made things more difficult for a player who is still looking to show the year-on-year consistency of the AFL’s elite.
6. Cash in
A lot has been made of Brisbane getting a commercially friendly opening to the season, with the first marquee Saturday night game a home outing against Dayne Beams’ former club Collingwood. This is followed in Round 3 with Richmond travelling north.
Brisbane must make a statement in these opening home games to ensure they capitalise on the optimism of the new season with new fans through the gate. This is even more important when you consider that four of their next five home games are Sunday games which have traditionally been a tougher sell.
If Brisbane experience a slow start, gate takings are likely to fall short of expectations.
7. Charmed coach
The job that Justin Leppitsch took on some 16 months ago changed rapidly from one of dread to one of desire. Leppitsch took over a club that was in a perilous state both on and off field, yet with his focus on-field Brisbane have transformed. Prepared to back the youth of his list in crunch times and in big moments, already the strategy is paying dividends with the growth and development seen among large chunks of the list late last year.
Leppitsch is to be commended for an always positive and passionate approach and belief in what youth can achieve. There is still a lot more room to move and grow but it would be hard to argue against Leppitsch being the biggest surprise as coach over the past two years.
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