As a Roarer, a columnist for The Roar, our job every week is to come up with a roaring article.
Well, the Brisbane Lions are yet to produce a roaring performance in 2015 despite pre-season predictions that they could be one of the big improvers.
Two of the competition’s better and more influential midfielders in Dayne Beams and Allen Christensen wanted to move to Queensland for personal reasons and as you would expect both Queensland sides the Lions and Gold Coast Suns wanted them.
However, in a good sign for this developing Lions team, it was the Brisbane side that managed to snare their services. It was especially sweet because the Lions lost five high draft picks due to homesick issues at the end of 2013, including Billy Longer, Sam Docherty and Jared Polec.
They also picked up Carlton hard nut Mitch Robinson, who needed a change of scenery. That meant the Lions had plenty of depth in their midfield with Daniel Rich returning from injury, the exciting Irishman Pearce Hanley and the new skipper Tom Rockliff.
The midfield also contained emerging youngsters such as Rising Star winner, Lewis Taylor, Dayne Zorko, Sam Mayes and James Aish, who by the end of last year had all established themselves in the best 22.
It looked like a midfield in the upper echelon of the competition, but there’s a major problem with the great Jonathan Brown having retired as Brisbane don’t have a ready made replacement yet.
Michael Close was developing and looked promising, but is now out for the season with a knee injury, while Jonathan Freeman hasn’t made the progress he started to at the end of 2014.
Daniel McStay looks the goods. However, he will take time to grow into his body and their tall defenders in Daniel Merrett and Matt Maguire are aging.
Don’t get me wrong, the fact that Christensen and Beams were available and chose the Lions as their new destination is great for them, but they need a tall forward and that has been evident in their awful start to the season so far.
Their poor form hasn’t been helped by the loss of form as well of their number one, but injury prone ruckman, Matthew Leuenberger.
The way they are performing, you just don’t know where or how they are going to open their account and start winning games. After their golden era when they won the three flags in a row between 2001 and 2003, Brisbane has made the finals just once since 2004, and that was in 2009.
Ten years is a long time, but it seems much longer than that now in regard to their on-field performances and you can’t see where the next golden era will come from.
To add insult to injury, their top ten draft pick from 2013, James Aish from South Australia, is out of favour and out of the team at the moment as well as out of contract at the end of this season.
He is from a famous South Australian footballing family and his uncle Michael aborted many attempts from Victorian clubs to get him across the border in the 1980s, when he was probably the SANFL’S best player.
The Lions look like they are on a collision course of losing yet another highly credentialed youngster to the go-home factor. They are at a very low ebb currently and times are tough for their coach, Justin Leppitsch.
There’s the old saying ‘the only way is up’, and they would be hoping it starts this week against another straggler, Carlton, on Mother’s Day.
Expect the heat to really rise on the losing coach, if hasn’t already reached boiling point!
Gecko
Guest
The Bulldogs have shown that you don't need an experienced key forward. Even someone like McStay should be able to get the ball to the ground. The difference is that the Bulldogs's forwards are then locking it in and the Lions' forwards aren't. That's poor coaching, poor commitment or both. Brisbane is sorely missing their captain's big body in clearances but it's a huge opportunity for Mitch Robinson to take charge of that role. Daniel Rich may need to play a more inside role until Rockliffe returns because the other Brisbane midfielders are not heavy enough to be pack crashers.
Alex L
Roar Rookie
What a crock, if you look at any interstate team list it's usually 25-50% Victorian in origin, and it's near-constant to hear of a player either going back to WA or SA to play where their family is or being drafted by a local club (Wingard for example basically told GWS he wanted to stay in SA pre-draft, so they elected to pass him over). QLD just has a terrible junior base, and nobody in their right mind would want to play for the bastion of incompetency that the Lions administration has become.
DingoGray
Roar Guru
Jared Polec ring a bell Col? Was ordinary at Brisbane, went home and is now a star. Aish will have suitors and as Sportsfan says Brisbane will play hardball.
TomC
Roar Guru
Beams wouldn't have been eligible for FA until the end of 2016. Who knows what could change in that time?
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Agree that currently Aish is struggling but that won't stop other clubs, particularly the strong SA or VIC clubs from recruiting him due to his 'potential' to be an excellent long term player for their Club. 2014 he showed how plenty and while having a rough trot at the start of his second season I don't think it will impact Clubs chasing him and his Manager Liam Pickering arranging the trade with the most value to both Clubs. Pickering is after all a bloke that only thinks about money.
rayman revolution
Guest
It all started when leigh matthews didn't give shaun hart a contract for 2005 instead kept martin pike which turned out to be the dumbest decision ever and the lions payed the price by missed the finals in a disastrous end of an great era Shaun hart injury in the preliminaryfinal 2004 and alistair lynch throwing punches has haunted brisbane for the last decade There's no doubt if hart and lynch played on in 2005 brisbane would still be in the top4 and possibly a 5th straight grand final
rayman
Guest
I reckon after leigh matthews stepped down brisbane should have gone for shaun hart instead of voss as coach Shaun hart wouldve been an awesome coach for this team and is a family person that would get the best out of these players It was shaun harts injury that ultimately cost brisbane lions a chance of winning the 2004 grandfinal It's ever since lynch and shaun hart retired brisbane have been mediocre in the last decade
idiot savant
Guest
Part 2 of the problems began the day they appointed Voss. Part one began when the club's elite ran Akermanis out of town. The soul and culture of the club was damaged in these actions. Voss was one of the greatest and most courageous players I have seen. But that didnt give him the right to coach the club. The game has always been bigger than the players, Success in sporting clubs requires the same kind of courage Voss showed on ball but from astute management. The kind of courage Trevor Hohns and Wayne Bennett have shown in their respective sports when showing players the door. The Lions management should never have allowed the disgraceful sideshow that was the Akermanis sacking nor the appointment of Voss as coach with no assistant experience and lets face it, no evidence of analytical skills during his commentary period. But the really important figure in the construction of the Lions premierships was gone by then - Andrew Ireland. He now helms Sydney from the background and there has been no fall from grace in that club. Ireland's exit allowed the construction of myths about Matthews and a few player champions being the main reason for the Lions success. But nothing truly great is ever achieved alone. Ireland built a whole team of recruiters, coaches, medical and physio, a top class psychologist, and more around the players to make that club great. Thats what the club needs back. A visionary and tough minded manager. When Voss spent 3 players salaries on a troubled full forward and ditched hard working on ballers like Rischitelli, most of his rival coaches must have smiled. Full forwards dont win premierships.The greatest goal kicker in VFL/AFL hisotry never played in a premiership. On ballers do (with help from defence). The only reason the Lions made the finals in Voss's first year was because he played the kids who gave the side more run. How management could never see this is beyond me. It would never have happened under Ireland.
Col from Brissie
Guest
Only problem is SportsFan his current form does not warrant a top 10 pick. He is currently not playing in the bottom team due to poor performance. Brisbane may not be in the position to demand a top 10 pick and if they play hardball they may be left with a player who doesn't want to be there. Maybe they could go the other way and force him to go into the pre season draft so he might not end up where he wants to.
Tony Stamkoski
Guest
Who s brain fade was it to throw in Crisp as the sweetner for Beams...bad management..as good as Beams has been I would've kept Crisp and our draft picks and got Beams next year FOR NOTHING..this is why we re going nowhere fast..and we were just getting somewhere after the similar muck up with Fevola.
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Aish is in the second year of the standard Rookie Contract - he can't choose where he wants to go and a trade must be arranged with another willing Club. If everything fails at the trade table then he can opt to go into the Pre-Season Draft where any Club can pick him up with their pick. History shows that generally a trade is arranged because a player that wants to leave doesn't want to go back into the lottery of the draft, particularly if they have already decided where it is they want to try and get to. The Lions can and should play hardball.
Tony
Guest
The lions problem is as follows: They have lost Polec, Yeo, Dockerty not to mention Henderson swapped for Favola ... all this happened under Voss Now we are going to lose Aish ... The Lions are becoming a seconds club for clubs in WA, SA and Vic One of the reasons for the go home factor is also the NEAFL ... imagine going back to play there if you are not in the seniors?! It is time for the east coast to have one good quality seconds competition that includes the best clubs from the VFL and seconds teams from Lions, Suns, GWS, and Swans ... Call it the East Coast AFL !
Steve
Guest
I would have thought with Aish being out of contract at the end of the season he could go where he likes. Without a contract moving forward, why would the Lions get any compensation for losing an out of contract player?
SportsFanGC
Roar Guru
Dan a bit of research would help this article in relation to Freeman. Yes he was showing some very good signs at the end of 2014 and the reason he has not been sighted yet in 2015 is that he injured his back during the pre-season, which required surgery with a 3 month timetable for his return to AFL level footy. You can find this out by checking the Club website before posting your articles. Regarding two players Leuenberger and Aish: I would let Leuenberger go, he has been "all potential without the result" to this point in his career and is now more likely than not to get injured. His injuries also do not seem to be minor injuries either, always serious with long term absences. If Aish was keen to make a career at Brisbane he would have re-signed with the Lions like all other 2013 and 2014 draftees to the Club. He has not done so and has not instructed his manager to get the ball rolling so he is out. The Lions must play hardball on this one and not allow him to get to the Club of his choice with fair recompense - at the minimum a first Round Draft pick inside the the top ten. This way his management knows which clubs they can approach about a deal as it would be ridiculous for the Lions to receive anything other than a Top 10 pick for him considering that he now has 2 years in the system.
Lex
Guest
Everyone knows that the Western Bulldogs, St Kilda and Melbourne are there to make up the numbers for the power clubs to play and defeat. It seems the Lions are now in this group and will be for a long long time if not forever. WB last GF was 1961, Saints one and only flag was 1966. Dees last GF 2000 which they lost by a record amount at the time. All 3 clubs have made very bad choices of coach, draft picks and financial decisions, sound familiar?
Me Too
Guest
Injuries hurt, but even with their best 22 they look far too short on quality up or down the field. Voss, after a shocking start, had them playing good honest footy, and it looked like they'd regained that under Leppitch in the last half of last year, but that's all they'll be without trading or drafting in some decent KPPs
djos77
Roar Rookie
Can't fault the commitment of Beams, Christensen or Robinson on the weekend but with the benefit of hindsight Ryder is the one that got away. Good decision by Paddy and his management though, starring in front of 50,000 in Adelaide or playing in front of 12,000 in the battle of 17v18, no contest. Close being injured is a bad blow - long term it hurts more than Hanley or Rockliff being out, even if he had no impact on results this season it robs him and the club of another 15-20 games experience and development. Freeman is injured too which compounds the issue. Not sure where our first win is coming from.
Jack Smith
Roar Guru
Agree Josh. That key forward, that everyone was on about, was needed. Truth be told, Beams was a poor choice if he hadn't wanted to go there. The money needs to go to a quality young forward to develop with the good mids. They have a great midfield and solid defence but forward line has more holes than swiss cheese.
josh
Roar Rookie
At the start of the season, I didn't think the Lion's lack of a key forward would be a real issue given the mid-field. But so far the mid-field hasn't outrun anyone, and the lack of a key forward is really telling. At the moment the Lions are playing to a structure they don't have.
josh
Roar Rookie
The destination one, is a critical point. It seems the only group of players who have yet realise they may have to move out their home state to play AFL footy is Victorians.