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If you don't think the Lions should get a priority pick now, you might be a little crazy

Roar Pro
29th July, 2015
14

The Brisbane Lions announced this week they are considering asking the AFL for draft assistance as they attempt to rebuild a club in on and off-field crisis.

The Lions’ season took yet another turn for the worse as they slumped to a ninth straight defeat, with a 72 point loss to North Melbourne on Saturday night at the Gabba.

If their 2-15 win/loss ratio doesn’t scream at you that they may need draft assistance, perhaps this piece may finally push you over the edge.

As well as being last on the ladder, the Lions currently hold the AFL’s largest debt, totalling over $10 million. The inability of the last board, chaired by Angus Johnson, to do anything to control this debt has set new CEO Greg Swann an impossible task: spend more to fix the on-field issues, and save more to fix the off-field ones.

This debt, and lack of on-field talent or success, is coupled with the almost certain loss of James Aish, as well the probable loss of Matthew Leuenberger as a free agent, leaving the Lions with only two first-round draft picks on their list (Sam Mayes and Daniel Rich, both of whom are out of contract next year).

This points to a serious lack of playing talent, and unless the AFL acts to give assistance to the Lions, they could end up going another six years without finals, having only made it once (in 2009) since their 2004 grand final defeat.

Queensland and NSW AFL fans are notorious for their lack of a solitary base, with crowd numbers and membership dramatically increasing and falling with on-field success. This is to be expected of the expansion states, where rugby league and even football dominate. Sydney, who have missed the finals just once since 2002, have built up a huge fan-base with sustained on-field success, including two premierships.

Brisbane, however, are a different story. The Lions lack of on-field success has seen their memberships and crowd numbers plummet. This coupled with a decade of bad governance, an Eddie McGuire-led campaign to strip them of their cost of living allowance, and a prolonged period of disengagement with the fans (highlighted by their decision at the start of 2010 to change the playing jersey), has seen the Lions record the lowest crowd numbers and memberships aside from Gold Coast and Greater Western Sydney, whose numbers continue to build strongly.

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For the record, between 2001-05, the Lions were in the top four for both crowd numbers and memberships. This points to on-field success being the key to increasing revenue, and shows why the AFL should give the Lions draft assistance in order to get them back on track financially.

Whatever you may think of the Lions’ governing decisions in the past decade, they are a club in crisis. This may be deepened in the off-season, with the departure of former first-round draft picks. However, the Lions are still an integral part of the AFL. They produced the best team of this century, and serve as the last remaining connecting for Fitzroy supporters to the AFL.

The AFL must grant them draft assistance in the form of a priority pick. On-field success will not only boost crowd numbers and memberships, but serves as the best form of increasing revenue, so that the struggling club can pay down its debt.

Oh, and it might help them retain some players as well.

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