Now this is how you rebuild a list! In the doom and gloom of players leaving the Brisbane Lions, something special has been built.
In years to come the Lions will look at these tough times and see it as a blessing, it has helped them assemble a group of young key position players that will push the club from ‘Rebuilders’ to ‘Contenders’ sooner than most people think.
Brisbane have ten players under the age of 22 that stand 192cms or taller on their primary list, with another three on the rookie list. While odds are that not all of these 13 young talls are going to make it in the big league, the exposed form of Daniel McStay, Harris Andrews, Justin Clarke, Michael Close and Johnathon Freeman, plus the hype surrounding last year’s high draft picks Josh Schache and Eric Hipwood will have the Lions confident five or six of these youngsters will be very good players.
They will also hope that two or three of them could be the superstar franchise players you need to win premierships.
Although to some degree the Lions where forced into this extreme rebuild of their list, it will become a blueprint for other teams in the future.
While stockpiling young key position players through the draft the Lions have used the trade period to build almost their entire midfield. They have been astutely picking experienced players in their mid-twenties that will still be playing good football when Brisbane hope to be playing for a spot in the top four. It is a smart and innovative way to build a football club list and will be an interesting case study for the future.
The only player over the age of thirty on the Lions list is Daniel Merrett. The old fashioned big bodied defender will be hoping for a better run with injuries this year so he can help take the pressure of young defenders Harris Andrews and Justin Clarke.
With Merrrett playing on the oppositions monster forwards every week it allows the young Brisbane defenders to develop their game on slightly smaller opponents.
Although playing Pearce Hanley and Daniel Rich in the midfield is the more attacking ploy, both will probably be needed in Defence were their experience and sublime foot skills will be vital in getting the ball out of the Lions backline and relieving pressure on an inexperienced defence.
The midfield plan of the Brisbane Lions recruitment staff is fascinating. Over the past two years they have added Dayne Beams, Allen Christensen, Tom Bell, Ryan Bastinac and Mitch Robinson, who along with superstar captain Tom Rockliff form a competitive hard nosed big bodied midfield.
With the plethora of young talls acquired through recent drafts the Lions can now switch their draft focus to adding class and outside speed to their hard working midfield. Now the plan is starting to take shape and the makings of a very good team are beginning to appear.
Of all the players brought to the club over the last couple of years, the most important could be Josh Walker – the underrated forward from Geelong.
If Walker can provide a solid target up forward and demand the opposition’s best defender, it will allow the young tall timber to gain confidence playing on lesser opponents.
The development of the Brisbane small forwards will also be crucial to their success. Dayne Zorko, Josh Green and Lewis Taylor are all very talented players but also inconsistent if they can raise their game and play big minutes in the midfield then suddenly the Lions midfield starts to have some real depth.
The Brisbane Lions Football Club is well lead by young senior coach Justin Leppitsch.
Leppitsch is a real straight shooter who has had to deal with a lot of issues surrounding unhappy players at his time at the Lions. Hopefully for him and the club all that is in the past and they can stop the departure of talented players leaving the club. If they can the sky is the limit for this team.
The rise of the once mighty Brisbane Lions Football Club has begun.
Col from Brissie
Guest
Both Carlton and Brisbane know where their lists are at and that it is going to take a few years before the results of their recruiting the last couple of years and the next couple are known. If supporters of other teams want to bag them then I hope that if/when they are contending that they have the grace to acknowledge the good work done.
Paul D
Roar Guru
No-one cares about your opinion Gene. You said a few months back the Lions needed a whole boardroom cleanout, and when challenged by me and others to name who on the board should go, and what sort of replacements should be brought in, had no comment to make. I doubt you even know who anyone on the board is apart from Leigh Matthews, and even that's giving you credit you probably don't deserve. You have a track record of making sweeping statements not supported by anything resembling fact, and provide no evidence to back them up when challenged. You and your Hawthorn mates are fast becoming the Marie Antoinettes of the AFL.
The Original Buzz
Guest
You are right, Paul D. It will be a surprise and it won't be anytime soon.
The Original Buzz
Guest
Both teams would have gladly taken both players if the opportunity was there.
Paul D
Roar Guru
Another year, another one of these. All I’m confident in saying is that when Brisbane do make a run up the ladder and qualify for finals again, it’s going to be a surprise to everyone.
Paul D
Roar Guru
I'm with Col, bagging Carlton for not taking Schache is an assertion not supported by fact or circumstance. They were always taking Weitering and lots of people agreed that was the best choice they could make. He is going to be an absolute beast down back for them, and a future club captain. Very much in the Darren Glass mould.
Liam
Guest
"... you can’t build the core of a premiership winning team through the discards of other teams." "Over the past two years they have added Dayne Beams, Allen Christensen, Tom Bell, Ryan Bastinac and Mitch Robinson." The former is a statement you made about the Carlton lineup. The second is a statement from above. Others will make an issue about how other teams - Hawthorne, Sydney, Collingwood circa 2010, as well as supposed contenders Port Adelaide, Adelaide and Richmond - have forged success via trading. Instead, I would simply ask that you try to keep your arguments consistent, because to criticize Carlton for things you applaud Brisbane for is somewhat hypocritical.
Gecko
Guest
Carlton and Brisbane at the same point in their rebuild? Maybe in terms of talls, but Brisbane's running fleet is miles ahead. I think Carlton in 2016 are a certainty to finish bottom 3, while Brisbane is far less predictable. Much will depend on whether their coach can get them playing more united, committed footy (I 'm happy to give Leppa one more year before judging him) and whether they can get a full season out of Rockliffe, Hanley and Merritt.
The Original Buzz
Guest
I agree, Gene. This article is the exact opposite of the Carlton one and shows a definite bias by the author. Both teams are at the same point, rebuilding and resetting. Both teams could have used both Wietering and Schache but they could only pick one and I believe both clubs made the right choice at the time. I think they picked up some real talent in the draft and it should pay off in the next year or two for them. I think both Carlton and Brisbane have reason to be positive about the future but I don't think Leppa is the coach to take them forward. The Lions seem to lack a solid back line with an aging Merret and could do with more up forward. They do have an excellent midfield though. Time will tell where this team is at and where they need to look at in the future.
Steve Mcglashan
Guest
Brisbane aren't going anywhere period no matter who coaches them and the only thing going anywhere will be another talented player at seasons end when he requests a trade
mattyb
Guest
Not to nitpick Col but you may find that in heavy rain the highly anticipated match up only lasted until querter time when Schache was moved to full forward to be manned by Collins.
Tim
Guest
Add in Ben Keyes, Rhys Mathison and expected pick up of Jacob Allison this year from acadamy and Connor Ballandean who touted potential top 5 next year
Col from Brissie
Guest
mattyb, please let the Weitering/Schache thing go. Carlton took the kid who was widely acknowledged as the stand out number one in the draft. I am sure if Carlton had of taken Schache at number one you would be bagging them for not picking Weitering. Carlton saw that there were a number of potential key forwards in the draft and got one in McKay. I would also point out that Schache made it well known he wanted to play at the Lions so why take a risk on a kid who might be open to offers to go elsewhere in a couple of years. Just for the record, in the TAC cup game when they played on each other Weitering earned best on ground honors. Despite being smaller that Schache, Weitering clearly won the contest. I have no doubts that both youngsters will go on to be very good players for their clubs.
WhereIsGene
Guest
Brisbane aren't going anywhere with Leppitsch as coach. They could stand to have a less divisive captain than Rockliff too. There's 15 or so clubs ahead of them on the field, and off the field their finances are still a shambles. The only reason I see for anyone to be bullish about Brisbane's future is if they happen to be a Brisbane supporter. We aren't far from the point where the AFL needs to step in the way they did with Melbourne.
TomC
Roar Guru
I don't really agree. Some people enthuse about the young players at the Lions, but apart from the new draftees who we haven't seen, most of them look like become decent footy players rather than the sort of top quality leaders that make up the bulk of really good sides. Clarke is one of the better of those young players, but he's been ruled out indefinitely after suffering extended symptoms of concussion, and you wonder if it's worth the possible human cost of him coming back at all. We might get some idea this afternoon, but it sounds a bit like Walker might not be a certainty for the first 22. The writer describes him as underrated, but in truth he's really just an honest full forward who gets most of his goals against weak opposition. And I just cannot agree on the merits of Leppitsch as a coach. In two years he's done very little to demonstrate he can get the most out of his players, while problems seem to seep in, such as player morale, static ball movement, and several players who just fell into a rut of poor form and never got out of it. He does come across well, most of the time, but this is a very tough job and only the absolute best can do it well. I think the Lions need something sudden and unexpected to happen. They have a very good group of players - mostly mids - with a number of years left who can surely push the team higher than they have so far, but by the team the raw key forwards mentioned in the article develop those guys will be approaching retirement. As things stand I don't see a good team emerging from what they have right now.
mattyb
Guest
I agree Brisbanes future looks bright. Schache stands as a very important player in this rebuild. To be able to pick up the best key forward in a draft at pick two after another club looked straight past him is the luck you sometimes need to take giant leaps forward.