Brisbane gets a boost: AFL awards luckless Lions a priority pick

I actually proof my posts before I publish, but I have re-read and still find them coherent. Perhaps this might help. "Luckless" vs "Incompetence"? The Brisbane fans describe there club as "Luckless" and they need all the help they can get. The anti Brisbane chorus say it's "incompetence" and suggest the lions made there own bed and should be made to lie in it. I disagree with the anti Brisbane chorus, and made the point that the Hawks and Magpies were not subjected to such ridicule when they received priority picks. On the other hand I strongly argue that Brisbane's predicament is more due to design than luck - Eddie and co deliberately sought to pull the rug out from under the Lions, and they succeeded. They didn't like the lions triple flag so they ensured the player retention allowance was scrapped and football development spending in Queensland slashed. "Sympathiser" vs "Critic"? I don't think the two are mutually exclusive. I believe there's a big difference between a sympathiser and a yes man. Principally the determination to surmount short sighted partisanship and recognise faults where they exist. So I consider myself very sympathetic to all the clubs and football in general in the developing states. So I think Brisbane should get another priority pick, at the start of the draft in addition to the pick at the end of the first round - but at the same time recognise that Brisbane predicament is also partly of there own making.

There are words in there that I think mean the opposite of what you intended - I think you've said 'incompetent' when you meant to say 'luckless', and 'sympathiser' when you meant to say critic. I think. These little mistakes are easy to make - I make them all the time - but it just makes it confusing to read. To be blunt if I'm right about those errors then frankly I find your post absolutely ridiculous - surely no one could reasonably think that the Hawks and Pies, two of the most privileged clubs in the league, have the same amount of luck as one of the poorest clubs in the league in a hostile market? So I didn't want to assume anything. But really I don't think it's too much to ask that you quickly re-read your own post to make sure it makes sense, seeing as I've asked you to.

"Write it out again"? Ok, if you think it will help your sad lack of comprehension. Amazing how when you make a knee jerk response, you so often miss the point of a post. To whit, that Brisbane should no more be branded as incompetent as hawthorn or Collingwood. Additionally I thought the Lions needed more that pick 19. On a personal note, if youre going take a shot at every Brisbane sympathiser south of the tweed, then your going to find the supply os such sympathisers will dwindle further.

I honestly have no idea what you're trying to say. Perhaps read it back to yourself, and write it out again.

Agreed, it can't be a set benchmark because otherwise crap teams will do their best to slide under it.

Amazing how when you make a knee jerk response, you so often miss the point of a post. To whit, that Brisbane should no more be branded as incompetent as hawthorn or Collingwood. Additionally I thought the Lions needed more that pick 19. On a personal note, if youre going take a shot at every Brisbane sympathiser south of the tweed, then your going to find the supply os such sympathisers will dwindle further.

"There is no transparency in its allocation." You can thank the tanking teams for that. The minute the AFL lays clear what it takes to get a PP will be the minute numerous sides turn everything upside down to make sure they get one.

Good lord, they've sacked two coaches, a CEO, most of their senior on and off field personnel, turned over two thirds of their playing group, and changed most of the board just in the last three years! What else could you possibly want in the order of 'admitting their share of the blame'?

Carlton do currently have a 5 million debt facility which the AFL guarantees. It is assistance. Noting that the AFL screwed Carlton more than anyone else for salary cap cheating ( I am a Carlton member) Back to the present, the PP is yet another plaything of a capricious AFL Commission, used as a way of buying favours. There is no transparency in its allocation. The Brisbane board accepted the AFL's hand picked coach (he is likely a good candidate) but only the naive would think that a priority pick announced wasn't reward for rolling over. This being said, the list of players selected in previous drafts with a PP is quite a line up of stars. Maybe pick 19 will bear fruit for the Lions.

On the back of this news I think it becomes more imperative than ever to trade out both Rockliff and Hanley for First Round Picks (coupled with 2, 19, 21) and have a solid crack at rebuilding off the back of good drafting in 2015 also. Both are not going to be there when Brisbane are in with a shot at winning anything so it actually works for both parties to part ways. There are still plenty of list cloggers at the Lions like Lester, Bewick, Robertson, Harwood etc but I expect that they will continue to see less game time with last year and this upcoming crop of kids coming into the side. Dayne Beams back in action in 2017 should also give a lift to those younger guys wanting to play and learn from a Superstar. They should be under no illusions of how tough the next two to three years will be but everyone was saying that the Western Bulldogs were hopeless at the end 2014 and with a good off-field structure in place and a committed group of players they just won a drought breaking Premiership.

What sort of statements or actions would you like to see from Brisbane Lions in terms of admitting blame? Beyond what has already been said and done, that is. Which is plenty.

Macca, is that you? Whatever your opinion on the assistance given to Brisbane, there is no denying that Carlton and Essendon have become the masters at digging their own holes the last 15 years. Both used to exemplify professionalism in football but come the 21st century they forgot that professionalism requires one to keep making the right decisions and not just sit on the achievements of those who came before them. I would like to see Brisbane admit their share of blame for where they are. I would like to see Carlton and Essendon do the same- and it's a bigger share for them given where they've come from.

nah, Hawks not the only club to oppose PPs under the current system - not sure why you feel the need to single them out. Time to move on.

That's fine, but they're not really going to make much difference at the end of the first round. The reality is that genuine equalisation requires some teams to lose out so others can get ahead - draft picks are essentially a zero sum game. If this is the standard for PPs going forward - obviously much different to the standard by which some successful modern clubs such as Hawthorn have developed - then we need to be talking about other ways to beef up equalisation.

Of all the petty things to quibble about, questioning calling Brisbane 'luckless' is especially petty. They've been badly run, and they've also had bad luck. Obviously.

And what's wrong with that?? ?

I don't like the idea of Priority Picks within the first round, but I'm comfortable with them at the end of the first round. I think it's unfair on all other teams to be pushed down the order in the first round and I don't like any mechanism which potentially encourages Tanking (not that I'm suggesting Brisbane have done that). Clearly, as well as on-field success, every club needs to get its leadership right - Boards, CEO, Player Management and Coach - to make it a place players want to be. The AFL have helped Melbourne in this regard and now appear to be trying to do the same with Brisbane. I think this is a better strategy for the AFL than Priority Picks, but a bonus pick at the start of the second round is okay.

Why single out Hawthorn?

If Bris can get two top 10 picks for pick 2 I reckon they should take it. This year the first 15 picks are rumoured to be very close. Even pick1 can't be narrowed from half a dozen players. GWS seriously want pick 1 or 2 so they can draft another premium before the academy kids kick in and take their other high picks.

PD what are your feeling about the Lion out to trading there pick 2 this year?