Brisbane Lions 2018 AFL season preview, best 22 and predicted finish

After a tough but promising first season under the tutelage of new coach Chris Fagan, the Brisbane Lions were awarded the dubious honour of the wooden spoon for the first time in club history since 1998.

However, many media pundits rated the Lions as one of the best bottom-placed sides seen in recent years, and they were only consigned to 18th spot following their last-round loss to North Melbourne at the Gabba.

Having surrendered many young players to opposition clubs in years gone by, the 2017 off-season provided a nice change of pace for the Lions, who were able to talk Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge out of retirement, while also landing Charlie Cameron.

Unfortunately for Brisbane, they still saw young talent walk out the door. Josh Schache, the number two selection from the 2015 national draft, found his way to the Western Bulldogs late in the trade period while former club captain Tom Rockliff exercised his rights as a free agent, moving to Port Adelaide.

The Lions bid farewell to a number of players during the off-season, with experienced trio Ryan Harwood, Michael Close and Jonathon Freeman all delisted.

Reuben William, Matt Hammelmann, Josh Clayton, Jared Jansen, Blake Grewar, Claye Beams and Cian Hanley were also axed, with the latter two gaining a reprieve via Brisbane’s only two selections in the rookie draft.

Armed with the prized number one national draft selection, the Lions opted for young Western Jets midfielder Cameron Rayner, before selecting Zac Bailey and Brandon Starcevich later in the first round.

(Photo by Quinn Rooney/Getty Images)

Toby Wooller joined the Lions via pick 41, before academy selection Connor Ballenden arrived a couple of selections later.

Fellow academy player Jack Payne also realised his AFL dream, rounding out Brisbane’s involvement in the national draft.

Playing list

1. Ben Keays
2. Luke Hodge*
3. Allen Christensen
4. Ryan Bastinac
5. Mitch Robinson
6. Hugh McCluggage
7. Tom Bell
8. Rohan Bewick
9. Dayne Beams (C)
10. Daniel Rich
11. Cian Hanley (R)
12. Stefan Martin
13. Jarrod Berry
14. Josh Walker
15. Dayne Zorko
16. Cameron Rayner*
17. Claye Beams (R)
18. Nick Robertson
19. Jacob Allison
20. Cedric Cox
21. Sam Skinner
22. Marco Paparone
23. Charlie Cameron*
24. Liam Dawson
25. Dan McStay
26. Tom Cutler
27. Darcy Gardiner
28. Lewis Taylor
29. Alex Witherden
30. Eric Hipwood
31. Harris Andrews
32. Sam Mayes
33. Zac Bailey*
34. Brandon Starcevich*
35. Ryan Lester
36. Rhys Mathieson
37. Toby Wooller*
38. Connor Ballenden*
39. Corey Lyons
40. Jack Payne*
41. Matt Eagles (R)
42. Mitchell Hinge (R)
43. Jake Barrett (R)
44. Archie Smith
45. Jack Frost
46. Oscar McInerney (R)
*Denotes new player

Best 22
FB: Alex Witherden, Harris Andrews, Darcy Gardiner
HB: Luke Hodge, Dan McStay, Daniel Rich
C: Sam Mayes, Dayne Beams, Hugh McCluggage
HF: Cameron Rayner, Eric Hipwood, Mitch Robinson
FF: Lewis Taylor, Josh Walker, Charlie Cameron
R: Stefan Martin, Jarrod Berry, Dayne Zorko
I/C: Ryan Lester, Allen Christensen, Ryan Bastinac, Rhys Mathieson
EMG: Cedric Cox, Tom Cutler, Nick Robertson

The star
There aren’t too many players across the league as important to their club as Dayne Beams is to the Brisbane Lions.

The former Magpie was announced as the new club captain at the start of the year, despite managing just two games in 2016 due to a knee injury.

Beams managed 19 matches this season, his best effort in a year since joining the Lions in 2015. The All-Australian midfielder showed how important he is to the young Brisbane outfit, averaging 27 disposals a game, along with 4.5 marks, 4.2 tackles and 4.9 clearances. He also had a big impact up forward, kicking 20.11.

Beams’ sensational season was recognised on the AFL’s night of nights, finishing tenth in the Brownlow Medal with 17 votes.

There will be pressure on Beams as the Lions enter the 2018 season looking to end an eight-year finals drought. The two-time Marcus Ashcroft Medal winner will be hoping to spend more time on the field as opposed to in rehab, having played just 37 of a possible 66 matches since his move up north.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Ready to breakout
An impressive teenage prospect who suffered a broken leg in the lead-up to having his name called out at the 2016 national draft, Alex Witherden had to wait longer than most of his contemporary draftee teammates to gain a debut on the big stage.

After a string of impressive performances in Brisbane’s NEAFL side, Witherden played his first senior game in Round 14 against Greater Western Sydney.

He quickly established himself as an important member of the Lions’ backline, averaging an impressive 23.2 possessions, 5.3 marks and 2.6 tackles a game.

Having played nine matches and at just the age of 19, Witherden is still eligible for the 2018 Rising Star award, and is currently equal-favourite.

With a pre-season under his belt heading into his second year, Witherden is primed to continue his amazing start to his AFL career.

(Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

Needs a big year
Not many have experienced the trials and tribulations of being an AFL footballer over the past two years more than Allen Christensen.

The former premiership-winning Cat, who made a surprise move north to the Lions at the end of 2014, has not played a senior game since breaking his collarbone in Round 11, 2016.

On the eve of last season, Christensen suffered a crack in the plate that had been surgically inserted to strengthen the bone while at training.

He made it back for one NEAFL game but again suffered another injury to the shoulder, wiping out his entire year.

Now fighting fit with an added five kilograms to his frame, Christensen is a virtual new recruit for coach Chris Fagan, and his tenacity in the forward half will be vital to the Lions kicking a winning score.

Last chance
His name has appeared in this column for the past two seasons, and with his contract due to expire at the end of 2018, the upcoming campaign will be make-or-break for Rohan Bewick.

The 100-game utility, who enters the pre-season as the fifth-oldest Lion, showed terrific signs in last year’s JLT Community Series, but it accounted for just eight senior matches in 2017.

Bewick spent most of his time playing in defence before moving forward in Round 15, kicking three goals to help his side to a come-from-behind win over Essendon on the road.

With plenty of youth now on the Brisbane list, Bewick will likely start 2018 well and truly on the outer of the best 22.

New colours
There is a buzz surrounding the 2017 season’s bottom-placed side heading into the new year, largely because of the recruitment of two stars in Hawthorn champion Luke Hodge and Adelaide speedster Charlie Cameron.

Getting the signature of Hodge came as a surprise to most of the footballing public, especially after the 305-game veteran retired after the Hawks’ Round 23 clash with the Western Bulldogs.

However, with a good relationship with coach Fagan stemming from his time at Hawthorn as an assistant to Alastair Clarkson, Hodge was convinced to pull the boots back on.

He will act as an on-field leader capable of playing anywhere on the ground, but at the age of 33, the two-time Norm Smith Medallist won’t be expected to perform week in, week out across the entire season.

That expectation will apply to former Crow Cameron, however. After a terrific season in which he kicked 29.25 as Adelaide made their way to the Grand Final, Cameron’s request to be traded to the Lions nearly wasn’t granted.

However, a suitable deal was struck late in the trade period. With his speed, skill and goal sense, Cameron will entice more people through the gates of the Gabba in 2018.

(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Media/Getty Images)

The kid
The hype surrounding Western Jets teenager Cameron Rayner has been steadily building all year, culminating in the Lions selecting him with the first pick in this year’s national draft.

There were whispers prior to the draft that Brisbane could reach for Andrew Brayshaw, however Rayner proved to be their man, and the midfield/forward dynamo looks set to make a big impact in his first season in the AFL.

With Dustin Martin-like attributes and a level head on his shoulders, Rayner is Brisbane’s first number one draft pick since Des Headland in 1998.

Supercoach lock
No Lion is more popular in the fantasy football stakes than pocket rocket Dayne Zorko.

The three-time reigning Merrett-Murray Medallist has become one of the competition’s best players due to his ability to accumulate the ball, his speed and his knack for kicking goals. Zorko averaged 25.1 disposals, 3.8 marks, seven tackles and 5.4 clearances in 2017 while also booting 34.27, taking out the Lions’ leading goalkicker award for a second consecutive season.

All of this makes him an excellent acquisition to your Supercoach outfit, especially after a career-best campaign in which he averaged 110.8 points a game. He will enter 2018 around the $550,000 mark, a hefty price to pay but definitely worth every cent.

(AAP Image/Dan Peled)

Fixture

Round 1: St Kilda (Etihad Stadium)
Round 2: Melbourne (Gabba)
Round 3: Port Adelaide (Adelaide Oval)
Round 4: Richmond (MCG)
Round 5: Gold Coast (Gabba)
Round 6: Greater Western Sydney (Spotless Stadium)
Round 7: Collingwood (Gabba)
Round 8: Western Bulldogs (Etihad Stadium)
Round 9: Hawthorn (Gabba)
Round 10: Sydney (Gabba)
Round 11: North Melbourne (Etihad Stadium)
Round 12: Essendon (Gabba)
Round 13: Bye
Round 14: Greater Western Sydney (Gabba)*
Round 15: Fremantle (Optus Stadium)
Round 16: Carlton (Gabba)
Round 17: Hawthorn (University of Tasmania Stadium)*
Round 18: Adelaide (Gabba)
Round 19: Geelong (GMHBA Stadium)
Round 20: North Melbourne (Gabba)*
Round 21: Collingwood (Etihad Stadium)*
Round 22: Gold Coast (Metricon Stadium)*
Round 23: West Coast (Gabba)
*Denotes rematch

A pretty standard fixture on paper for the Lions’ 2018 season. They start the season relatively softly before two daunting back-to-back road trips to Adelaide and Melbourne to take on Port Adelaide and Richmond respectively. A fortnight later, they head to Sydney to face the Giants.

Rounds 9 and 10 will offer the young Brisbane side a chance to catch their breath with consecutive matches at the Gabba, hosting Hawthorn and Sydney. The Lions will head to Perth just once, taking on Fremantle at the brand new Optus Stadium in Round 15.

As usual Brisbane will take on Gold Coast twice, with the first QClash to take place in Round 5 at the Gabba before a return bout in Round 22 at Metricon Stadium.

The aforementioned trips to the Adelaide Oval and Spotless Stadium will be their only matches in South Australia and New South Wales, while they will head to Victoria six times, playing four games at Etihad Stadium, one at the MCG and one in Geelong.

For the ninth time in the last 11 seasons, Brisbane will head even further south to Launceston where they will take on the Hawks.

The quirk
Brisbane’s match-up against Collingwood at Etihad Stadium in Round 21 will be their first meeting against the Pies under the roof since 2002.

Don’t miss it
With the additions of Hodge, Cameron and Rayner, excitement will be at fever pitch as the Lions start their 2018 campaign in Melbourne against the Saints in Round 1.

For Queensland fans, Brisbane’s first home match of the season will take place the following week in the prime-time slot of Saturday night when they face Melbourne.

A big crowd should be expected as the aforementioned trio take their first steps onto the Gabba as Brisbane players.

It will be Brisbane’s first match-up against the Demons on their home turf since 2013, and they boast a favourable 10-4 record since 1998, so a win definitely won’t be out of the question.

Make other plans
While anticipation will be building in Round 2, Brisbane supporters probably won’t be too keen for their next match-up a week later when they take on Port Adelaide at the Adelaide Oval.

With additions such as Jack Watts, Steven Motlop and former Brisbane skipper Tom Rockliff, the Power are a beefed up football side in 2018 and as such are a premiership contender.

Combine that with the Lions’ horror record at the Adelaide Oval, where they have lost five games by an average of 91 points, and it paints a pretty bleak picture.

Still, stranger things have happened and early season form can be hard to predict.

Final word

The Lions are a building side with plenty of exciting youth, headlined by Cameron Rayner, Hugh McCluggage, Jarrod Berry, Cedric Cox and Eric Hipwood.

With the addition of Luke Hodge down back and Charlie Cameron up forward, Brisbane will strengthen two key areas of the ground, and with the impressive Chris Fagan heading into his second year as coach, fans should expect to see some promising results.

Finals, however, remain a couple of years away.

Predicted finish: 14th.