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Opinion
The Brisbane Lions missed the mark in the 2022 AFL Trade Period.
The art to creating a successful team starts with internal honesty and an understanding of where you sit as a club.
While genuine premiership contenders either got better (Melbourne, Geelong, Richmond) or broke even (Sydney, perhaps Fremantle), the Lions failed to show any of that honest self-reflection that can take a team to the next level.
It was a stellar effort for the Lions to reach the preliminary final this year, but they stumbled into an open spot in the final four, rather than being a definitive flag chance that fell a little short.
Instead of indicating a desire to improve in the key areas that had the Lions struggle against top-eight teams throughout the season, the defence, it seems as though the club’s hierarchy saw them as the latter – unlucky but on the brink.
Sure, Josh Dunkley is a wonderful player and a coup to bring into the club. With Jarryd Lyons’ drop-off in 2022, filling in that gap with the former Bulldog is sure to strengthen the centre-line of the team.
Let’s not ignore the fact, though, Hugh McCluggage took a big step forward, Jarrod Berry thrived in the latter stages of the season with more midfield time, while Zac Bailey and Cam Rayner continued to show they’re on the path to graduating to more permanent midfielders.
(Photo by Michael Willson/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Jack Gunston too, is a very nice addition. A crafty, accomplished veteran to replace the outgoing athletic Dan McStay was probably the most cost-effective way of handling the situation and more finals experience can’t hurt.
Most importantly, there was enough manoeuvring completed to have enough draft picks to cover the Will Ashcroft bid and minimise the inevitable deficit created by Jaspa Fletcher’s drafting.
McStay had the perfect role at Brisbane so it’s loss for both parties, while Tom Berry will get more game-time at the Suns.
If you’re not familiar with the impending draftees, Ashcroft is one of the most decorated, well-balanced junior midfielders in recent memory and is a best 22 player immediately.
Fletcher’s a borderline first-round talent with excellent skills and speed on the outside, probably starting off his career in the VFL with half-forward flank appearances at senior level.
So, clearly, the Lions have prioritised and subsequently come away from the trade and draft periods with a strengthened midfield.
In 2022, the Lions were the second-best clearance team in the league, had the third-highest contested possession ratio and finished the year with positive differentials against their opponents in both metrics.
They were one of the league’s most efficient teams in getting the ball inside 50 with as few disposals possible and once they got it in there, they were the most accurate team and nigh on unstoppable.
Brisbane was a really good team through the middle and in attack. On paper they’ve added to it, but not a whole lot is actually changing.
If defensive running and pressure is an issue, Dunkley doesn’t fix that. He hasn’t been a top-50 player in the league at all for defensive-half pressure acts in his career and in terms of overall pressure, the Lions had three midfielders alone who applied more pressure acts than the 25-year-old.
Maybe the idea is that Dunkley’s contested work will help unlock Lachie Neale a little more, but really, the link between midfield and attack is great anyway – it’s not like scoring points is the issue.
(Photo by Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Of course, the Lions would never turn down the opportunity to get such a good player, but they’ve allowed the period to come and go without addressing the defensive issues that made this team a faux-contender, rather than a real one.
Brisbane doesn’t have a good defensive unit, despite how much the fans and media love certain players.
They conceded the ninth-most points in the league. In the second half of the season, they conceded 89.11 points per game.
In the finals, they conceded 104 points to Richmond, 120 points to Geelong and 24 scoring shots to Melbourne. Only one of their final 12 games of 2022 saw them concede fewer than 21 scoring shots.
The Lions conceded a score in 43.82 per cent of inside 50s against them. That’s higher than Hawthorn, GWS, Adelaide and Port Adelaide, all teams that aren’t considered to be within the realm of Brisbane.
Could the defensive efforts of the midfield be an issue?
Of course that could be improved, but the Lions won clearances and conceded only the ninth-most inside 50s, fewer than Richmond and Collingwood for the season. It was hardly the main source of concern.
Individually speaking, the Lions’ defenders weren’t too bad. Harris Andrews had to contend with nearly six one-on-ones a game, clearly the most in the league, and lost 21.6 per cent of them, which is on the better side of league average.
Marcus Adams was around the same, Jack Payne was above average, as was Brandon Starcevich. Noah Answerth was only involved in 23 solo contests but didn’t lose one.
Darcy Gardiner was the poor one this season, usually the one constant reliable in the backline. His form drop-off was obvious to the eye, even conceding a bag to the inexperienced Noah Cumberland.
Watch any Brisbane game though and defensively, it certainly seems like a team of individuals rather than a cohesive unit.
We celebrate the efforts of the likes of Andrews and Starcevich, yet the Lions are not a good defensive team. They don’t get enough numbers pushing back to occupy space, nor do they seemingly provide enough assistance to each other aerially.
Often, it felt like the back 50 was a revolving door with too much space. The opposition figured the Lions out pretty easily – bring forwards higher up the ground and create pockets in the attacking 50 for simple leading patterns.
Brisbane’s defenders are often too focused on their opponents rather than playing zone defence.
Ultimately, it’s reminiscent of Carlton under David Teague. They had two of the best key defenders in the league, yet relying on one-on-one defence heavily handicapped the team.
So it’s two-fold. No one knows what’s going to happen with Chris Fagan. The results of the review will hopefully give us all the information.
The coaching is a clear issue, which is a separate issue altogether, but Brisbane had a chance this trade period to look at fixing up the defence.
Of course, there was an obsession with meeting the criteria for bidding on Ashcroft and Fletcher, but there were a number of players that could’ve been helpful before committing to Dunkley, even ignoring Griffin Logue.
Blake Acres’ move to Carlton was done so cheaply that it’s bewildering as to why a team like the Lions couldn’t ask the question
Blake Acres and Luke Ryan of the Dockers celebrate. (Photo by Will Russell/AFL Photos via Getty Images)
Acres is the premier wing in the competition for defensive running and occupying space to restrict the ease of the opposition’s ball movement. He was pivotal to Fremantle and will help Carlton.
Logue was an unrealistic target, but even looking at the likes of Aaron Francis and Sam Weideman for barely any cost to at least add competitive depth would’ve been helpful.
Brisbane lacks a strong intercept marking player. They’re the sixth-worst intercepting team, seemingly because they opt for defensive-minded small defenders and rebounders. Keidean Coleman and Daniel Rich are two of the league’s best users but apart from the odd courageous spurt from the former, they aren’t drifting across packs often.
An interceptor would be the perfect tonic to gluing together all these loose pieces, but that wasn’t entertained at all. Unless the plan is to throw Jack Gunston into defence, which is doubtful, then very little looks like changing for the Lions defensively.
That alone rules them out of premiership contention going forward. There was never any intent shown, nor an indication to suggest that it was an area of focus.
Many have given Brisbane a strong grade for recruiting such good players and maintaining a strong draft hand.
On paper, the names look good but in reality, this may turn out to be an entirely regrettable off-season for the Lions.
Without fixing up the defence, this team could slide outside the top eight, regardless of the offensive prowess they may possess.
While premiership contenders sought to improve or build upon their fantastic lists, the Lions lacked the self-awareness to follow suit.
Brisbane is further away from winning the premiership than they were just four weeks ago, playing off in a preliminary final. It leaves them as one of the bigger losers out of the 2022 AFL Trade Period.