With just one finals appearance since their last Grand Final back in 2004, Brisbane fans have had to endure a bruising time. There are enough signs now, however, that the downward trajectory has ended and finals footy is not too far away.
The Good
We haven’t been able to say it for a long time, but there is cause for genuine excitement at Brisbane.
They may have won the wooden spoon in 2017 but they were a far more competitive outfit than in previous years. The Lions scored just under a goal more per game and conceded almost three fewer.
The exodus of young stars has slowed to a trickle (only losing Josh Schache after 2017) while others, including Cam Rayner, Hugh McCluggage and Alex Witherden, have signed long-term deals.
Stef Martin continues to fly under the radar as one of the competition’s best ruckmen, while a midfield of Dayne Beams, Dayne Zorko, Mitch Robinson, McCluggage and Jarrod Berry should only get better.
Their small forward stocks look especially solid, with Lewis Taylor, new recruit Charlie Cameron and the returning Allen Christensen sure to cause opposition teams some headaches.
Oh, and there’s some triple-premiership captain named Luke Hodge on board for 2018 who might know a thing or two about leadership and building a winning culture. His impact on this extremely young group will be immeasurable.
The Bad
Chris Fagan isn’t turning around a bicycle, he’s turning around an oil tanker.
The Lions still conceded about 10 points more per game than the next worst defensive team in the competition in 2017, and ranked last for clearances and contested possessions.
We all know that talls take a long time to develop, but unfortunately the Lions don’t have the experience around Hipwood, McStay, Andrews and co. for support. They’ve been thrown into the deep end and only time will tell as to whether they are ready to step up and become the gun bookends Brisbane desperately need.
Number 1 draft pick Cam Rayner brings elite traits but questions over his endurance means Lions fans will need to be patient with the explosive mid/forward. His early output may be lesser than top picks of years past.
The next generation of Lions are certainly promising, and they’ve probably bottomed out, but with the second-youngest list and the fifth-most inexperienced in terms of games played, there still will be some pain ahead.
The Star
Dayne Zorko might just be the most underrated player in the competition. The 29 year-old mid/forward has played his entire career with limited support in a struggling Lions outfit but continues to rack up disposals and impact the scoreboard. The three-time Best and Fairest kicked 34.27 last season and averaged 110 Supercoach points a game, making him a very popular option for fantasy players.
The Next Big Thing
Alex Witherden took until Round 14 to break into the Lions side, but quickly took the competition by storm with his elite disposal. If he can combat the dreaded second-year blues there’s no reason why he can’t win the Rising Star award, having only played nine games in 2017 – making him eligible by just one game.
The Final Word
The Lions are assembling a very exciting young list and most importantly now have the right leadership to develop them. They will take another step forward in 2018 but are still a year or two away from being ready for September action.
Prediction: 15th
