Record: 3 wins, 19 losses, 61.6%
In 25 Words: The nightmare continues up north, with the Lions actually sinking lower than their woeful 2015.
The Player: Dayne Zorko continued his rise to stardom, averaging over 23 touches but also kicking 22 goals to help assist the Lions’ firepower.
The Roughie: Tom Cutler went to another level this year, with the highlight being a 28-disposal, 13-mark game against Fremantle. If he can continue to keep up that sort of form the Lions may have unearthed a medium defender to help rebuild their backline.
The Win: The Lions’ best result for 2016 came in Round 4, where a close battle saw them come out on top in the Q-Clash at the Gabba. The match was marred by a bump by Steven May, which saw Stefan Martin concussed and unable to return.
The Loss: Round 20 was the Lions’ worst result as they were obliterated by Adelaide. The 138-point drubbing saw the Lions only kick 6 goals and lose the possession count by nearly 200. Brisbane were simply unable to stop the Crows anywhere on the park.
What now?: The sacking of Justin Leppitsch sees a coach hunt beginning at Brisbane. While there are certainly candidates about, such as Stuart Dew, John Barker and Blake Caracella, it is hard to see who would want to wade into the quagmire. It is expected that AFL House will have a significant hand in this appointment. From here, it’s time for a further rebuild, hopefully with an experienced key defender to marshal what is a young backline.
2017?: Brisbane needs help, both on-field and off-field, if it is to become competitive again in 2018. Although their young key position players battled admirably through 2016, they will still need time to develop. However, if the likes of Dayne Beams can get on the field, the improved delivery should see them win a couple more games, but it won’t be enough to make a huge dent in the ladder. 17th.
