With the 2015 Premiership season near and the Pre-Season NAB Challenge games fast-approaching, Alex Docherty takes a look at the 5 players who are the most crucial to your club’s immediate or future success. Today is the Brisbane Lions.
A team many thought would struggle all throughout 2015, and although they finished 15th, there were plenty of encouraging signs for the 1st year coach, Justin Leppitsch and his men.
Lewis Taylor won the competition’s rising star award in 2014, and has shown that he has an incredible future in football despite his size. Stefan Martin was Brisbane’s last choice ruckman after Matt Leuenberger and Trent West both went down to season-ending knee injuries and excelled, being one of the in-form ruckmen in the competition come season’s end. Their list all across the board is incredibly young and an exciting list at that.
The big news for Brisbane came in the off-season, when it acquired Collingwood star, Dayne Beams in a blockbuster trade, the highly-talented Allen Christensen from Geelong and signing Carlton bad-boy, Mitch Robinson from Carlton as a delisted free-agent.
With the additions of Beams and Christensen to a midfield already containing the likes of Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden and Daniel Rich among others, The Lions may still be a season or two away from contending for finals with the reasonably young list that they have, but here are the five players that are most important to this Brisbane squad.
1. Tom Rockliff
What a story it has been for this guy. Overlooked in the 2009 AFL draft he was selected in the corresponding pre-season draft, and in two years he had already claimed a club best and fairest. But there was still more to come from him. Last season he jumped in to upper echleon of midfielders by grabbing a second club best and fairest, an All-Australian selection and taking the captaincy for 2015 and beyond. He averaged 32 possessions a game last season, hitting a 35+ possession game in nine of the 18 games he played. At 24 years of age, Rockliff is beginning to hit the peak of his powers.
2. Pearce Hanley
Hanley has been one of Brisbane’s best running players since he has arrived at Brisbane from Ireland, showing constant improvement off half-back and more recently on the wing. Hanley has been sidelined with a hip injury, causing to miss up to half of the upcoming 2015 season, which will be a huge blow to this side. Hanley averaged 25 touches a game last season including a career-best 45 touches in round 18 against the Gold Coast. I have no doubt his run and carry will be missed dearly.
3. Daniel Merrett
For a good part of his career, Daniel Merrett has often been the number one defender at Brisbane, but at 30, his time could be on the way soon, but he still is very important to this club. With young key defenders Darcy Gardiner, Daniel McStay and Justin Clarke all young and still learning, Merrett is still a required and a valuable veteran on this Brisbane squad. If required, Merrett can be pushed up forward also, as evident by his 7-goal performance against GWS a couple of years ago.
4. Stefan Martin
On the verge of near delisting, Stefan Martin was called upon after the season-ending injuries of Trent West and Matthew Leuenberger and took the opportunity with both hands. Martin played in five of Brisbane’s seven wins in 2014 and averaged 28 hitouts a game and 22 disposals a game, which is a staggering statistic for a ruckman. He put a career-best 32 disposals on two occasions in 2014, and while Leuenberger and West continue to heal their injuries, Martin, I think can play a very crucial role for this team moving forward.
5. Dayne Zorko
I’m not going to lie here, I love watching Dayne Zorko play, he’s got exhilarating pace, he knows what to do when he’s got the football in hand, and when he plays well, the Lions play well. He averaged a career-best 22 disposals a game last season, putting up career-bests of 36 and 38 disposals in successive weeks. Zorko has been elevated up to vice-captain for 2015, I suspect his best football is still yet to come.
Think the Lions will lift their game this year? You can bet on Australian rules on William Hill.
