The past few years have seen a plethora of talent signed up to the Brisbane Lions. Perhaps the results have not gone entirely the way of the maroon, blue, and gold, but in Brent Staker and Rohan Bewick, there are two gems who are critical to the next generation of the Lions.
Brent Staker v Essendon, May 18, 2013 (photo mine)
Matthew Kruezer battles it out at Etihad with his opponent, June 2011 (photo mine)
Pressure has come down on the Brisbane Lions like a building would on a footpath.
After their excellent NAB Cup campaign (which ended in the Lions winning the silverware), the season proper has seen a turnaround and letdown on expectations.
State football has always been in the shadow of the AFL. However, if you go and watch a TAC Cup or VFL game, you will see just how good the talent pool is at both levels.
I had the privilege last year of watching a combined 7 VFL & TAC Cup home and away games, plus both grand finals. I was amazed at just how well the teams both moved the ball and how mature the players were in the TAC Cup.
Some timely performances from the Lions youth brigade and a string of wins saw the struggling 2001-2003 premiers find some late form to finish 13th in 2012.
Considered to be something of a pretender team for several years now, Lions fans started to claw their way back out of their hiding holes, as a plethora of injuries saw many key players out for large chunks of last season. The shining light for the club was the way in which the likes of Dayne Zorko, Tom Rockliff and Daniel Rich in the midfield stepped up a gear to support the veterans and new players. Continue reading AFL: Brisbane Lions 2013 season preview→
After a 2011 season that yielded just four wins, the Brisbane diehards were quiet. Talk was going around there would be changes. And there were. A new chairman, and a talented young group led by experienced veterans. It tuned 2012 into a much better season. While missing out on the finals again, Brisbane captain Jonathan Brown hinted that the possibility of more success in the near future was a trigger in keeping both his, and veteran Simon Black’s career, healthy. Continue reading AFL: Brisbane Lions: Season Review: The New Blood→