lions_17

# "I think you literally broke my heart" -Brisbane Lions 2017 Preview

### Brisbane Lions • [/r/brisbanelions](http://www.reddit.com/r/brisbanelions/) • [http://lions.com.au](http://lions.com.au)

[2017 Fixture](http://www.afl.com.au/fixture?teamId=CD_T20#tteam)

**Founded**: [1996](http://www.lions.com.au/Club/history/brisbane-lions-history)

**Song:** [The Pride of Brisb#ne Town](http://www.lions.com.au/fans/downloads/club-song)

**Mascot**: [Brion the Lion](https://www.facebook.com/BernieVegas)

**Ground:** [Brisbane Cricket Ground aka The Gabba](http://www.thegabba.com.au/) (Capacity: 42,000)

**Captain:** The club literally does not have a captain at this point.

**Senior Coach:** [Chris Fagan](http://www.lions.com.au/season/coaching-group)

Other notable staff members: David Noble, who will take us back to the promised land in 4-8 years.

No | Player | Height | Weight | DOB | Games | Goals
:--:|:--|:--:|:--:|:--:|:--:|:--:
1 | Ben Keays | 186 | 84 | 23.02.97 | 16 | 4
2 | Ryan Harwood | 184 | 87 | 07.08.91 | 72 | 6
3 | Allen Christensen | 176 | 73 | 19.05.91 | 98 | 82
4 | Ryan Bastinac | 184 | 81 | 22.06.91 | 143 | 72
5 | Mitch Robinson | 183 | 87 | 07.06.89 | 142 | 71
6 | Hugh McCluggage | 186 | 77 | 03.03.98 | - | -
7 | Tom Bell | 187 | 98 | 13.06.91 | 65 | 51
8 | Rohan Bewick | 184 | 83 | 10.10.89 | 92 | 64
9 | Dayne Beams | 186 | 86 | 12.02.90 | 128 | 129
10 | Daniel Rich | 183 | 84 | 07.06.90 | 143 | 93
12 | Stefan Martin | 199 | 102 | 17.11.86 | 114 | 38
13 | Jarrod Berry | 192 | 84 | 05.02.98 | - | -
14 | Josh Walker | 196 | 101 | 12.11.92 | 49 | 58
15 | Dayne Zorko | 175 | 74 | 09.02.89 | 101 | 101
16 | Jarrad Jansen | 192 | 94 | 02.05.95 | 7 | 4
17 | Claye Beams | 182 | 83 | 01.09.91 | 45 | 23
18 | Nick Robertson | 190 | 87 | 03.06.95 | 26 | 6
19 | Josh Clayton | 191 | 86 | 17.01.96 | 2 | 0
20 | Cedric Cox | 181 | 79 | 19.08.97 | - | -
21 | Sam Skinner | 197 | 94 | 29.06.97 | 0 | 0
22 | Marco Paparone | 194 | 91 | 03.09.94 | 49 | 13
23 | Josh Schache | 199 | 96 | 21.08.97 | 17 | 16
24 | Liam Dawson | 189 | 85 | 23.01.96 | 17 | 6
25 | Daniel McStay | 195 | 94 | 24.06.95 | 41 | 30
26 | Tom Cutler | 191 | 95 | 20.02.95 | 33 | 12
27 | Darcy Gardiner | 192 | 87 | 22.09.95 | 43 | 3
28 | Lewis Taylor | 174 | 75 | 17.02.95 | 63 | 47
29 | Alex Witherden | 186 | 80 | 10.09.98 | - | -
30 | Eric Hipwood | 202 | 92 | 13.09.97 | 10 | 11
31 | Harris Andrews | 202 | 100 | 11.12.96 | 36 | 6
32 | Sam Mayes | 188 | 86 | 20.05.94 | 74 | 26
33 | Michael Close | 197 | 98 | 30.07.94 | 17 | 16
34 | Jonathan Freeman | 199 | 94 | 27.04.94 | 14 | 16
35 | Ryan Lester | 191 | 85 | 26.08.92 | 80 | 31
36 | Rhys Mathieson | 187 | 84 | 10.01.97 | 11 | 8
37 | Jacob Allison | 193 | 82 | 16.04.98 | - | -
38 | Tom Rockliff | 185 | 82 | 22.02.90 | 134 | 71
39 | Corey Lyons | 181 | 80 | 31.05.98 | - | -
44 | Archie Smith | 201 | 99 | 19.07.95 | 3 | 1
45 | Jack Frost | 195 | 90 | 25.02.92 | 54 | 0

###BBFFC 2016 Review
**"Look, the writing on this defensive gameplan has those idiot Russian letters!"**

2016 was a season of pain for the Brisbane Lions. More dissapointing then the thrashings were the disfunctional team defence, and the losses against teams that the Lions should have had a chance against. The season started well for the Lions, with the club excited to finally have recruited what seemed a functional forward target in Josh Walker, a big body in Tom Bell and a consistent midfielder in Ryan Bastinac. Surely with Dayne Beams, Tom Rockliff and Hanley in the middle, along with some solid depth, this could finally be the year the Lions started climbing up the ladder powered by some youthful enthusiasm of the new draftees and a midfield packed with class?

Hahahahahahahaha.

No.

**"I'm sorry, I'm sure I misheard you. Dayne has been missing for two months, we've spent God knows how many thousands of dollars and manhours searching for him, and this whole time he's just down at the shore flipping hamburgers?**

As the season got going, it became clear the Dayne Beams was actually not a real person, making a brief appearance in the loss against Port Adelaide and the [Massacre](https://streamable.com/61oq) against Collingwood. Tom Rockliff turned out to be a shit bloke, and injuries hurt his season, whilst Hanley turned out to be a shit bloke, and had an off season. Allen Christensen looked to have found a niche in the half back line before falling victim to a broken collarbone and Stefan Martin was never the same after Steven May knocked him unconcious in round 4.

Round 4. Good game that was. The team rallied after losing their best player to that point at half time to beat a Gold Coast team that had won 3 on the trot. Lions fans thought that maybe this was the start of a club culture that could keep us in games, and when a nailbiter agaisnt Sydney at home shortly followed, things seemed ready to click.

**"We're shooting blanks, duh!"**

Then reality set in, and we had one of the worst seasons in VFL/AFL history defensively. This dysfunctional defensive line was a culmination of issues, from midfield running to inexperienced defenders, and ultimately resulted in the sacking of another club legend in Leppa.

The Lions eventually finished in 17th place, finishing in front of an AFL team missing several of its key stars by an extremly slim margain. To sum things up, everything was pretty shit.

### BBFFC TRADE AND DRAFT PERIOD 2016

**"Man, this football stuff is awesome, and I bet I'd be totally awesome at it. So are the Lions hiring, or...?"**

In: Jack Frost, Ports 2017 First round, some random draft picks

Out: Pearce Hanley, hope, some random draft picks

Delisted: Jackson Paine, Josh Green, Josh Watts, Josh McGuinness, Hugh Beasley

Retired: Dan Merret, Trent West

ND Picks: Hugh McCluggage (3), Jarrod Berry (17), Alex Witherden, (23), Cedric Cox (24), Jacob Allison (55), Corey Lyons (71)

Rookie Picks: Blake Grewar, Jake Barrett, Mitchell Hinge, Oscar McInerney


### YOUNG GUNS

**"We have to ease them into the side, like a latex gimp suit."**

* **Josh "Superstar" Schache** - [Just look at these legs.](http://i.imgur.com/9mJnSAd.jpg) Not much needs to be said. Was often taking the best defender at 18 years old at AFL level. Top 5 in running metres for the club and showed signs of the attributes that will make him one of the leagues premier Key Position Players in a few years time. We must obtain his signature.

* **Hugh McCluggage** - He will be an absolutely gun and his debut season is much awaited for the Lions in 2017. Has already shown his class at intraclub matches and people attending have remarked that he genuinely already seems to be in the top 8-10 players at the club.

* **Harris Andrews** - 21 years of age. One of the developing leaders at the club both on and off the field. His defensive work has been beyond his years, and hopefully he can be a stalwart in the Lions back half for years to come.

###ON NOTICE

**"Not even in the best 22 at *this* pool."**

* **Claye Beams** - Could very nearly be the end of the line for a player that has been cruely plagued by injuries. Claye seems to have lost his leg speed and with the players vying for his position, it is now or never for Claye's career. His career rests on Fagan's gameplan, which could potentially favour Claye's above average disposal. His closing speed may be his downfall in the end.

* **Josh Walker/Michael Close/Jono Freeman** - This isn't aimed at a specific player but with Connor Ballendan coming through the academy this year and Schache shining, a place in the forward line could be potentially hard to get in Brisbane's future. All three of these Forwards are still young, but it feels as if one of them is destined for a trade/delisting at the end of the season. The ball is in their court, and for the clubs sake, hopefully one of them can have a breakout year. The one who's most likely to break out? Michael Close for sure, has had a fantastic preseason and now has now filled out his frame whilst maintaining his running capacity. Most likely to drop out is Freeman, but even he showed more off-ball acts in the first JLT game then he has in all his other games to date. This is purely a list issue as all 3 have relatively strong potential. Can't fit them all in.

* **Ryan Harwood** - Again, a fair amount of the older, middling players that are competing with draftees will be under the pump this year. I actually have a lot of faith in Harwood to lock down a spot in the best 22 this season though.


### OUT OF FORM

Entire list.

### FANTASY TIPS

**"His mind-brain is permanently rejecting his real identity!"**

* **Stefan Martin** - it is likely he will now ruck in tandem at some points during the season with Archie Smith as seen in JLT round 1. As such, perhaps not the best option anymore. Monitor the ruck setup over the JLT series if you're super keen but expect his average to be below what you'd want from your premium rucks.

* **Tom Rockliff** - is exceptionally fit this year and will be playing for $$$$. Expect a great season from him.

* **Dayne Beams** - cheapish. If named as captain the club is confident somewhat in his knee. Just remember that he hasn't played a full season in years, so is a relatively large risk. If he stays on the field, he will score big, all class and is usually good for a goal or two.

* **Josh Schache** - still not going to be supercoach relevant

* **Hugh McCluggage** As a early draft pick and midfielder, McCluggage will start pricey but he'll get plenty of playtime this year

* **Jarrod Berry** - is a popular choice, however, you you won't get a look at him during the preseason. Does have a big body for a draftee though so potentially something there. The other two are the rookies that could get an elevation onto the senior list due to Sam Skinner's ACL injury. Keep an eye out. With Bundy getting an injury it's possible either of them could start in his spot. Keep an eye on on JLT and round 1 lists.

* **Blake Grewar/Jake Barrett** - rookies, but with Sam Skinner's ACL injury there's room for an early elevation. Bundy's new injury means it's possible that one could slot into his position - keep an eye on JLT and round 1 lists.

* **Jacob Allison** - perhaps surprising he slipped as far as he did in the draft, but he had a slow 2016. He's looked good in the preseason though. Won't start early but keep an eye on him in the NEAFL for a later debut.

### SET TO RISE

* Michael Close
* Tom Cutler
* Archie Smith

### BEST 22

**"And we'll just see how this team holds up against a sudden and quite possibly violent confrontation with the opposition."**

FB: Gardiner, Frost, McStay
HB: Rich, Andrews, Cutler
C: Robinson, Deams, Zorko
R: Stef, Rockliff, Bastinac
HF: Taylor, Walker, Bundy
FF: Bell, Schache, Close
Int: Bewick, McCluggage, Matho, Mayes

Hard to tell who will fit into the best 22 in Fagan's system. This is what Speero has put down. I think it's as close as possible to what we can reasonably predict based on last season but I think we will find our round 1 team will be pretty different to this.

****Expectations****

Pass Mark: Signs of improvement in gameplan. Young guns show upward trajectory. Re-Sign Cutler, McStay, Schache, any other important player

What would be nice: 6 wins
What will happen: 2-3 wins
Position: 18th
Mood: Depressed.