A TRANSFORMATION is taking place at the Brisbane Lions. But it’s occurring so quietly and attracting so little attention, it’s effectively being done by stealth.
“The word I’d use to describe the stage we’re entering as a club is growth,” Lions coach Michael Voss told the AFL Record.
“We’re trying to build on a young group that’s coming through in the same age bracket.
“If they can evolve together and become close with one another, that will be pretty important. But that takes time.”
If you missed this development, you’re not alone. After all, it was just 18 months ago the Lions recycled six experienced players at the end of the 2009 season. Five were acquired by trades - Carlton’s Brendan Fevola, Richmond’s Andrew Raines, St Kilda’s Xavier Clarke, Sydney Swan Amon Buchanan and West Coast’s Brent Staker ¬- and St Kilda’s Matt Maguire was subsequently snared late in that year's NAB AFL Draft.
At the time, Voss said the strategy was an attempt to bridge the gap separating the Lions and that season’s best teams, Geelong and St Kilda.
It was also seen by many as an audacious play to win a premiership while 2001-03 flag heroes Jonathan Brown, Simon Black and Luke Power were still at, or near, their best.
The Lions saw experience, more than youth, as the path to their next flag, it seemed.
But to focus on the Lions’ 2009 recruiting is to miss the bigger picture.
If you ignore that year, the Lions have traded only once for an experienced AFL player since 2002, bringing in Melbourne midfielder Travis Johnstone at the end of 2007.
Consider also the talent and experience they’ve lost since 2006: Voss, Jason Akermanis, Brad and Chris Scott, Chris Johnson, Nigel Lappin, Tim Notting, Michael Rischitelli, Justin Sherman, Johnstone and Jared Brennan.
Look beyond the more heralded youth-based rebuilds of Carlton and Melbourne - their recent swags of No. 1 draft picks can make that difficult - and consider some of the young talent the Lions has assembled in recent drafts.
In 2005-06, they picked up highly rated talls Mitch Clark and Matthew Leuenberger with first-round picks, while key-position prospects such as Tom Collier, Aaron Cornelius and, last year, Pat Karnezis and Ryan Lester, were subsequently added.
And in the midfield the Lions have assembled an even greater depth of young talent. The biggest and most promising haul came at the 2008 draft, with Daniel Rich, Jack Redden and Tom Rockliff, while small forward Todd Banfield may eventually migrate on to the ball too.
Voss and Lions national talent manager Rob Kerr hope last year’s group of midfield recruits - Jared Polec, Josh Green, Bewick and elevated rookie Claye Beams - will be just as good.
Read the full story in this weekend’s AFL Record, available at all matches.
