LIONS midfielder Bradd Dalziell burst onto the scene in emphatic fashion late last season and now he plans to show he's no one-year wonder.

Dalziell averaged 26 possessions in a seven-game stint, earning a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination along the way.

Early signs suggest the 21-year-old will sustain that form, with an eye-catching 29-disposal performance in Friday night's NAB Cup quarter-final loss to the Bombers.

"I'm really happy with the way things are going at the moment. I really set myself for a big year and I think I've started well, but I've just got to keep it going," Dalziell said.

"A lot of people talk about second-year blues, but I want to come out and prove that wrong this year and make sure I can have two good years instead of one good year and then come back to the field.

"I've always been pretty confident in my ability growing up, but it's just about getting that chance to prove to people that I can play. I've been given that chance at Brisbane I'm going to try and make it pay dividends for the club."

Although pleased with his own progress, Dalziell was disappointed not to come away with the win after the Lions fought back only to lose by two points at Telstra Dome.

"The boys really rallied in that second half and if we had of taken our opportunities we could have won by a couple of goals," he said.

"That last quarter [when we kicked eight behinds] was a real killer and we talked after the game about how we have to take our opportunities. I guess we did well to get as close as we did, but it was just a shame we didn’t get the win."

Next weekend the Lions will play a NAB Challenge match against Melbourne in Cairns and Dalziell said the young side would enter the contest with plenty of confidence.

"Our game plan's changed quite a bit from last year and considering we've still got eight or nine senior guys out of the team it's really encouraging to see the young guys stepping up," he said.

Dream Team watch – Bradd Dalziell is rated a $420,300 midfielder in Toyota AFL Dream Team 2009.