BRISBANE LIONS
2007 in brief
Played: 22
Won: 9
Lost: 11
Drew: 2
Finished: 10th
Played every game (6)
Jed Adcock
Jonathan Brown
Daniel Merrett
Tim Notting
Michael Rischitelli
Cheynee Stiller
AFL debuts
Round 10, No. 13: Chris Schmidt (2)
Round 12, No. 34: Albert Proud (2)
Round 13, No. 45: Daniel Dzufer (1)
Round 14, No. 40: Will Hamill (3)
Round 14, No. 23: Matthew Leuenberger (9)
Best and Fairest Award
1 Jonathan Brown - 68
2 Jed Adcock - 62.5
3 Tim Notting - 52.5
4 Luke Power - 51
=5 Simon Black - 48.5
=5 Nigel Lappin - 48.5
Leading goalkickers
Jonathan Brown 77
Jared Brennan 24
Ashley McGrath 22
Tim Notting 16
Robert Copeland 15
All-Australians
Jonathan Brown (centre-half-forward – vice-captain)
Departures
Retired: Chris Johnson, Chris Scott, Beau McDonald (during pre-season)
Traded: Richard Hadley (Carlton), Cameron Wood (Collingwood)
Delisted: Marcus Allan, Ben Fixter, Pat Garner (re-drafted as a rookie)
2008 in brief
Chairman: Tony Kelly
Chief Executive: Michael Bowers
Coach: Leigh Matthews
Captains: Simon Black, Jonathan Brown, Nigel Lappin, Luke Power
Coaching staff: Adrian Fletcher, Paul Hudson, Justin Leppitsch, Chris Johnson (development), Craig Lambert (player welfare manager)
Arrivals
Trade: Travis Johnstone (Melbourne)
Rookie elevation: Anthony Corrie
U18), James Polkinghorne (41, Calder U18), Bradd Dalziell (52, East Fremantle), Matt Austin (56, NAB AFL Draft: Lachlan Henderson (8, Geelong U18), Tom Collier (25, TasmaniaNorth Ballarat U18)
International rookie selection: – Pearce Hanley (County Mayo)
NAB AFL Rookie Draft: Phil Smith (Calder U18), Pat Garner (Brisbane Lions), Pearce Hanley (County Mayo).
The Year Ahead
A strong second half of 2007 means this season will start with a sense of expectation – and the expectation is that Leigh Matthews’ side will return to finals action. Certainly all the pieces are in place. If Jonathan Brown stays fit a Brownlow Medal surely can’t be far away, while co-captains Simon Black, Luke Power and Nigel Lappin are pretty handy in their own rights. Travis Johnstone brings his silky skills from Melbourne, Jed Adcock is a gun, noted goal-kicker Daniel Bradshaw returns from injury and Jared Brennan shows increasing signs of realising his immense potential. Throw in a plethora of other young talent and there is much to like.
Premiership readiness
No doubting the premiership readiness of the Lions’ experienced players – the majority of them have already played in flags. However, the Lions’ fortunes in 2008 will likely rest on the continued development of their younger “experienced” players. All have shown enough to indicate they can be good players at the top level, but only Jed Adcock, Daniel Merrett and perhaps Josh Drummond have done it week-in, week-out. If the rest add more consistency to their resumes, a top-four berth is a possibility – wins last year over West Coast and Collingwood showed the Lions can match it with the league’s best. If not, then the Lions still appear well-placed to take in some September action.
Who to watch
Matthew Leuenberger – the young ruck giant impressed with his athleticism and poise in the last nine games of 2007. Now, with Cameron Wood gone and Beau McDonald retired, the 19-year-old needs to step up again. Jamie Charman is a fine ruckman, but he can’t carry the can alone. Leuenberger’s ongoing improvement will be crucial to the Lions’ aspirations.
Predicted ladder finish
Sixth. The first five rounds – West Coast (away), Collingwood, Sydney, Port Adelaide (away) and Hawthorn – will be testing. But if the Lions can win at least two of those games, they will have a foundation from which to realistically shoot for a finals berth.
Betting: $23 (premiership); $2.25 (to make finals)
From the club:
"We are optimistic about what can be achieved with the group we've got. We are hopeful of playing finals this season but that's tempered with the realism of knowing that we have to improve significantly to get there." – coach Leigh Matthews.
The final word
Lions fans have some exciting times ahead and should be able to look forward to a finals appearance this year – with a genuine push for a premiership not too far into the future. As mentioned above, the fixturing Gods haven’t necessarily smiled on 2008. But good teams get results from tough games and the first five weeks of the campaign will give the Lions the opportunity to show just how good they are.
