Quigley's Full Time Report

[Quigley]

Okay everyone be Warned this is extremely long even by my usual standards.

[Quigley]

Going into the year I expected this to be a development year and that is the way it turned out. We ended up 10th with a percentage of 105.36 which was a pretty good result and improvement from the previous year. We started off very strongly finishing runner up in the preseason cup and then leading the competition over the first few rounds. The feature of our early wins was our attack on the ball and we won virtually all the contested possessions. Our tackling was also furious hitting hard and making them count. During our non-winning streak in the middle of the season we were consistently second to the ball and no-one wants to commit to putting their body on the line. Things turned around again in the last quarter of round 13 against Port. The Lions were down by 40+ and they threw caution to the wind and played on at all costs and lifted their tackling and lo and behold it was effective. They played the same way against the premiers the following week and they had a great win and it was the start of a five game winning streak.

For the rest of the year the Lions played and tackled hard, pressurised all over the ground, increased the speed of their play and were never out of games even in the games they lost. Brisbane are a young team that has a lot of running power and they were successful this year when they adopted a game plan which made use of this strength. When they slowed things down and tried to play a deliberate possession based game they invariably lost. The skill level of the team as a whole is below average at best and they consistently missed targets when they slowed things up.

One of my theories for our early season change in form was that it had corresponded with the return of a lot of our senior guys who were returning from long term injuries. Selwood, Drummond, Charman, MacDonald, Clark, Adcock, Hadley, McDonald, McGrath, Lappin and Brown all missed big chunks of the previous year and had interrupted preseasons. When you threw all these guys together in the one team I think they just did not have the fitness level to play the style of game that the rest of the team needs to play in order to win. Individually those guys were amongst our best but the style of play suited to one half of our team was not suited to the other half whilst those guys were getting back up to game speed. In the last third of the year those guys were able to run hard with the rest of the team and the team was finally a team playing a game which made the best use of the teams strengths and minimised the weaknesses.

In addition to match fitness the hardness at the ball drop off could also have been due to those returning from long term injury being a little cautious with their bodies. As they became more confident that their bodies would hold up they threw themselves into the contest more particularly on the tackling side of things. Brown for one who was noticeably more confident in the second half of the year and he threw himself into the contests with great abandon and was all the more effective because of that. With the injuries to the first team being much less than last year I don’t think this should be repeated next year.

For the second year running Brisbane lead the league in games lost through injury. Apart from weeks 7 to 9 when they had 9 players out the Lions had double figure players out for every round. With that number of players out the Lions did well to be as competitive as they were. The difference this year though was that the injured players were not as often the senior players. The younger guys suffered much more. In addition to causing difficulties for the senior side that number of players seriously affected the ability of the Suncoast to compete and the variability in results was very evident. That the Suncoast still made the finals spoke highly of the effort put in by the players. If they can get close to a full side on the park for the Suncoast next year with only a couple of top up players they should go close to taking out the competition.

If we are looking for things to improve on next year I think you only really need to have a look at the stats. They don’t always tell the whole story but they can give you an idea of where to start looking. The Lions this year were:

- 16th in kicks per game
- 13th in disposals per game
- 15th in marks per game
- 12th in points scored per game
- 12th in least opponent handballs per game
- 13th in least opponent marks per game
- 12th in least opponent hit outs per game
- 16th in kicks differential
- 15th in disposal differential
- 15th in mark differential
- 12th is point differential

In short we are letting opposing teams get too much of it and we are not getting enough of it ourselves. We handball more than we kick but that still does not make up much in overall disposals. The quality of our disposal was also a big factor in the losses. Again limited preseason work might be a factor but the disposal of some of the younger guys like Stiller, Rischitelli and Harding were a little up and down whilst for Moody and Sherman their disposals was well below what it was last year.

Our kicking for goal also needs to improve. For the year we kicked 283 goals and 288 behinds which is pretty ordinary but a definite improvement over the kicking for goal at the midpoint of the season. Brown’s second half of the season was one of the highlights of the year for Brisbane with him coming from well behind at the middle of the year and suffering pretty badly from the yips to turn things around and win the Coleman Medal. In the first half of the year Brown was largely unsupported up forward and the other forwards were little or no threat. In our winning run Copeland, Brennan and even Mills were dangerous up forward and the pressure that was being applied to the backs going the other way created opportunities for Brown up forward. This all over the field pressure starting in the forward line with Hooper, Brennan, Mills and Copeland all chasing hard was a major factor in the winning run. The opposition was suddenly under pressure no matter where they were and they could not get any easy possessions.

As far as the things we did well goes we finished:

• 1st in tackling differential
• 2nd in tackles per game
• 5th in least opponents points scored per game

So our tackling continued to be a strength of our team and despite our defence being much maligned by opposition supporters it held up very well statistically at least. We can stop teams.

This year week in week out we fielded one of the youngest if not the youngest teams in the competition. We had a large number of our regular players who had under 50 games of experience. That 50 game threshold tends to be an important milestone and with many more of our first team having reached that level I will be expecting greater consistency of performance next year. The lesser injury toll and the greater ability of the team to complete the preseason together are in my opinion going to make the Lions a formidable team next year. Brisbane are expected by many opposition supporters to improve next year but I don’t think they fully understand how dangerous we can be if we can stay healthy and can get our running game going after building on our first preseason together for a few years. We could be very much like Port was this year if things have turned our way on the injury front.

[TheBrownDog]

Okay everyone be Warned this is extremely long even by my usual standards.

Looking forward to reading this.

[Quigley]

Mitchell Clark

Mitch teased us even more this season. Again injury put him out for large periods of the year and restricted the number of games he played. After being out for the first half dozen rounds with a knee injury he burst back into contention through the AFLQ with a couple dominating performances which earned him a game in round 9 against Collingwood. That is the game that stands out to most supporters in regard to Mitch this year. He picked up 5 goals and earned a Rising Star nomination. He played another two games before going down injured again this time with a leg problem. When he got back to fitness the team was winning and Leigh wasn’t prepared to break up a winning side. He carved up the AFLQ in a fair few games although was quiet in others. He got another chance in round 21 but after a bit of a lazy performance he was dropped. Mitch showed us very clearly that if he can keep on the park he has the potential to tear defences apart. At 198 and as quick as he is he can be virtually impossible to match up on. His kicking for goal though was extremely shaky and his style all over the place. Mitch backed up Charman in the ruck where Leigh decided to go with only one specialist ruckman and this confirmed for me that long term Mitch is definitely a forward and not a ruck.

In the Offseason

Leigh has mentioned that Mitch is going to be put on a modified program similar to that that Brown has been put on in order to try and get him on the field more. He will be doing a lot of core strength work. The other big thing that he needs to work on is his kicking for goal. At times this year it looked terrible and if he is going to be a dependable option he needs to sort this out quickly. I can see he and Mills spending a lot of time with Hudson kicking for goal this offseason. He also needs to watch tapes of the way the Lions were playing when they were winning and realise that they were winning by the forwards applying a lot of pressure. He has to work on pressuring the ball going the other way which he does poorly at the moment. He is a great talent but more work needs to be done.

Chris Johnson

2007 saw an end of an era with Chris Johnson the last of the Fitzroy players retiring. CJ has been a great player for the Lions and well deserved all the accolades he received. He played 12 games this year mostly in the forward line and most of the games in the first half of the year. It was good to see though that he came back for the last 4 games of the year. He played in the forward line mostly this year and was often dangerous as a lead up small forward. After McGrath dropped off CJ was the only support Brown had for quite a few games. He showed the other forwards what they should have been doing much as he has done for years with the backs. Time however has been catching up and with more injuries it was the right time to go.

Thanks for the memories Chris.


Michael Voss

Overall I thought it was a fair performance from Voss this year. He started the year strong offering a fresh voice and an interesting perspective in the channel 10 box. I did however think he was becoming a little more mainstream by the end of the year and falling back into the pack. I do however think he forms a great combination with Malcolm Blight and I really enjoy when they are commentating a game together. Overall it was a solid start to his new career.

In the Offseason

He needs to establish his own style a bit more clearly to set him apart from the other commentators. Don’t go with the crowd Vossy. Hopefully Vossy will pick up a bit more coaching with the AIS and get some more experience in this area. I would still like see him do some head coaching.

Ben Fixter

Ben started the year off well playing 8 of the first 9 games and providing a solid mature body that was missing amongst the younger guys. After that though he was hardly sighted and word from the Courier Mail is that he has been delisted to allow for the new crop of draft picks. Ben played predominantly in a tagging role and in the preseason and first few games worked off his player well got some good possession counts including 20 in round 1. For his last three games though he managed only 4, 8 and 8 possessions. He is a good tackler but he lacks the bit of pace needed by taggers to stick closely with his man. He has a hard at it attitude which got him a look in at the Lions but may not be suited to the power running game plan that the Lions look like they are in the process of implementing. Missing a few matches in the middle of the year with a groin problem certainly didn’t help him. Injuries have been a problem for Ben throughout his career.

In the Offseason

Ben will be looking for a new club and good luck to him. He might be more suited to the smaller ground like the SCG and with turnover likely there he might get another chance with his first club. He needs to keep fit and work on his pace and endurance if he is going to make it at AFL level.

Scott Harding

Harding ended up playing 11 games for the year but only 2 in the second half of the year. Notwithstanding that he continued to work very hard and was the Lions best vote getter in the Grogan Medal and given that he didn’t play all that many games this was a stand out performance. Scott was the Lions fastest player over 20m in the preseason testing but has not been able to utilise his pace at AFL level the way he has at AFLQ level. He is also extremely strong for his size and is a gym warrior and amongst the leaders in most gym related categories. All of these are big positives and although he has struggled to maintain a spot in the first 22 I think he could well take a big step next year. Overall for this year he averaged 11.9 disposals a game in the AFL. He strained his medial ligament in round 20 but initial assessments were that it was only a 4 to 6 week injury so hopefully it should not affect his preseason.

In the Offseason

I think the biggest thing for Harding is to work on his endurance. If his endurance is better I believe he will have more capacity to more regularly use his burst of speed and strength in the clinches. I would also think he will continue to work on improving his disposal and clearance skills.

Luke Power

Its easy to overlook the year that Power had this year but again he was consistently amongst the Lions best and racked up a heap of possessions (23.8 per game). He was also amongst our best tacklers with 5 per match (including a career best 12 against the Roos) and again quietly lead from the front. Where he was down a bit this year was in the goals he scored. He ended up with only 9 and from a player who started his career in the forward line this was a bit of a disappointing return. Luke also doesn’t tend to have the hurt factor with a lot of his possessions that Black does and plays more of an outside role not contributing in the clearances as much as is needed from one of our premier mids especially in those games where Black struggled in this area. Interestingly I thought the hurt factor on his disposals was better earlier in the season when the number of disposals he was getting was down a bit. He should again be top 5 or so in the best and fairest and overall I thought Luke has a fine season.

In the Offseason

I would like to see Luke work on his clearance skills and pick this area of his game up. Also with the number of guys coming through he might work forward of the ball a little more than he has for the last couple of years.

Jed Adcock

Jed had a great season and was extremely hard done by not to get an All-Australian nomination. He set career highs in disposals (30), kicks (20), handballs (14), goals (4), tackles (11) and even hitouts (3). He was the Lions most consistent performer over the year and should be right in the mix for the Lions best and fairest. Overall Jed ended up averaging 20.7 disposals, 4.4 marks and 5 tackles per game. He also ended up scoring 10 goals 1 behind for the year indicating that it might be worth making sure he gets a few more shots on goal next year. Jed started the year in the backline and was the general back there directing traffic and being a shut down defender that was really required. When Josh Drummond came back and the midfield was struggling badly he started to play further up the ground before moving into a full time midfield role from about round 13 or 14. In the midfield he often ran from deep and provided great direction and quarterbacking skills running through the middle of the ground. His disposal was first class and a lot of good things going forward came from Jed this year. He is also very hard at it and is a tough competitor which was needed a bit in the middle. I was against moving him to the midfield on the basis that why would you risk the form of a guy who was playing at AA level. I am happy to say that I was wrong and Jed certainly adds an element of class to the midfield rotation. Barring injury, at 21 there is a bright future ahead of Jed.

In the Offseason

Moving from the backline there were times when Adcock’s endurance was tested and this is the one big area I expect him to work on in the offseason. He also to date would have had very little in and under AFL experience and I expect this to be worked on very hard in the offseason as well. I think he will be slated to be a major clearance winner for us next year.

Tim Notting

I don’t think there is any doubt that this was Tim Notting’s best year. He averaged 21 disposals and 6 marks per game and set career highs in disposals (31 in rd 14), handballs (14 in rd 9) and marks (13 in rd 14). He provided great run off the wing and regularly put in bursting runs using his pace to create opportunities. He played much harder and seemed to put in more effort than he has over the last few years. His disposal as a whole was much improved and his use of the ball was better than previously. He also managed to turn around his kicking for goal this year after a disastrous 2006 in this area and he kicked 16 goals 11 this year. Tim turns 29 shortly and a few more years like this one might help the Lions back to the top.

In the Offseason

Tim is pretty much at the pinnacle of his game and I think what he needs to do is just keep himself as fit as possible. He improved a lot this year I think because his endurance seemed better and I would hope that he puts in a similar offseason to last.

Ashley McGrath

At the end of the year McGrath’s career seems at the cross roads. Is he a forward or is it time to see what he can do at the back or the midfield? Ash started the year with a bang picking up bags of goals in a few matches including 5 against Freo in round 6. From round 7 on though he struggled and only managed 6 goals in the remaining 9 games that he played. He was played in defence and in a tagging role in the last couple of matches he played and if he is not traded this might be a sign of things to come in 2008. Never a high possession winner Ash averaged 8.3 disposals a game and finished with 22 goals 17 for the year. All of those were pretty disappointing given his start to the year. He does work hard in a chase down role in the forward line and this seems to be crucial in winning games for the Lions. I am not prepared to write him off as a forward but I would like to see more consistent effort and he struggles to get separation on his leads. He had surgery on a broken leg after round 18 and hopefully there are not lasting problems in this area.

In the Offseason

If he remains with the Lions I think McGrath is in for a painful offseason with a lot of endurance work. Whichever way he goes next year he is going to need to work harder and cover more ground and his endurance needs to improve.

Matthew Moody

Matthew developed well last year and was a regular best 22 player by year end but unfortunately he went backwards this year. He was given a chance early in the season to build on from last year but after the first four rounds he was dropped. His disposal which was always a problem was worse this year if anything and he was not able to get the number of disposals he got last year. Overall for the year he averaged 10.3 disposals in his 7 games and kicked 0 goals 6 behinds to cement his spot as our worst shot for goal. He was given another opportunity in round 18 in a more run-with role but he struggled to make any impact and was dropped after round 20 after a 2 possession game. His selection in round 18 seemed like his final opportunity to impress. He seems to have lost confidence in himself and his game. There is a big chance that Moody might be somewhere else in 2008.

In the Offseason

If he’s with the Lions in 2008 he needs to work on his disposal and work on getting his possession count back up. The coaching staff need to work on getting his confidence back up.

Justin Sherman

Justin really struggled this year and really never looked like repeating his great form of last year. He was down from 20 possessions a game last year to 13.1 this year and was dropped for an extended period. He ended up playing only 14 games this year to take him past 50 for his career but the 14 we saw this year would have to be close to his worst. After playing as a hard running, goal kicking half back flanker and winger last year Justin started the year in the forward line this year and looked lost. He was then given a defensive role which he also struggled with and was dropped in round 8. He got a recall in round 9 but continued his poor form and was dropped after round 14. Poor form and a infection kept him out until round 20. When he returned for rounds 20 and 21 he was played in a tagging role again and again did not look half the player we know he can be. He had no confidence and he was tentative with everything he did. His disposal was terrible and he just could not hit a target. There have been numerous theories about why the marked drop off and those outside the immediate club circle are unlikely to find out. The offseason trip to Ireland is one reason that is commonly put forward for interrupting a delicately balanced development program.

In the Offseason

The offseason first and foremost is going to be about getting Sherman’s head in the right space. A lot of time with the sports psychologist is likely. He needs to rediscover the confidence in his game and work hard to get back to where he was. All Lions supporters will be hoping this year was just an anomaly.

James Hawksley

I think all our draftees showed they have a future at AFL level and Hawksley was no exception. He seemed to have found his feet nicely with the Suncoast and was getting mentions in their best before a finger injury in round 13 killed his season. He had surgery on the finger and this was put down as the reason for his ending the season but as a bottom aged player they might have decided to cottonwool him for the rest of the year in the interests of his future development. He is another tall hard running midfielder that is capable of going forward or back. In the preseason game that he played he seemed to be taken by surprise a bit by the lack of time and closing speed of AFL players but I am sure he will adjust. He didn’t do much in that game but there were a couple of touches which whetted peoples appetites for more. As mentioned he had been in good form for the Suncoast before injury and he was getting senior selection consideration.

In the Offseason

James is still very thin and time in the gym is probably going to be the number one priority. As with all aspiring young midfielders he will also be doing plenty of miles getting endurance into his legs.

[Quigley]

Chris Schmidt

I have been in the Chris Schmidt since the preseason and think that he is going to be a good if not great player for us for a lot of years to come. He played a couple of the preseason matches and two AFL games for the year and struggled to get a lot of the ball but when he got it his disposal was all class and he invariably made something happen. He seems a disciplined player, with great disposal and from reports from the Suncoast he is more than capable overhead. As mentioned the big thing he needs to work on is getting more of the ball. In the reserves this was not a problem which is very encouraging and he was a regular feature in the Suncoast best in the first half of the year including a 30 possession game against Redlands in round 6. He was played mostly in the midfield for Suncoast but was moved around a bit up forward and then down back to see how he went and from reports coming from those games he did very well wherever he was put. He came to us with a reputation as a hard ball winner and I am hoping that we get to see a bit more of that next year as this year he tended to play outside more than in. From about round 13 we had each week “Is struggling with a groin complaint which has kept him from training this past week.” That is code I guess for OP and hopefully he gets on top of it and comes out and shows us what he has got next year. For me I think he plays a fair bit like Pendlebury and I am hoping he has a second year like Pendlebury’s. If he is fit he is a definite starter on the bench for my Dreamteam next year.

In the Offseason

He has to get on the park and work on building his endurance and strength. That will be hard coming off OP I concede but he needs to work hard to be able to run with the AFL players next year. He has shown he can do it in the AFLQ now its time to put in the hard yards to do it with the big boys. Bear in mind he was a bottom aged selection so he may need a little more development time than other older draftees.

Richard Hadley

Returning from two years out I expected a lot from Hadley which was probably a little unrealistic. Coming back from two successive season long knee injuries was always going to cause him some difficulties getting back into AFL football and that was the way it turned out. He ended up playing 14 games for the year and averaged 16.7 disposals which on its own was a pretty fair return. Where he was not back to his old self was in the ball winning department where he was largely a non-factor. Being eased back into the game also saw him down on endurance and pace which reduced his effectiveness. After making his return in Round 3, Hadley played all the games until Round 14 when he was a casualty of the Lions run of losses and poor form. When they suddenly hit form against the West Coast he couldn’t force his way back in until Round 20 and from there he played the remaining three games of the year. He was played predominantly in the midfield except for the last couple of games when Leigh obviously reading my calls for him to be given a chance in defence played him in Drummond’s backfield quarterback role. What that established was that perhaps I am not always right and Hadley is definitely a midfielder. Encouragingly Richard got through the whole season and if he follows most other returnees from serious knee surgery he will be much better next year.

In the Offseason

Hadley needs to get more work into his legs. I would expect Richard to be doing lots of work on the track both endurance and speed work to get his legs back to strength. Hopefully he has regained confidence in his knees and he can throw himself into it. Unfortunately if he returns to full fitness and speed it will be with Carlton. It is a shame that he decided he wanted to leave but I am hoping it is a sign of the strength of competition that he saw coming through from the likes of Proud, Schmidt, Hawksley and Sheldon.

Matt Tyler

His season was cruelled with a back related hamstring injury which ruled him out from week 6. Notwithstanding that early signs have been very positive and he has come from relative obscurity to be one of the players that excite many of the Lions followers on here. He is KP prospect who played on the half forward flank and wing during the preseason and pulled down some spectacular marks. He shows great mobility for his size and can cover the ground very nicely. For the Suncoast early on he was moved around a fair bit and tried at different positions and got some opportunities at CHB where he is seen by quite a few supporters as potentially the long term answer to our CHB issues. He certainly has the body and skill set to give it a good go. He did play there on occasions for the Suncoast and did well from reports.

In the Offseason

He needs to work on his body in the offseason. He needs to get his body right and build up his strength to compete as a key position at AFL level. Given he had most of the year out it is unlikely that he would play key position next year but he needs to be dominating for the Suncoast and when given an opportunity at AFL level showing that he belongs.

Jonathan Brown

For the first time ever Brown played the full 22 games and ended up with his first Coleman and All-Australian selection. He worked slowly into the season and might have been carrying some niggles early on and he struggled with the regular double and triple teams he faced. After the midseason break though he was dominant powered through the second half of the year picking up 53 of his 77 goals after round 11. For the season he averaged 16 disposals, 8.9 marks (4th in total marks), and 3.5 goals (1st in total goals and goals per game) per game. He was also up there in the top few in the competition in goal assists which showed his dominant all round influence going forward (need to get my fact checker onto this one for exact figures). The highlights of the year were his two games against Carlton. In round 5 he picked up 27 possessions, 15 marks, 3 goals and 2 behinds but even this paled compared to round 16 where he ended up with 20 possessions, 14 marks and a lazy 10 goals 1 behind. Brown shut up a lot of his critics this year by staying free from injury and suspension and showing what he can do when he has some support. If he can stay on the park next year and with more support from Bradshaw and better service he could be a real monster given that he will only be 26 and just coming into his prime.

In the Offseason

The core strength work he did this year seemed to work well and I would suggest he would be doing a lot more of that again this offseason. With Bradshaw back and Clark looking for a position up forward there will be a fair bit of positional work done to ensure that the forward line becomes the dominant focus that it should be. Browny is not the biggest chaser defensively and with that also being the case for Clark and Bradshaw I wouldn’t mind seeing him lead the other two with more focus on this area.

Jared Brennan

As per usual Jared was a model of inconsistency again this year. The difference though was that his good and his bad games were both better than in previous years. He started the year with a bang in defence at CHB and dominated the preseason competition and carried that over in the first two weeks of the year where he picked up 27 possessions and 14 marks in round 1 and 23 possessions and 13 marks in round 2. From there though it was all downhill and he registered 8 possessions or less in 4 of his next 6 games. Becoming frustrated with his lack of production at the back Leigh, in the second half of the year, swung him back into the forward line where Jared showed he just might be an option there in the years to come. He was still very sporadic in attack but his defensive pressure was very good and he was an important element in the late surge. He still fades out too much and is not a factor often enough on the lead but in those moments of brilliance he can tear a team apart as Collingwood found out in round 17 where he picked up 7 goals 5 behinds. To be fair the midfielders did not do him any favours on a lot of occasions as they do tend to be a little too focused on Brown. Overall Jared averaged 14.2 disposals, 5.9 marks and 2.4 tackles per game and ended up with 24 goals 15 behinds for the year. Given that he only played up forward for half the year his goal production was pretty good and could indicate he is on the verge of breaking out.

In the Offseason

There is talk that Jared wants to play more up the field even perhaps having a run on the wing. If that is the case he needs to up his endurance and this will involve a lot of miles and repeat sprint work for him. I still think his best position is HFF with commission to rove up the field and I think he needs to work on his leads more so they are cleaner and more consistent and so that the midfielders know where he is leading to and where he likes the ball delivered to. At the moment he tends to be pretty haphazard and sloppy on the lead.

Anthony Corrie

He was rookied this year after a bad knee injury in round 9 last year and he took a long time to come back. Eventually he returned and played the last two games of the year. The game against Adelaide in round 21 virtually assured him of promotion next year. In that game he picked up 23 possessions, 7 marks and 4 tackles and was one of the Lions best players. When he returned he played up the ground much more than he had done previously and he looked much better for it. He ran and chased very hard and looked dangerous when he got the ball. He has good pace and closes down the opposition well when they have the ball. I am looking forward to seeing Corrie and Hooper combine next year and they could make things very difficult for players clearing the ball and both could cover a lot of ground supporting the midfield bring the ball back to the forward line. For someone who I thought might be in danger of being delisted he certainly convinced me there is still a lot there to like.

In the Offseason

A full preseason to get back to full fitness will be great for him. I would also expect him to be working hard on his work around goal and his kicking for goal as at the moment he is not the threat that he should be around goals.

Jamie Charman

Charman returned from injury in round 4 and played through to round 20 where he suffered a broken finger and calf injury. In all he played 17 games and again looked very good for the Lions. Charman ended up with 18.5 hitouts (8th in competition), 12.6 disposals and 3.7 marks per game. Considering he was played almost exclusively as a forward for 4 or 5 matches early in the year and was injured early in round 20 the hit-out figures are pretty impressive. He was his usual in the ruck in that he tends to nullify the ruck. That is he does not tend to get many clean taps to advantage but on the other side of the coin the opposition rucks also tend not to hurt the Lions with clean taps either. The early experiment with Charman up forward firmly established that he is not effective in that role full time and he is best suited as a ruckman. This year Jamie established career bests in disposals (21 – round 11), handballs (15 – round 17), goals (3 – round 5) and tackles (8 – round 15). Overall he was his usual hard at it self and provided that hard nut that is important in support of the younger guys.

In the Offseason

This year Charman tended to play the large majority of the available ruck time. Expect that to decline next year and there will be more focus on him running hard and having an impact around the ground. Accordingly I would expect both he and Leuenberger to be doing a lot of work with the midfielders as link men and quite a bit of work done on his disposal. With Bradshaw and Clark to accompany Brown up forward I would not expect him to be rested too much in the forward line as much as he was this year.

Simon Black

It was a bit of a mixed bag for Simon Black this year. He has some dominating games but at other times he was very effectively tagged out of games. As mentioned he had some very big games including picking up a career high 39 possessions in round 1 against Hawthorn and another 37 possession game against Collingwood in round 9. In addition he also had career highs in tackles (14 – round 18) and hitouts (2 – just thought I would throw that one in for completeness). On the flip side he only managed to get above 17 possessions once in the last 5 rounds. Brisbane struggled in the clearances with Black often playing the lone ranger in this capacity. He was far and away the leader in this capacity and he will benefit next year if a few of the younger guys can step up and give him some support. He disposal was for the most part pretty good but there were times when he was not hitting targets with his usual accuracy. Overall Black averaged 22.2 possessions a game and was one of the better Lions players again this year leading them in the Brownlow count.

In the Offseason

Was his late season drop off evidence of too much work done in the last offseason? With him getting on in age a bit now body management needs to be considered much more and the appropriate level of work evaluated more closely. I would like to see him work closely with the likes of Adcock, Rischitelli, Proud and Begley to bolster the in and under brigade so that there is more potency in this area.

Daniel Merrett

Strawb was great for us at fullback this year and was the rock upon which our defence ws built. He led the league in spoils and was rarely beaten in his first year in the position. He provided us with great stability at the back and someone who could take the oppositions best forward and nullify them. He has excellent height, strength and closing speed and is only going to get better the more he learns about the position. This year he did on occasions tend to over rely on his natural abilities. He tends to punch on every occasion even when he is not contested and hopefully as he gets more confidence we will get to see him take a few more marks. His kicking and decision making are the big issues with his game at the moment and they often got him into trouble this year although more so at the beginning of the year rather than the end. One thing I really liked was that despite it getting him into trouble a bit Merrett continued to have confidence in his kicking and over the coarse of the year I think he improved quite a bit. His drop is still awkward but he does punch the ball out more now then he did previously. He averaged 9.1 disposals a game this year and had a career high 20 disposals against the Swans in round 20.

In the Offseason

I am looking for Merrett to become more involved in the side going forward next year. The Lions were reluctant to use him this year and this has to change. To get that confidence in him he needs to work hard on his kicking and decision making. He also needs to work with Leppa a lot on when to run off and an important element of that will be to give him licence to go for marks when justified.

Chris Scott

Chris was out injured most of the year but worked hard to get back and gained selection for the last two games of the year. He worked a lot with the younger guys on and off the park and acted in a pseudo assistance coach role for a lot of the year. His last two games were nothing spectacular but it was good to see him retire actually getting a game.

In the Offseason

He has accepted a position with the Fremantle as an assistant and joins the legions of ex-Lions taking the Lions formula to the rest of the league. Good luck to him (although not too much luck).

Matthew Leuenberger

Surprisingly for a first year ruck Leuenberger actually got some game time and ended up playing in the last 9 games of the year. He will be eligible for the Rising Star next year as well and might well be the first ruckman to actually get some serious consideration for the prize. He did not get a lot of game time but throughout he showed glimpses of the dominating ruckman he has the ability to become. He is very clever in his tap work and can set up his in and unders very well. He also has good movement around the ground and disposals but to date he hasn’t put it together for an extended period. The one game where he got an extended run was in round 20 when Charman went down early and Leuenberger had to ruck on his own for pretty much the whole match against Everitt and Jolly and he did extremely well. He didn’t get a heap of hit outs but he competed very well and seemed to get better as the game along. In that match he ended up with 15 possessions and 12 hitouts and this is more like what I am expecting from him on a consistent basis next year. Overall for the 9 games he averaged 7.1 disposals and 8.1 hitouts per game. This year when he came on I thought he took a little time to get up to speed. This is something that he will need to work on.

In the Offseason

Leuenberger needs to continue to work on his rucking and the ability to come in and impact straight away. He also needs to work with the midfielders and become the link man through the middle that he is capable of being.

[Quigley]

Joel Patfull

Joel started out as a forward utility but really was not able to get enough of the ball to be an effective option and take the pressure off Brown. Despite that he kept his place working forward and back and ended up playing every game bar the last one where injury stepped in. Around midseason Joel was moved into the back line full time and given the primary defensive roles on the opposition CHFs and despite being outsized most weeks he was usually very effective. For the year he ended up averaging 9.2 disposals, 3.5 marks and 2.2 tackles per game indicating that despite the tight marking he tended not to become involved much going the other way. With both he and Merrett in the back line there was a bit of a lack of run from the back especially when Drummond went down. If Joel is going to hang onto his spot he is probably going to have to up his run off capabilities and force his match up to work the other way.

In the Offseason

I would expect Joel to be making a concerted effort to bulk up in the offseason. He is not going to want to drop any pace but he will be working on his strength and burst of speed. I would also expect him to, for the first time, be concentrating solely on the defensive end and doing a lot of work with Leppa and learning the attacking aspects of the position.

Wade Mills

Wade continued his steady progression this year playing 11 games all up and the last 8 of 9 of the year. He played three games early in the year in defence as might have been expected and was probably unlucky not to get more games in that role. With the poor run of form he got his chance in round 14 somewhat surprisingly up forward and managed to hold his position for the rest of the year bar for round 21. He was brought in as a defensive forward and he worked hard and was he had an underrated influence on the turnaround. He did not kick may goals but he presented as a good marking option up forward and dished off a lot of goals to other players. He took some of the defensive pressure away from Brown and freed him up and going the other way put a great deal of pressure on the defensive players trying to clear the ball. He ran hard and covered a lot of ground and demonstrated a good use for the big engine that he has. On the negatives his kicking and kicking for goal in particular is poor and teams after the first few weeks overplayed the handball knowing that he would give off by hand.

In the Offseason

The primary focus for Wade in the offseason should be to improve his kicking. If he could do that he would give the Lions a good option at either end of the park. I also expect him to be working hard on his strength as at the moment he looks like he might develop into a very good fullback at AFL level if he improves in that department.

Joel McDonald

Joel surprised a lot of people me included when he returned this year after a year out. He came back a solid veteran player who added some steel to the half back line and most surprisingly his disposal very good. He set up play nicely from the back and picked up more than his fair share of possessions. It was a very good return to the Lions and Joel certainly established himself as an important part of the Lions backline. After his first two games were quiet (8 and 12 disposals respectively) he strung a few 20 possessions games together and ended averaging 17.2 possessions a game. His hard tackling was also a valuable asset and each of his 2.8 tackles per game were hard felt.

In the Offseason

Expect Joel to be doing a fair bit of endurance work this offseason in an attempt to get more legs into his game. He seems to have gotten his game together very well in the time he had off and perhaps I could just say more of the same please.

Pat Garner

For the second year in a row Pat suffered a season ending injury before round 1. The Lions like him and hopefully we will get to see him on the park next year.

In the Offseason

Look for Pat to be taking things steadily and working at getting his legs back to full strength without endangering his career by getting reinjured. I will be interested to get a look at Pat physique wise next year. You have to figure that he has been doing a lot of gym work in the time he has off.

Troy Selwood

Troy returned from his year off with a big bang in round 8 when he had a massive 35 possession and 13 mark game against Essendon. Overall for the year he averaged 19.4 disposals a game and set career bests right across the board (disposals – 35, kicks – 21, handballs – 14, marks – 13, tackles – 11, goals – 2 and even hitouts – 1). Despite that a lot of people were disappointed. Troy seemed to have lost pace and endurance and was not able to perform the shut down tagger role which had become his trade mark. His disposal was also worse if anything from his previous pretty ordinary standards. It seemed to me that although he managed to improve his ability to find the ball the lack of pace and staying power caused him problems in disposing of the ball.

In the Offseason

Look for Troy to be doing a lot of track work but endurance and pace to attempt to get back the strength into his legs that he had before the knee injury. Also he still needs a lot of work on his disposal skills.

Jason Roe

Roe was in and out of the team a bit this year and ended up playing 16 games for the year. He has tried to reinvent himself in the mold of Leppa as an attacking defender but unfortunately the defensive side of his game dropped off a fair bit from last year. Admittedly he got a bit better over the coarse of the year but he needs to tighten things up a bit next year. Also if he is going to primarily be an attacking backman he needs to average more than the 11.8 possessions he managed this year. In the second half of the year he played almost exclusively as the third tall defender with Merrett and Patfull playing on the primary targets in the opposition and even when they were struggling to stay with their men Roe was rarely if ever swapped onto them. Leigh not making the changes does not inspire me with a lot of confidence in Roe being looked at as a long term answer at CHB. On the positive side though he has improved his kicking enormously over the last year and now has a very nice flat penetrating kick. He doesn’t have great length but it is a weapon for him that it going to get him some games. He has done the hard yards to reinvent himself from last year and hopefully we will end up with a very nice player once he gets it all together.

In the Offseason

Strength or speed? I think they will go for speed if they are intending to use him in more of an attacking role. Defensively his closing speed could be a bit better and an offseason working on this aspect could really help him defensively. Look for plenty of work to be done on his decision making as well and perhaps some kick in work as he struggled a bit with this role when he was given the job.

Robert Copeland

Bushy is another who worked to reinvent himself this year. He played most of the year deep in defensive or in a run with role and was doing adequately but nothing that was really hurting the opposition. When however Leigh decided to refocus the forward line and give them a big chase down role Copeland found himself up forward and made a real fist of it. He picked up 15 goals in the last 8 matches and lead and presented well and looked like a genuine threat in the forward line who forced teams to match up on him. He managed three bags of three goals and worked extremely hard both ways. He ran down backs coming out of defense and overall his move into the forward line was an inspired move. If Bushy can continue with the form he showed from round 14 on this year he is probably going to play most of the rest of his career as a forward. His kicking for goal was generally pretty good and he ended up kicking 15 goals 10 for the year. He had career highs in handballs (11 - round 4), goals (3 – rounds 14, 15 and 22) and tackles (9 – round 18) this year and averaged 11.1 disposals and 3.3 marks per game.

In the Offseason

Bushy might actually have to do a bit of work with the forwards for the first time this offseason. The forward line is going to be more crowded next year so I would expect him to be doing a bit of positional work with the rest of the forwards. Also I am thinking that he might well become the veteran leader of the small forward brigade and get them hunting down the ball carriers coming out of defense. This type of game requires good endurance and accordingly I would expect him to be doing his usual hard work on the running track.

Cameron Wood

Big Cam was a little bit of a disappointment for me this year. I came into the year expecting him to break out and have a few really big games where he showed the world what he was going to be able to do. Unfortunately he never really put it all together. He managed 8 games for the year and probably would have played more if not for the fact that Leigh decided not to drop players during 6 game winning streak and so Leuenberger got to ride the wave on that one. Wood was the legitimate number two ruck for us this year and managed to pick up an early rising star nomination and finished with probably his best game of the year against Geelong in round 22 when he ended up with 9 possessions and 16 hit outs. He lead all rising star rucks with 12.1 hitouts per game but could only manage a miserly 5.8 disposals a game which given his talent in this area was a very poor return. He put on quite a lot of bulk this year and this may have affected his effectiveness around the ground and his endurance levels. He tended also to take his time to get into a game and given that he was used in short spells only in most occasions this restricted his effectiveness. What was good to see was that whilst he was not in the first teams Cameron quietly had a very good season for the Suncoast. He was very good in the ruck and has turned himself into a very handy forward. Uncharacteristically he was dropping a lot of marks early in the season but he seemed to regain his sticky hands by year end.

In the Offseason

Unfortunately Cam will be doing his offseason with the Pies. Given he now has reasonably bulk I would expect him to be working hard on his endurance in an attempt to regain his around the ground capability that he demonstrated at times last year. He is also going to be doing a lot of ruck work with his new midfield team to develop his own technique and learn how his midfielders like the ball.

Cheynee Stiller

I have unashamedly been on the Stiller bandwagon since he debuted midway through last year. He quietly goes about his business, works hard and gets a heap of the pill. Last year he was given a bit of a licence to run around and get as much of the ball as he could but this year Leigh attempted to get a bit more discipline into his game. He was regularly given defensive roles and usually did them pretty well whilst still managing to get his 20 possessions a game. For the year he averaged 20.2 possessions, 6.5 marks and 2.4 tackles a game. Those are great numbers for a second year player and he does not get the credit that he deserves. It is also worth noting that Cheynee’s numbers got better the longer the season went and his disposal and mark figures were significantly higher over the last 8 games of the year and the quality of the performances was better as well not just the stats. One thing that Cheynee obviously worked very hard on last offseason was his disposal which was pretty ordinary in 06. In 07 he started strong in this area, was a little bit up and down in the middle part of the season before finishing strong. He, along with Adcock were easily the best of the young brigade as far as passes into the 50 and he regularly weighted lovely passes onto the chest of Brown. Overall his disposal was much improved this year. That being said he still needs to work on his kicking from a stoppage and if there is a significant weakness in his game at the moment it is this.

In the Offseason

I would expect to hear that Cheynee has been doing significant gym work this offseason in an attempt to improve his strength over the ball and in the contests. He is not a small guy but he could use a bit more strength through his torso. I would also like to see him do some clearance work. At the moment he is almost exclusively an outside player and given the weakness the Lions have in the clearance area I would expect the outside mids, Stiller included, to be being encouraged to work on winning some of their own ball more.

Rhan Hooper

After quitting on the team in the preseason he was taken back into the fold with the expectation by most that he would be lucky to see much time this year. He had not shown much last year and people (me included) were questioning why we took him over the likes of Swallow who was available. With injuries to McGrath and Johnson he got to play a couple of games in the first half of the year and whilst he worked hard in the forward line he was not dangerous around goal and he simply was not getting enough of the ball averaging 5.5 disposals a game. He was given another chance in round 14 as a chase down forward with licence to drift well back almost to the half back line. The change in his game was marked and suddenly he was a weapon for us. His pace and closing speed do not give opposition players much time with the ball and his tackling was top shelf. Starting from deeper he was also getting more of the ball and he was using his pace very well. Surprisingly for me he also was demonstrating that he has a major engine and could gut run with most half forwards in the competition. With a full offseason to build up his endurance he is going to good player and I am very glad we managed to hold off Richmond for his services. Around goal he still is not as dangerous as he should be and his kicking for goal could be better. He kicked goals in only three of his 8 games and ended up with 8 goals 10. Overall for the year he averaged 13.5 disposals, 3.8 marks, 1 goal and 3.4 tackles per game which was a solid return after a slow start to the year. I am hoping though that next year we see a few more games like his Collingwood game in round 18 where he picked up 23 possessions, 9 marks, 3 goals, 2 behinds and 3 tackles. Rhan is a player with enormous potential if he manages to get it all together.

In the Offseason

Rhan is still very light and could do with some bulk but I think it more important that he build up his endurance. His pace is his big weapon at the moment and I would be concentrating on ways to best utilise that and improving his endurance would allow him to run more at full pace. I would also expect him to be working on his kicking both in the field of play and for goal. Whilst not terrible it could certainly do with some work.

Albert Proud

The Lions picked up Proud for a relative bargain in last year’s draft many expected him to play more than a few games this year. His reputation was that he was a tough half forward or midfielder with sublime skills. After an injury interrupted year last year he started the year with similar problems in the offseason and then after playing very well in his first few games before again going down with injury in about round 5. When he was on the park he was regularly in the best for the Suncoast and at the end of the season was the finished behind only Harding in the best performing Suncoast players in the Grogan medal. He had some big games for the Suncoast including a 30 possession, 6 goal performance against Redlands which hopefully is something we will get to see more of next year for the Lions in the AFL. He debuted in round 12 for the Lions against Geelong and played the following week against Port before making way for Hooper’s return in round 14. In the game against Geelong he was okay picking up 8 possessions, 3 marks and 4 tackles but against Port he was largely invisible only managing the one possession. I hope he comes in next year modelling his game on the way Hooper played the position when he replaced him as the two of them could make a fantastic tandum on the half forward line complementing each other well. Hooper is a little quicker than Proud but Proud is more highly skilled and dangerous around goal. I expect them to play a bit together next year and I am looking forward to it immensely.

In the Offseason

Endurance, endurance and more endurance for Albert this offseason. He needs to get some miles into his legs so that he can make full use of the talents and skills that he has. With his history of injury they are probably going to be pretty careful but he needs a higher fitness base then he has had going into next season.

Michael Rischitelli

After the preseason and the raps given to him by Leigh a lot of people were expecting a huge year from Rischitelli. Going in with those expectations those people might have been a little disappointed in his year but for me I thought he had a good year and showed some good maturity over the year. The one area where I was a little disappointed was in his in and under work where despite early promise he wasn’t much of a factor for most of the year. His disposal was also a little up and down and again it was good early in the year coming out of the preseason but tailed off somewhat in the middle of the year. In the run of wins toward the end of the year he picked up his disposal effectiveness a bit although it was still below the standard set early. Where he has set a standard that stacks up against anyone is in tackling. He is one of the leading tacklers in the competition and indeed lead the competition in tackles early in the year. He chases hard and makes his tackles stick causing turnovers. For the year he averaged 4.5 tackles per game and had one game of 11 tackles and two of 10. To go along with that he averaged 16.7 disposals and 3.9 marks a game and had two games of 27 disposals to set a career high (rounds 2 and 18). His kicking for goal could also use some work given that he finished with 6 goals 10 behinds for the year.

In the Offseason

I think Michael will be doing a lot of gym work this offseason. With the departure of Hadley there is more need then ever for an in and under ball winner and he has been tagged with that job. To do that he needs to be stronger over the ball and hold his position better hence my suggestion for gym over the track. I would also expect him to be doing a lot of skill work again in the hope that he continues his improvement in this area which is still below what it could be.

[Quigley]

Daniel Bradshaw

Not much to say on Braddy – injured in the preseason and so we didn’t get to see him in action this year. It was a bit of a shame to given that he looked to be hitting his straps as a key forward last year and Browny could really have used the support especially early. Look for them to be one of the best combinations in the competition next year.

In the Offseason

As with any knee injury he will be trying to continue to build strength in the joint and work on it as much as he can. There is likely to be a fair bit of positional work done as well this offseason as the forward line for the Lions next year is likely to be pretty full.

Sam Sheldon

Sam was bottom aged and this year I think was always seen as a development year for him. Just as well because he broke his leg in round 4 and this kept him out for most of the year. He played a couple of preseason games and I thought he looked like he belonged out there. He played in the half back line and was hard at it and not afraid to put his head over the ball. He didn’t get much of it in senior company but I thought there was certainly plenty there to work on. He played in the last few games for Suncoast and from reports he went pretty well playing up forward, being dangerous around goal and doing some spectacular things. He seems to be a smart footballer who has good skills and I am hoping to get another good look at him in the preseason games next year.

In the Offseason

He is still pretty slight and if the Lions intend to run him deep forward or back early in his career it is probably going to best to try and work on bulking him up this offseason. That being said they might actually try and split time with him and get some endurance work into him as well (extremely hard to do I know) as with him missing so much time he needs some miles in his legs and chances are he will get some time through the midfield for Suncoast next year.

Hayden Kiel

Hayden was another whose season was decimated by injury. We got a look at him early in the preseason and he looked pretty good early and people thought he probably would be a chance for an early promotion. Unfortunately he went down with hamstring problems in round 3 and that kept him out 10 weeks. A couple of weeks after his return he was ruled out for the season with a shoulder problem. He is a little on the short side but runs well off the half bank flank or wing and he uses the ball well. Hopefully he gets back and has a full preseason and comes out and shows what he can do.

In the Offseason

He will be carefully managed to ensure the injuries he has had this year to not become chronic but I would expect that there will be a fair push to build his running ability. The Lions game plan going forward I think is going to be based on running power and I expect that some work will be put into Hayden in this area.

Josh Drummond

Josh has had a shocking run with injuries over his career to date. Despite being 24 he has only managed to play 32 games for his career and he played 11 of those this year. After a preseason injury this year he finally managed to force his way back into the team in week 8 and until he got injured in round 17 (calf) he was great for the Lions as the quarterback at the back. He is surgical with his kicking and he sets up play very nicely whether from field play or from the kickins where his accuracy and extra distance are a real weapon. He plays much better in the back pocket where he has a bit more time consider and measure his kicks. To truly be considered amongst the elite at his position though he firstly needs to keep on the field and secondly he needs to tighten up defensively. He is not a shut down defender in the way Adcock was down back and this is something that he could improve. Offensively though he was great and he averaged 21.3 possession, 6 marks and 2.1 tackles per game. He also set career bests this year in disposals (30 – rounds 10 and 11), kicks (25 – round 10), handballs (12 – round 11), marks (13 – round 10) and goals (2 – round 13). I must say I was sceptical of how good and effective Josh would be after 2005 and I am happy to say I was wrong. Josh looks like a very important part of our team going forward.

In the Offseason

I would expect Josh to do a fair bit of work in the gym this offseason. He was outbodied a bit this year and some further bulk and strength would help. I would expect him to be doing a fair bit of positional work in an attempt to improve his defensive work.

Will Hamill

After three years as a rookie Will finally got his chance at AFL level in round 14. He played in the next two games as well and seemed to be slowly improving with each game. In his last game he picked up 12 marks, 1 mark, 1 goal and 2 tackles. It is starting to get to crunch time and whether he is likely to be kept on the list. He didn’t set the world on fire in the AFLQ which is probably not going to help him. He is a very good runner and so suits the game style that the Lions want to play but on the negative side his disposal is very ordinary. He also does not seem to be able to play as an effective tagger although this would seem to fit his skill set.

In the Offseason

If Will keeps his place on the list this will be a very important offseason for Will. It goes without saying that he needs to work hard on his disposal. If he is going to be an player on a successful team he has to be able to hit a target. Despite being on the list for three years Will is still pretty light and I would expect that he would be working on bulking up and improving his strength over the ball.

Scott Clouston

I think Scott might be one to watch next year. Over the course of the year he has shown very nice development and by the end of the season was the rock around which the Suncoast defence much the same way that Merrett has been for the first team. He played mostly at fullback and he performed extremely well. He was getting the difficult assignments and getting mentions for the performances he did shutting down the dangerous and in most cases more mature forwards in the AFLQ.

In the Offseason

Expect Scott to be working on his power. Firstly he will be doing a lot of gym work to build his strength and bulk and secondly he will be working on his sprint to ensure that he has the closing speed to shut down the quicker and stronger AFL forwards. Look for Scott to be given a chance next year.

Marcus Allan

It was a make or break year for Marcus with the Lions and unfortunately he ended up being delisted. In my opinion though he is close to being an AFL player and in the right situation he might well succeed. He played 4 games and did not look out of his depth just lacking one stand out tool which would get him a game every week. People have made an issue of his height but he is 181 which is okay for a midfielder and they also made a lot of a purported lack of pace and is really only occasionally an issue and would be less so if he was a endurance athlete who would grind his opposition into the ground. For his 4 games this year he averaged 12.2 possessions, 4 marks and 1 tackle per game which was solid. He was given a role of filling the hole behind the ball at stoppages and being a safety type player who the in and unders could shuffle the ball out to. He did reasonably well in this role and he seems like a smart footballer. I would have liked to see him play more of an in and under role himself which he was tried at in the preseason games. His stand out game stats wise was against Essendon in round 8 where he picked up 16 possessions and 13 marks. He doesn’t have the hurt factor with his possessions though and lacks some penetration on his kicking. Good luck to him in the future and I hope someone picks him up. He has a reputation of being an extremely hard worker on the training paddock and if he is given another chance he will give his all to make a success of it. Sydney on its smaller grounds might be a team that would suit Marcus.

In the Offseason

If someone picks up Marcus I would expect him to be doing a lot of running both endurance and sprint wise. He needs to get his repeat sprint ability up and have an ability to grind his opponent into the ground with relentless running if he is going to succeed at AFL level.

Beau McDonald

It would have been a very frustrating year for big Beau. He played 8 of the first 9 games for Brisbane and make no mistake hit-outs wise he was the second best option we had. Unfortunately around the ground he was largely a non-factor and this went against him when Leuenberger and Wood both have a lot of potential and could excel in this area. He also had his fair share of injury issues which again made him ineligible for periods of the season. For his 8 games he averaged 13.6 hitouts but only 5.2 disposals and 1.5 marks per game. In most teams Beau would be considered a very good back up ruckman but with the depth of ruck that the Lions had this year he found himself number 4 on the depth chart. For the Suncoast he was generally outrucked by Wood but he did play some extended time up forward and was dangerous in some games. This additional string to his bow will help him when he gets a chance next year. With Wood moving on Beau provides us much needed depth in the ruck department.

In the Offseason

Beau needs to work on his body to make sure he is able to play a full season and be ready to step in when required. Beau is never going to be an endurance athlete but he needs to lift his around the ground work rate and so I would expect him to be lifting his endurance work to at least be able to run with his opposing ruck when he is on the ground. Given his forward work for the Suncoast this year I would expect him to be working on this aspect as well.

Nigel Lappin

Coming back from over a year out Nigel had a frustrating start to the year with some mysterious ailments but after that he had a very good season, playing 18 games and leading the Lions in disposals with 26.8 disposals per game (5th overall in the AFL). At the age of 31 he also set career highs in disposals (36 – round 13), kicks (26 – round 13) and handballs (20 – round 20). He ran hard throughout the year and was rarely given the opposition’s number one even when he was getting a stack of the ball. This is probably due to the fact that, particularly later in the year, his disposal was not the best and he lacked hurt power on his disposals. He turned the ball over too much this year and I think next year there are likely to be less possessions on offer for Nigel but I think he will be more focused on his usage of the ball and hopefully there will be more space with the addition of Johnstone and the continued development of the younger guys. The way Nigel maintains his running and creates separation should be a great example for the younger outside mids on the Lions list like Begley, Stiller, Schmidt and Hawksley.

In the Offseason

Nigel is an old pro now and really it will be all about body management in the offseason. He knows how much he needs to do and will be careful not to overdue things. I would expect him to work hard with the midfielders and hopefully he will sharpen up his disposal and game awareness.

Daniel Dzufer

Daniel was a very consistent performer for the Suncoast this year and was rewarded with promotion from the rookie list and a game in round 13. He is a tall (188 cm), lean half bank flanker and winger who is an elite runner. Probably unlucky to be overlooked in the national draft last year he has worked hard and looks to have a future at AFL level. In the match he got he managed 10 disposals, 3 marks and he scored a behind. He played largely a defensive role and did okay without setting the world on fire. He showed though that he has good ability to use his running ability to run from deep and this suits very well the type of team Leigh is building at the Lions. His disposal needs some work but it is okay for a first year player. There has been talk of him being a little one paced but I have not seen much evidence of this becoming a problem.

In the Offseason

Do they build on a strength ie his running ability, or work on a weakness ie his bulk and strength? If I was making the choice I would build on the strength and try and make him an elite runner capable of running opposition players into the ground. With the need for a taggers Leigh might look at working on Dzufer in this area. Expect him to do a lot of work on his disposal this offseason as well.

Colm Begley

After playing a couple of games last year and looking good it was not surprising that Colm was promoted for round 1. I think Leigh very much took this year as a development year for Colm using him in a variety of roles mostly in a defensive or run with capacity and not giving him much freedom to experiment. I think he was trying to get the habits right early and build the rest of Colm’s game on a good foundation. As mentioned he played mostly on HBF but did spend some short periods on the ball and showed some ball winning ability in and under that might be built on next year. He only managed to pick up 6 goals for the year most from the 50 and when he is given more freedom I wouldn’t be surprised if he is a regular contributor on the scoreboard. In the last two games of the year Colm was played in the quarterback role in deep defence that Drummond played in most of the year. In that role he looked good having 23 and 21 possession games and was unlucky not to pick up a Rising Star nomination. For the year Colm averaged 12.9 disposals, 3.5 marks and 1.6 tackles per game. Colm is an elite runner and a great kick and I expect Leigh to use these as a weapon next year.

In the Offseason

Colm was noticeably bigger by the end of the season and I expect that this will be the focus of the offseason for Colm especially if Leigh intends to use him on ball more next year. Colm is an intriguing combination of athletic ability and skill and with some more game experience he is likely to become a key player for the Lions. I still don’t have much idea how he is going to be played next year.

Joel Tippett

Joel was very much a surprise rookie selection last year with most of us (me included) knowing virtually nothing about him apart from the reports that he put together some stunning test results at the Qld screening. His intriguing combination of height and freakish athletic ability got him the chance but with 4 rucks on the list and minimal injuries this year he did not get the amount of game time in his natural position (ie the ruck) that I am sure the coaches were looking for. He did play one game early virtually unassisted in the ruck and he received glowing reports. Mostly he played up forward and was a regular contributor on the score sheet but did not pick up bags and was rarely mentioned in the best.

In the Offseason

There is plenty to work on for Joel in the offseason. I expect him to be working hard in the gym to build up physically and also to be working hard on his ruck work. If they can get his skill level up Joel could be anything.

[Sherminator.]

That was a breeze to read, NOT! I guess it is going to be a long night... :p

Keep it up Quigley!

[Sherminator.]

Great read Quigs. I enjoyed that. :cool:

[TheBrownDog]

Just finished. Great stuff throughout.

Only thing that stood out to me was Bunno... could have sworn it was a back injury he sustained, not knee.

[Sherminator.]

Just finished. Great stuff throughout.

Only thing that stood out to me was Bunno... could have sworn it was a back injury he sustained, not knee.
Pretty sure it was both, actually. :confused:

[Lions_Master]

Did you happen to write that other epic called The Bible too? :p

[Grimreepah]

I have been in the Chris Schmidt since the preseason...

Sounds painful:p

[lionbear]

Will sit and read tonight when I get the chance.

Looks good though and very detailed as always Quigley:D:thumbsu:

[blackpowerlappin]

Okay everyone be Warned this is extremely long even by my usual standards.

That was magnificent!. I agree with all of your thoughts and am looking forward to the draft. It sounds to me we need a Key Defender as a priority.

[Cousin Jed]

I gave up after Mitchell Clark :p

Nice read.

[The Flying Belgian]

Meh, could be longer...

p.s. Top work Quigs as per.

[blynd_freddie]

Full time?

I certainly hope you jest… :D I always look forward to reading your in-depth posts Quigs.

Many thanks.

[BigCat2]

Thanks Quigs for finalling delivering your report. Worth the wait. :thumbsu:

Selwood I think this year struggled a bit for pace and endurance because he had no preseason. Don't forget he was recovering from a back surgery and couldn't even sit until February. Once he picks up his fitness I expect him to be our number 1 tagger again, a position we have a real need for at the moment.

The thing with a young side though is that there's so much hinging on the dreaded P word (potential). I think though that while most of them still have massive scopes for improvement, many of them were already performing at or near AFL standard, which feels a lot more concrete to me than say the kids at certain clubs who haven't shown much yet to indicate that they'll realise their potential.

Going to be a long summer while we wait for the footy to recommence, but plenty of excitement for many of us when it does.

[ReluctantLion]

Great work Quigley. Well worth the read.

[CoZi36]

Great stuff, you must have put a lot of effort into that. Looking forward to your next one.

[The-Spanner]

Great read, Quigley. A+ for effort and for achievement.

[Ruse]

Yeah it was awesome stuff. I really think you contact the club and direct them to your articles here on bigfooty and talk to them about a regular paid gig within the club. maybe posting some articles on the newsletter and website. I think given the quality of your work and seriously think about it.

Then maybe I could get a 3% trailing commission as an advisor.:thumbsu:

[Merv]

Okay everyone be Warned this is extremely long even by my usual standards.

Great work mate.

I'm sure your fellow Lions fans must be wrapt to have you posting such detailed reports.

Well done and that was very informative reading.

FWIW, i think you guys are in for a very big year next year.

[Lehban]

Thank you Quigley that was a top read and very informative.

[dmac_55]

We are so lucky to have such a dedicated poster like Quigley...

Every week after the game i wait for his review, especially if i have missed the game on TV...

His game reports are far more detailed and focused then anything i can get my hands on down here.

[Warwick]

toddy's training reports almost scaled these heights.

[John]

We are so lucky to have such a dedicated poster like Quigley...

Every week after the game i wait for his review, especially if i have missed the game on TV...

His game reports are far more detailed and focused then anything i can get my hands on down here.

They are far more detailed and focused than the complete waffle that the Courier Mail produces so don't worry, us Brisbaneites are in the same boat:).

[Quigley]

Thanks everyone. I have been flat out for the last few months and have struggled to get the things finished and by the end I was just trying to get it done. I am surprised the grammar and spelling police haven't been on to me. I didn't even read through it when I finished I just finished and posted. I had actually been going to do a section on what I was looking forward to team wise for 2008 but that maybe can wait for a little while.

Now, much to my wife's chagrin, its on to my mock which is looking like being about as long as this report. Stay tuned.

[Crimso]

Thanks everyone. I have been flat out for the last few months and have struggled to get the things finished and by the end I was just trying to get it done. I am surprised the grammar and spelling police haven't been on to me. I didn't even read through it when I finished I just finished and posted. I had actually been going to do a section on what I was looking forward to team wise for 2008 but that maybe can wait for a little while.

Now, much to my wife's chagrin, its on to my mock which is looking like being about as long as this report. Stay tuned.

Mrs Crimso says, "Get a life".

I say, "Ignore her & keep up the good work".:D

[John]

Mrs Crimso says, "Get a life".

I say, "Ignore her & keep up the good work".:D

By the sound of it so does Mrs Quigley:).

[Quigley]

Actually she is pretty good about things with her attitude being she can live with sport being my main bad habit.

It also helps at the moment that we are just off to Melb on the company, staying at the Hilton and she can get in some power shopping before hitting Derby Day at the corporate tent. That doesn't happen that often but she enjoys it when it does.

[rugmop]

Actually she is pretty good about things with her attitude being she can live with sport being my main bad habit.

It also helps at the moment that we are just off to Melb on the company, staying at the Hilton and she can get in some power shopping before hitting Derby Day at the corporate tent. That doesn't happen that often but she enjoys it when it does.

Congratulations on the post, as usual. Once again though, it's unfortunate you weren't able to do an in-depth analysis of the players in the team. It's a pity your posts tend towards the superficial. ;)

As for Ms Quigley, if you're staying at the Hilton, in Wellington Pde, she's perfectly placed to do the 'Bridge Road Destruction of the Credit Card'. However, don't let her know about the tram which can be caught from Church St, at the bottom of Bridge Rd, which eventually leads to Chapel St. Having saved your mortgage by not mentioning this, don't even hint at the possibility of the existence of Toorak Rd, halfway along Chapel St. Don't say you weren't warned.

[beatnik]

superb work Quigs - good even by your standards :thumbsu: