End of Season Player Review
Drafted at number 4 in the 'Superdraft' Matthew Leuenberger came to the club with huge expectations but with Wood and McDonald (who would be potentially number 1 or 2 ruckmen at other clubs) along with Charman competing for spots he was not expected to have much impact in 2007.
Leuenberger suffered from a mild case of OP at the start of the year and missed the NAB Cup and the start of the season. He played his first game for Suncoast in round 7 and initially spent little time in the ruck, playing mainly in the forward line and even a stint at centre half back.
Then in round 14 he was somewhat of a surprise call up for his first senior game, to be played against West Coast in his home state at Subiaco. He got little game time, but he impressed with his ruckwork, and he got to see first hand the best in the business - Dean Cox. The Lions pulled off a famous victory and it would have been a very memorable debut.
Leuenberger managed to keep his spot in the side, and with the Lions going on a 5 game winning streak (coming off 7 games without a win), he must have been feeling somewhat of a lucky charm. He was getting more and more game time, managing to beat some of the lesser ruckmen in the competition, and spending a fair amount of time in the forward line.
His big test came in round 20 against Sydney, when late in the first quarter Charman went down with a calf injury. Playing for a spot in the finals, Leuey found himself up against two monsters in Jolly and Everitt for the rest of the evening. Even though he was giving up 10 kgs, he stayed competitive the whole game and managed to win a fair amount of ball for himself. The game ended up being a draw.
But while Leuenberger is impressive it is still on the basis of ‘for his age’. He moves well, is very athletic, and has good skills, but at the moment he is relying on nous to compete in the ruck and he needs to add bulk and get stronger. Another preseason should see him significantly develop that. It should also be mentioned how mature he seems for a 19 year old, and dare I say, is demonstrating leadership qualities for down the track.
