Delisted Jonathan Freeman (2013-2017)

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Lions go for ex-Noosa Tiger
November 22, 2013
Steele Taylor

"He has really developed in leaps and bounds during the last 12 months," Fletcher said.

"He's really filled out (198cm and 96kg) and he's got some strength now."

Significantly, Freeman has overcome hand-eye co-ordination issues this year to emerge as one of Queensland's top young prospects.

"He did have some problems with his vision, but that's all been sorted and once that was sorted his confidence grew, especially with his marking," Fletcher said.

"He's put the work in to correct it, so this (being drafted) is just reward for the trouble he's put in and the effort he's gone to."

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Noosa gun hoping to get shot at Lions
November 28, 2013
Steve Zemek

He watched the draft via the internet in the middle of the night with his headphones on so as to not wake up roommate and Brisbane midfielder Dayne Zorko.

Freeman described the camp as among the toughest things he had done and said he had relished the chance to get to know his new teammates.

"It was an awesome experience," he said.

"I fell in pretty quickly. I came through the (Lions) academy and played in the reserves so I knew most of the faces. I wasn't starstruck or anything - I just got to work."
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Now, for the flip side. Of the 102 first-timers drafted this year, from the national and rookie draft pools, just eight came from the northern states - Queensland, New South Wales and the Northern Territory. It was two before the rookie draft, with only Jonathan Freeman and Jake Barrett taken by the Brisbane Lions and the Giants, who had first dibs on them.

Freeman was the first to graduate - the Lions took him in the third round after Adelaide made a bid for him with one of its picks.
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While Staker and fellow key forwards Jonathan Brown (foot) and Jordan Lisle (tight hamstring) watched from the boundary line, youngsters Michael Close and Jono Freeman put up their hands for a spot against the Hawks.

Close, in his second year, and Freeman, in his first, both took contested marks and kicked goals in promising displays.

Captain Jed Adcock said it was pleasing to see the young key position players perform so well.

"We've got quite a few young talls coming through and they'll be fighting for positions depending where Browny's at in round one," Adcock said.

"We've got some older players, but you expect these younger kids and younger tall forwards to get a game in the NAB [Challenge] and get a chance to shine and show everyone what they've got."
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http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-02-06/zorko-stars-onball
 
Good to see he has put on some muscle in the space of just a couple of months. He and Close look very big and very promising.
 

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Freeman and Smith might not be as long-term as first projected, largely due to the work of the club's academy staff.

This time last year, Freeman had missed out on being drafted in 2012 and was preparing for another shot at things.

Playing for local side Aspley, Freeman was able to continue as a member of the club's academy, and had another season with Queensland's under-18 side, as an overage prospect.

But he was having a problem with his eyes.

"He was struggling to mark the footy, and the academy guys took him to a sporting optometrist who identified there was some information processing issues with his spatial awareness," Kerr said.

"They put a huge amount of time into him at the academy in terms of hand-eye exercises to correct that. On back of that improvement from the resources within the academy, he jumped up and got to a stage where some clubs ranked him as a second-round pick.

"Adelaide bid with a third-round pick (which the Lions matched to draft him with their fourth-round selection, pick 62) and he emerged as a potential AFL player. The year before he wasn't even a chance."
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http://www.lions.com.au/news/2014-02-19/talent-born-from-academy
 
Interesting the Crows rated him at pick 42. Sort of means we ended up having 7 picks in the first 42 last season.
 
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