Traded Pearce Hanley (2007-2016)

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Brisbane Lions attacking weapon Pearce Hanley is set to be a targeted man in 2014
9 November 2013
Greg Davis

"I KNOW they are coming for me.''

It sounds ominous but Lions star Pearce Hanley is in no doubt that he will be a hunted man in 2014. His summer will be based about preparing for the onslaught from the AFL's best taggers. Hanley took another step towards stardom with a breakout year in 2013 when he became arguably Brisbane's most important player. His devastating run and carry, aggression, competitiveness, finishing ability and pinpoint-accurate right boot make him a marquee man at the Gabba.

But there were bumps on the road to elite company with taggers occasionally getting the best of the Irishman, no more so than Collingwood's Brent Macaffer who kept the 24-year-old to just 10 touches in Round 10. They may not be able to cage Hanley next time around. His is fitter and more focused than ever before and is no longer an Irish novelty.

A genuine AFL A-lister in the making, Hanley recorded a personal-best time for the 2km time trial last Tuesday before the Lions departed for the two-week high altitude camp in Arizona. "I expected a bit of extra attention last year but I know they are coming for me next season," Hanley said. "I really attacked my off-season program and I'm pretty happy with my PB in the time trial. "I just want to do everything I did last year and improve on it all ... take it up a notch. "I'd like to play through the midfield more. I'm going to work closely with Andrew Raines, who tags for us, to learn how to deal with taggers and how to work through it. "We've got a young and exciting midfield and I'd love to be a part of that."

Hanley inked a lucrative five-year deal with the club last year. His commitment to the Lions' cause was evident when he took to Twitter to label the club's "Go Home 5" - Billy Longer, Jared Polec, Sam Docherty, Patrick Karnezis and Elliot Yeo - "Mummy's boys".

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Good to see Pearce is primed for a massive 2014.
 

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bungalow_bill said:
If Hanley grew up in Australia playing AFL is it a stretch to say that he could have been a number one pick?
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Well he would have been an almost certain number one pick in Gaelic Football at his age group if they had a draft system in place. And if you consider that if you were to draft retrospectively the 2006 and 2007 drafts (the 2 drafts Hanley may have gone in) he would probably be top 10 in both in terms of performance, it would hardly be a huge stretch to say he could have been a number one pick.
 

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2013 Review - by James North

We've all been watching Pearce with interest since he debuted for the Lions in the twilight of the 2008 season. His speed and athleticism have never been questioned; we just weren't sure whether he could bring a reliable consistency into his game. In the years until 2013, he showed flashes of brilliance with the odd brain-fade. He'd break tackles, then miss them himself. He'd often take on one too many defenders and would sometimes miss targets.

Wipe it all from your memory. Pearce Hanley has arrived, and he's all over the ground.

Hanley played 20 games this season - two less than last season. He was one of the Lions' most consistent performers and attracted plenty of attention on field as word of his AFL arrival had made it (by road freight) to Melbourne. No longer is he merely the best Irishman in the league, he is one of the AFL's most unique talents.

Primarily a rebounding defender until 2013, Pearce has extended his reach on the field with regular impacts to the scoreboard, more than doubling his goals from 2012 with 16.9. He's back when he feels someone needs to take over (or perhaps ramming), he's on the wing with run-and-spread when the Lions are breaking away and he's in the forward 50 fooling defenders with a classy arrogance. He has the ability to change a game's momentum and can kick goals from beyond 50. Hanley produced the Club's most inside 50s for 2013, showing that his adventurous style is team-oriented.

On the scoreboard, his biggest impact was 3 straight (?) kicks against North Melbourne in one of the team's best comebacks of the year. He only had 15 disposals in that game, but such is his influence - he turned the game on its head. In terms of numbers, his highest disposal counts came in brave losses to Adelaide (30) and West Coast (31). He saw disposal numbers in the mid 20s several times.

His aggression hasn't wavered, but we have seen a more focused effort from Pearce in terms of his discipline, bringing his frees for and against to around the same number. Hanley's professionalism is now exactly where it needs to be to be a force in the AFL, and to become one of the Lions' much-needed x-factor players.

Pearce's kicking has improved steadily over his AFL journey, but it's in 2013 that we see just how far this part of his game has come. Bending goals from the inside and outside of his boot has become commonplace. Pinpointing players amongst a group of defenders and long penetrating kicks to leading forwards are just part of his standard game.

One wonders what might have been if he had played in our 9 point loss to Port Adelaide in Round 18. Only a fractured hand kept him out of the team.

He missed out on All-Australian selection (much to the bemusement of Collingwood's Claye Beams who took to Twitter to express his surprise) and finished at 34th in Mike Sheahan's top 50 AFL players. If he can double his goal tally again in 2014 and beyond to 25-30 goals, he will truly be accepted by the AFL community as elite.

The Irish experiment has paid off in a number of cases for the AFL, particularly for Sydney and Melbourne. We've had some pretty special players at the (combined) Lions over the years, but it would complete a very special story for our Club if Pearce transformed from his native game in the same manner. He has - and now it's our story. The 5 year contract that he signed at the end of 2013 shows he loves the Club and the Club loves him. So do we.

I was at the Gabba when we played the Bulldogs in round 22. It was one of his quieter performances (the whole team shut down in the second half), but his disposal quality has become such that we just want someone to give it to him. A 10 year old Bulldogs fan (face paint and guernsey) behind me kept yelling out "GO PEARCE" (probably after hearing me yell it out). His Dad was completely flummoxed. "You don't even know who he is!". "He's number 11!" the boy responded.

Watch his 2013 highlight reel and tell me you don't smile.

Pearce Hanley is the real deal, and he's here to stay.
 
Fantasy face-off: Hanley v Walker

PEARCE HANLEY

(Brisbane Lions)
ANDREW WALKER

(Carlton)
Fantasy position PH - Midfielder/defender
AW - Defender
2014 price PH - $467,300
AW - $473,700

Price change from 2013 PH - +$42,000
AW - +$91,400

2013 average PH - 85.5 AW- 86.7

2013 high score
PH - 129
AW - 121

Age PH - 25 AW - 27

Key Fantasy stat
PH: It's a familiar sight to see Hanley mark and go before disposing of the ball by foot. He averaged five marks a game last year and his kick to handball ratio was more than 2-1, which often means you get more value from every possession.
AW: Walker loves to kick the ball and does so a lot more than he disposes of it by hand – over three times more often. Only two other players averaged more kicks a game in 2013. That's his strength – getting a lot of the ball and kicking it.




Value for money
PH: The Irishman's on the way up and his last two seasons have been mightily impressive. Having now played 76 games he'd be expecting to take his game to greater heights and as a dual-position player he offers good versatility. With several scores climbing above 120, he's able to prove the difference when in form.
AW: Walker's price has gone up nearly $100k from the start of the 2013 season and while he consistently posted decent numbers, they weren't overly exciting. He's a sure thing, but from what he's shown in his career he won't regularly put up match-winning scores.

Job security
PH: He's a well-established member of the Lions' starting line-up.
AW: A gun and one of the Blues' most important defenders. He'll play whenever possible.


Where he'll play
PH: Hanley is so crucial on the half-back line for the Brisbane Lions that it's hard to see him moved elsewhere for long periods. He pushes forward to hit the scoreboard and can be used through the midfield, but don't expect his role to change too dramatically in 2014.
AW: As one of the competition's best rebounders, expect Walker to again play deep in defence or across half-back. He provides the club with brilliant service rebounding the ball through the midfield and into attack, so he'll spend the bulk of the time doing what he does best.


Injury concerns
PH: He's a durable player having played 20 games last year and 22 the season before that.
AW: He's had shoulder issues in the past but managed 21 games last year and looks to have his body in order.

The case for
PH: Such a talented player, who can do just about anything on the footy field. His ability to find the ball and his tendency to kick rather than handball gives him the potential to score big, which he did on several occasions last year, passing 120 three times. Has matured into one of the club's most important players and should prove so again in 2014.
AW: A proven competitor, Walker has consistently registered decent scores for several seasons. The Blues love the ball in his hands to start their attacks from defence and he's more than likely going to win the 20-30 possessions that will get you 80-90 points each week. Like Hanley, Walker's tendency to kick over handball gives you bang for your buck.
The case against
PH: If the Lions again struggle, Hanley's opportunities to excel might as well. While capable of a lot, he doesn't consistently stamp his authority on games and only topped 100 points five times last year. He's a lot more expensive than he was last season and it's hard to see him taking his game to another level from a Fantasy perspective.
AW: Walker only posted six triple-figure scores in 2013 and at almost $500k he's an expensive get for a player who's unlikely to put up big numbers.

The verdict
Pearce Hanley - There's more upside to Hanley's game and he's got a huge advantage as a dual position player. Entering his third season as a genuine starter, expect the Irishman to step up his output as his footy smarts rise. His ceiling is high and if he can increase his minimum score, his average will rise dramatically.
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Link - http://www.afl.com.au/news/2014-01-11/hanley-walker

Formatting went to s**t.
 
Dylan12 said:
WHO IS YOUR CLUB'S NEXT EXCITEMENT MACHINE?
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Given the current state of interesting TV shows (NOT), last evening I was reduced to watching a replay of the Lions vs North Melbourne match at The Gabba last year (or at least the second half comeback). Two of Pearces' goals in that game were excitement plus - the one from deep in the right pocket while running at full bore, and the one where he sidestepped two North defenders before curling one through from the left pocket!

Along with Richie Rich, he's definitely worth watching when on top of his game.
 
Ray Button said:
Given the current state of interesting TV shows (NOT), last evening I was reduced to watching a replay of the Lions vs North Melbourne match at The Gabba last year (or at least the second half comeback). Two of Pearces' goals in that game were excitement plus - the one from deep in the right pocket while running at full bore, and the one where he sidestepped two North defenders before curling one through from the left pocket!

Along with Richie Rich, he's definitely worth watching when on top of his game.
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The best part of that second goal was that it wasn't even defenders that me made to look silly, it was Swallow and Ziebell, and they both ended up on the ground. Stunning play.
 
With Zorko pushing into the midfield I wouldn't be totally against Hanley playing off the half back line again especially if he struggles with a tag. Playing one of Rich or Hanley off half back might be the best way to use their strengths.
 
Tairy Greene said:
With all these posts in the Roster Watch threads, me thinks POBT is gunning for a mod position...
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The Nazi commandant has become the POW. How the mighty have fallen.

On Hanley, Woewodin made a big deal in the 2013 post-season review videos that Pearce was earmarked for the midfield this year, likely to be an on-ball role.

I haven't been to a hell of a lot of training sessions this pre-season but it doesn't seem like that has been the focus. Still half back flank and wing roles primarily.
 
Maybe we picked up more midfield options than we thought we would. Add the fact that Beams is back, Zorko has stepped up to the midfield and so to a lesser extent has Rhino. Maybe Hanley's value is best as a wing/half back with licence to attack.
 
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