Could Doedee become the Cal once he’s had a preseason? I see a few similarities in their game and I think Doedee could thrive as a shutdown forward. Dunno though, it’s a big ask given he’s so far back.
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List Mgmt. 2025 List Management Discussion
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Maboo
Premium Gold
The low-profile recruiting team behind Brisbane’s back-to-back premiership victories
Brisbane’s low-profile recruiting team have more hits than The Beatles. Meet the four largely anonymous list-builders who have pieced together footy’s best squad — and see how they did it.They are the low-profile recruiting team who have pieced together footy’s best playing list.
Dom Ambrogio, Steve Conole, Shane Rogers and Leon Harris aren’t the recognisable names that list bosses and recruiters of other clubs are, like Geelong’s Stephen Wells, St Kilda’s Stephen Silvagni or Richmond’s Blair Hartley.
But the hardworking quartet at the Brisbane Lions have been the brains behind one of the game’s quickest and most successful rebuilds and have had more hits than The Beatles.
The Lions appointed Ambrogio as their new list manager in February 2017.
Six months later, the side won a wooden spoon — before the magic of the appointment began.
In the eight seasons since that spoon, the Lions have featured in seven finals series and on Saturday claimed back-to-back premiership flags.
Dom Ambrogio at last year’s trade period. Picture: Michael Klein
Stephen Conole (L) at the 2017 NAB AFL Draft. Picture: Adam Trafford/AFL Media
Ambrogio’s appointment in 2017 came just months after Chris Fagan was put in the hot seat to replace Justin Leppitsch as Brisbane coach.
Fagan has rightly received plenty of plaudits for the way he has steered the club back to success.
But as one rival list management veteran put it, coaches are only as good as their playing list.
“People talk about the coach, but having been through it, I’m yet to see a coach win a Grand Final with a poor list,” the rival scout said.
“The recruiting department have done an unbelievable job.”
Ambrogio, Conole, Rogers and Harris have all worked together at the Lions since the start of 2017 and were all smiles in a corner of the Brisbane rooms at the MCG on Saturday evening as players sung the song after claiming another cup.
Brisbane Lions belt out team song
The Brisbane Lions celebrated their back-to-back Premierships...
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Of the 48 players on the Lions’ list in 2017, only eight remain.
Harris Andrews, Dayne Zorko, Hugh McCluggage, Darcy Gardiner, Oscar McInerney and Ryan Lester all played key roles in the 2025 triumph, while injuries forced Jarrod Berry and Eric Hipwood to watch from the sidelines.
Cameron Rayner – who helped turn this year’s preliminary final in Brisbane’s favour – was the first pick of the Ambrogio regime at No. 1 in the 2017 national draft.
Two-time Norm Smith Medal winner Will Ashcroft (No. 2 pick, 2022), younger brother Levi (No. 5 pick, 2024) and Jaspa Fletcher (pick 12, 2022) were presents sent from heaven through the club’s father-son and Academy programs.
But there has been some shrewd recruiting elsewhere — both in adding experience and young draftees to the Lions’ list.
THE TEAM BEHIND THE LIONS’ TEAM
Dom Ambrogio (List Manger)A low-profile list boss, Ambrogio joined the Lions as list manager at the start of 2017. He spent more than 15 years previously working in recruiting departments at the Gold Coast Suns and Western Bulldogs.
Steve Conole (National Recruiting Manager)
A former regional manager for the Oakleigh Chargers, Conole joined the Lions at the start of 2011 and has served as recruiting manager for Brisbane since 2014.
Shane Rogers (Pro Scout)
A former national recruiting manager for Carlton, Rogers joined the Lions as a recruiting co-ordinator at the end of 2015 and has served as a pro scout since the end of 2018.
Leon Harris (Recruiter)
A former Fitzroy midfielder in the 1980s, Harris worked in AFL talent pathway programs before joining the Lions as a recruitment consultant ahead of the 2017 season.
Two-time premiership ruckman Darcy Fort was secured cheap as chips in a 2021 trade with Geelong.
The Lions effectively only give up a third-round pick in 2022 — which became No. 50 overall — for the 204cm big man who had 45 hitouts in this year’s Grand Final to help bury his old side.
“Part of it has been their ability to recruit blokes there that weren’t Brisbane-based guys,” the rival recruiter said.
“There’s Charlie Cameron, Lachie Neale and Josh Dunkley. I know early on Josh didn’t want to move out of Victoria. He was paranoid about it. And they got Joe Daniher in there and they got the most out of him.
“Even picking off blokes at the tail end of the draft. Other clubs could have taken them if they wanted to but they didn’t.”
Ty Gallop played a breakout preliminary final
The Lions matched a bid on Academy talent Ty Gallop at No. 42 in last year’s draft and he played in this year’s premiership in what was just his sixth AFL game.
Bruce Reville — another premiership player — was a Category B rookie signing in November 2023 who has only 25 games under his belt.
A tendency to nail later first and second-round picks in recent years has also been key, given the Lions’ high finishing positions haven’t handed them access to top-end talent outside of the Ashcroft brothers and Fletcher.
After the Rayner selection in 2017, Brisbane selected Zac Bailey (pick 15), before grabbing Brandon Starcevich (pick 18) as free agency compensation for Tom Rockliff’s departure to Port Adelaide.
Zac Bailey and Brandon Starcevich after being drafted.
That 2017 draft saw Aiden Bonar (GWS, pick 11), Jarrod Brander (West Coast, pick 13) and Matthew Ling (Sydney, pick 14) all chosen by other clubs ahead of Bailey and Starcevich.
There was a knock on Bailey’s kicking by some other clubs ahead of that draft, but the Lions knew they had snagged a special talent.
Those three aforementioned players picked ahead of the Brisbane duo combined for 65 AFL games.
Bailey and Starcevich have played 298 games and have four premiership medals between them.
Bailey has become a star of the game. Picture: Getty Images
Starcevich is ever reliable down back. Picture: Getty Images
Darcy Wilmot (pick 16, 2021), Kai Lohmann (pick 20, 2021) and Logan Morris (pick 31, 2023) are other two-time premiership players who were uncovered with later first and second-round draft selections.
The scary thing for the rest of the competition is that the Lions’ list management team isn’t resting on their laurels.
West Coast forward Oscar Allen and Essendon ruckman Sam Draper are on the way to the Sunshine State as free agents, while Brisbane is also expected to match a bid on Lions Academy midfielder Daniel Annable — a top-five prospect in this year’s draft.
An already strong list looks set to become even stronger in 2026.
Diverse
Senior List
I had Doedee for Lester (assuming he's retiring after 2026) and Bruce for Cal.
I just think you called half the viewing public of sports events in Australia as unintelligent. The NRL State of Origin each year rates 1, 2, 3, in the top 10 TV viewing audience of all shows on TV, that is Australia wide and is a lot of people to say are not intelligent. Yes, AFL has come a long way in the SE corner of Queensland, but you can't dilute the northern academies because the AFL thinks it has a foothold that will last.
Chelmer? the Western Bulldogs played there and were a great team but now have gone but sherwood right next door lives on.
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agreed was not complaining per se as I have lived here for 30 years, but very keen for the Victorians to understand that though great progress is being made, there is still much to do to get the whole state behind us.
In my office for example with the dozen or so guys I work with I am the only one that wants to talk AFL, sometimes get 'what about those Lions Andy' as unless we've had a bad loss invariably rock up to work in one of many Lions shirts, just bought the latest one today.
Anyway no complaints I work from home 4 days a week so can avoid listening to Broncos chat all day.
Tom14
Brownlow Medallist
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Was very very pleased in the prelim when Bruce learnt from the VFL final and held the ball in rather than keeping it moving.
mpal6
Brownlow Medallist
Where have I seen this story before
Can't wait for him to tour people first stadium next.
Perhaps that’s why Fletcher has had some time down back? He might move forward into Ah Chee’s spot when Answerth and Coleman come back?
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I like getting Fletcher up the ground but not as much as a defensive forward. I’d like him to have a license to roam wherever he wants as a high half forward then he could be the late quarter swing man behind the ball.
Not sure what Annable is like in the air but think he’s got the right mentality to play as a defensive half forward. Seems like he’s a good enough athlete for it as well, could be how he finds his way into the team.
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AFL GF is now the #1 top rated show of 2025. 4.08 M (up from 4.02 M in 2024)
NRL GF to come, will be interesting to compare. For the first time in five years, Penrith isn't there.
Reville could be a great low cost option to play the Ah Chee utility, mr fix it role.
Loved having Cal at the Lions. He was gutted after the siren on Saturday(I mean he was obviously stoked but also gutted knowing it was his final game with us), it was difficult to watch. He will always be a Lions legend. He always played his role with minimal fuss and particularly in finals stepped up.
Anyone blaming Cal for chasing money, he has given everything to us and we can’t hold onto everyone. He’d happily stay if the club upped the offer slightly but he’s probably someone we can sadly afford to lose, although everyone at the club including teammates, coaches and fans would much rather keep him. He’d rather stay himself I believe. It does us a favour though really, freeing up some cap space to hold onto the young stars and still giving us room to offer deals to free agents like Allen. Great bit of business if we can get someone like Reville on minimal coin playing the same role at a similar output.
It will keep us at the top losing guys like Ah Chee and replacing his output with a player such as Reville on far less money meaning we hold onto guys like Bailey, Wilmot and Morris.
If Reville can’t step up on a consistent basis, I’m confident guys like Fletcher or Annable will.
Loved having Cal at the Lions. He was gutted after the siren on Saturday(I mean he was obviously stoked but also gutted knowing it was his final game with us), it was difficult to watch. He will always be a Lions legend. He always played his role with minimal fuss and particularly in finals stepped up.
Anyone blaming Cal for chasing money, he has given everything to us and we can’t hold onto everyone. He’d happily stay if the club upped the offer slightly but he’s probably someone we can sadly afford to lose, although everyone at the club including teammates, coaches and fans would much rather keep him. He’d rather stay himself I believe. It does us a favour though really, freeing up some cap space to hold onto the young stars and still giving us room to offer deals to free agents like Allen. Great bit of business if we can get someone like Reville on minimal coin playing the same role at a similar output.
It will keep us at the top losing guys like Ah Chee and replacing his output with a player such as Reville on far less money meaning we hold onto guys like Bailey, Wilmot and Morris.
If Reville can’t step up on a consistent basis, I’m confident guys like Fletcher or Annable will.
Doedee is done as an AFL player unfortunately. People shouldn't put high hopes on him. Of course he will stay around until his contract ends just in case he needs to be a filler, but he won't be anything more than that.
GenericUsername202
Club Legend
NRL grand final usually rates less than origin. Last year's only had 3.4m, which is almost 700k less than the AFL GF
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Out of our current squad who is non negotiable (we can't lose?)
Harris Andrews
Lachie Neale
Zac Bailey
Hugh Mcclugage
Jasper Fletcher
Will Ashcroft
Levi Aschroft
Kai Lohman
Logan Morris
Josh Dunkley
Jarrod Berry
Dayne Zorko
Darcy Fort
Darcy Gardiner
Ryan Lester
Bruce Reville
Jack Payne
Darcy Wilmott
Is this the core to take us forward?
Harris Andrews
Lachie Neale
Zac Bailey
Hugh Mcclugage
Jasper Fletcher
Will Ashcroft
Levi Aschroft
Kai Lohman
Logan Morris
Josh Dunkley
Jarrod Berry
Dayne Zorko
Darcy Fort
Darcy Gardiner
Ryan Lester
Bruce Reville
Jack Payne
Darcy Wilmott
Is this the core to take us forward?
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Imo, the only one completely indispensable is Harris.
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GenericUsername202
Club Legend
I would also add Fletcher to that list. He has future captain of the lions written all over him.
Elixuh
See you on the 9th green at 9
Wouldn’t wanna give Cam up either, and I can’t see him on the list. He may never be a 4 quarter player, but he’s a big moment player, and when you’re competing for flags those guys are worth even more. Also seems like one of the most liked amongst the boys. Wouldn’t wanna lose that.
Morbidly_Obese
Club Legend
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I’m currently in Vietnam. It’s a bit wet here and not the best internet connection at times. Plus the 3 hour time difference.
There’d be more than a few players who probably have concerns about their post career earning capacity.
I’m pretty sure Cal never got the big contract at Gold Coast.
Certainly a big reason he moved here was that GC only offered him a minimum contract, with a provision of “show us you’re worth a better offer next contract”.
I’d hate walk away from the game at 30 to 35 with the wear and tear these guys will have on their body.
35 is still a young man. But they’d have the body of a 60 year old tradie who can’t work the tools anymore.
And won’t have the club medico’s and physio’s to nurse their bodies through each year any more. It’s all out of their own pockets from when they retire.
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