Training 2023 Pre-season thread

[Section 5]

Slam Dunk: Star recruit, prized pick shine as Lions roll Cats

Josh Dunkley and Will Ashcroft impressed as Brisbane defeated the reigning premier at Brighton Homes Arena

www.afl.com.au

Medical room
Hipwood was involved in a big collision in the third quarter and left the field with a corked hip. He appeared to cop a head knock at the same time, but the Lions did not seem too concerned by that post match. Payne was put on ice for the final quarter and the Lions insist it was just to manage his workload after a slightly interrupted past month. Kolodjashnij left the ground just before the final change and did not return. Assistant coach Shaun Grigg said he would be assessed in the next few days.

BRISBANE 4.4 6.9 9.12 13.13 (91)
GEELONG 0.2 2.3 4.5 6.9 (45)

GOALS
Brisbane: McCarthy 2, Fort 2, Daniher 2, Bailey 2, Robertson, Neale, Hipwood, Gunston, Coleman
Geelong: Stengle 2, Stanley, Rohan, Dempsey, De Koning

BEST
Brisbane: McCluggage, Dunkley, Andrews, Neale, Bailey, Ashcroft
Geelong: Stewart, Miers, Stengle, Guthrie, Dangerfield

INJURIES
Brisbane: Hipwood (corked hip), Payne (hamstring)
Geelong: Kolodjashnij (head)

Reports: Nil

 

[Hollow Knight]

Wow. Cam Bruce said Payne is “fine”. Just managing his load.

Hipwood just a hip pointer.

 

[Thomasno]

Nigel Lappin taking a wander up into the grandstand to chat to family/friends.

Hope he keeps on wandering into the lions coaches box in 2024

 

[Section 5]

Courtesy of FanFooty

 

[luthor]

I got lucky and got a ticket so first time experience at BHA.

Very impressed with the facility.

The 10 bucks for pre-paid parking at the Anglican College across the road from the ground is worth every cent.

A few takes from the game:

1)Defence looked great with Harris back to his best, although no Hawkins or Cameron made things easier for our backs both individually and collectively. Really encouraging signs from Payne who marked strongly when he could and spoiled effectively when he couldn't

2) transition from defence to the forward line looked really slick , particularly in the first quarter. Eight scores from nine I50 entries in Q1 was an amazing stat, especially as Geelong had 20 X I50's for bugger all scoreboard result in that same period.

3)Dunkley, Neale and Clug got the kudos for their midfield work and rightly so but it was Ashcroft who really caught my eye more than once. He's got freakishly quick hands even under heavy pressure and amazingly good decision making skills. Has to be a lock for Round 1.

4) I liked the game of J Daniher. He worked really hard all game and had his serious face on throughout. He was badly hampered with that dodgy shoulder in 2022 but now looks fit so I'm super excited about what he can bring this season.

5) Dev and JT both did some nice things but both have a habit of being ball butchers even when there is little pressure. Still, plenty to work with and I think Jimmy could be really be something

It was a solid hit out and we looked good but I thought the connection between the mids and the forwards got a little ragged as the game wore on. Last quarter especially.

We'll take a win against the Premiers of course but I'm not getting too excited about it in a practice match, specially when the Cats left their two big forward guns at home.

Nice relaxing stress-free night of footy though and I'm eagerly anticipating the start of the real stuff.

 

[Grasshopper17]

the club talked about more of an emphasis on team defence and you can see they are getting more numbers back at every opportunity

Yes we very clearly eschewed competing on the (our) back side of contests we were likely to lose, in favour of getting back in defensive cover. This was pretty clearly represented on the 1st quarter scoreboard of 20 inside 50s for only 2 behinds. This comes back to that balance between on-ball pressure and defensive structure which I've mentioned a couple of times here during preseason.

Essentially it indicates a change in mindset and consequent decision making by players as to where to run. It's not a complicated change, which is a double edged sword. It means it should be relatively easy for the playing group to implement (99 points in 2 games is a good reflection of that). BUT on the other hand it means we are likely to get found out at some stage during the season.

For example, if teams realise we are going to press back hard, they will start taking their time more in midfield and then try to go around us, or try to spear through our zone with kick-mark pinpoint passes. I'm hoping this actually happens as early as possible, as it will give us time to respond.

Ultimately, I think we will end up finding the optimum is a balance between the hard defensive press we demonstrated tonight, particularly early, and the need to exert pressure at the contest, which served us well through 2019-mid 2021. The key will be to learn when each "mode" of play is appropriate, which is easier said than done.

It was a good solid hit out and we looked good but I thought the connection between the mids and the forwards got a little ragged as the game wore on. Last quarter especially.

We'll take a win against the Premiers of course but I'm not getting too excited about it in a practice match, specially when the Cats left their two big forward guns at home.

Good relaxing night of footy though and i'm eagerly anticipating the start of the real stuff.

Mmmm, to me we seemed to play a LOT of "tempo footy" in the second half. Try to possess the ball, suck time off the clock, kick up the line and at worst get a stoppage when forced to. I would like to think this was deliberate and simply taking the opportunity to work on the strategy we should have put in place against Richmond in Melbourne last year.

I feel like we left a fair few goals out there in playing this way, and it is far easier to build your percentage when your opposition is already demoralised but you still have your foot to the floor. Again, there's that balance to find, and hopefully we can find it better this year than we did in 2022. If you are right and it wasn't a deliberate ploy, then yes I'm concerned.

A clearly quicker approach to ball movement in effect.

Looks great when it works.

One of the great benefits of having a sturdy defence is it allows you to take greater risks when you have the ball, because you know that even if you mess up you'll be well supported on turnover. As long as we don't go too far down the Ross Lyon path of "defending for the sake of defending", being stronger defensively should actually make us MORE entertaining, not less. Ala Geelong in 2022.

5.6

Eugh..

Yep kicking for goal absolutely needs some work. It was pretty good last year but it has progressively worsened week by week since we couldn't miss at Wilston Grange a few weeks ago.

Andrews has looked really good so far

On SM-S906E using BigFooty.com mobile app

Amazing how good Andrews and Payne can and will look when there is pressure put on opposition forward thrusts by our midfield. A noticeable and pleasant change.

If that's our plan then McKenna is a lock for round 1. He was full of dare in the first practice match.

Thought McKenna was pretty average tonight, sadly. Wilmot definitely ahead of him if they are competing for a particular spot.

Dev rising to the challenge of midfield defence.

Dev HAS to play Round 1.

It's interesting though to read the amount of conflicting opinions here about the same player. Almost as though we were watching different games! I wonder if part of this is dictated by whether we were at the game or watching on TV?

 

[Jivlain]

Jeez, over $250 a year to watch AFL over here in New Zealand now, through WatchAFL since they appear to have the monopoly

Global Lion membership is $199 a year, includes a membership and WatchAFL and supports the club

https://am.ticketmaster.com/brisbanelions/memberships/supporter/global-lion

 

[Sanchez365]

Watching the replay was good, definitely felt like the cats were not too fussed about the result, and no Hawkins or Cameron made a massive difference to their structure. They had no down the ground bail out option and we're very inept on forward line throw ins, showing their reliance on Hawkins dominating those opportunities. It also looked like Selwood would not be easy to replace (as expected).

Defence: we looked strong but it was a weak cats fwd lineup. I thought Rayner was a little disappointing, and seemed like he was pushed forward late in the 4th. McKenna I thought was good offensively, still getting his match fitness up clearly. He just offers us something different down there.

Forwards: did a good job with alot of opportunity. We should of won by alot more, and I felt Gunston for shutout after looking very dangerous in the first half.

Mids: still a question around center bounces, although we were better in the second half. Our ruck lineup I think is always going to be a problem in the center clearances, but we looked solid around the ground. Dunkley I was very impressed by, puts his body on the line to either make the difficult play or win free kicks. Ashcroft obviously is amazing but was a little slam it on the boot at times. The two of them have super changed our minds and was great to see Dunks getting back in defense on lost center clearances.

Outsiders: out of Dev, Prior, Tunstill, Wilmot, I was most impressed by Tunstill hands in close. Was clean and did a great job with little handballs in the forward line to make plays happen. I hope we persist with Prior and Dev outside on the wings because they just run so hard defensively. A clear deficiency that they help with, even if they can be a bit rusty going forward. Multiple times I noticed Prior and Dev being those phat side covers that had made it back into deep defense to try and kill plays. It was also great to see Prior lose a contest (deep in the cats fwd line) and best himself up a bit. Clearly prides himself on getting back and being that cover which I think we need to balance our very aggressive midfield.

Overall I thought it was clear we played a team with much more footspeed and looked to go through the middle alot more. It's still preseason, but will be interesting to see how much of that defensive mindset players we give the opportunity in round 1.

Personally I would keep Prior / Dev for end 1, drop Tunstill for Zorko, and Wilmot for Berry. It still feels like a bit of a crapshoot though, noone really cemented their spot perse.

 

[Cubs2Lions]

4) I liked the game of J Daniher. He worked really hard all game and had his serious face on throughout. He was badly hampered with that dodgy shoulder in 2022 but now looks fit so I'm super excited about what he can bring this season.

Not related to last nights match at all (great win though btw), but I heard on Triple M radio (wasn’t watching it sadly) that Daniher and his wife and child are now settled in over at Northern NSW, and they have a nice property up there.

 

[M Malice]

Same - first visit to the Reserve and very impressed. Would love to do a tour if possible of the inner sanctum and also see the community & public areas at some stage.

Highlights were the coloured lights - very cool effect in what ordinarily are white boring light poles.

Of the players, Payne and Harris were awesome down back , speechless about young Will, amazing talent, Darcy Fort looked very impressive and moreso than O, Joes work rate was great to. Our mids and defensive unit were great. Starc is also quickly becoming a favourite of mine and my old man - hes on the angry pills and tough as nails.

For the Cats was very very impressed with that no.4 from Giants; excellent get for them and just a bull of a young kid.

Umpiring was a disgrace and at times, felt like the umps were just finding the most technical frees to award them whilst not being consistent. Obviously doesnt matter, but already nervous about how bad theyll be this year. Our goalkicking wasnt much better and again missing to many easy shots.

Not sure what those silly tops the players were wearing b4 the game, but how did they arrive at that horrible design.

Overall, cant wait to watch the reserves at the Reserve from 23 and beyond - so pleased for the club to have such a venue.

Yep, I might head out to a training session there before the season starts to have a better look around with much fewer people around, also want to try out the Wilde Cafe, has to be better than Gabba offerings. I will definitely hop along to a few VFL games this season as well.

 

[AFLQLD]

Tunstill looked good, better than I expected even though there was some poor disposal a couple of times. Dev is solid but not as skilful as others.

Geelong was putting in 3/4 effort for much of the game but the pleasing thing was that ball movement they wanted to do easily, and normally would, came harder. I think they are in an interesting transitional phase. They have the flag that a bunch of them were probably holding out for. Now they are going to be the benchmark and need to prepare for the future in the next season or two before the veterans start to retire.

 

[Thomasno]

For future reference going to BHA, I parked in the massive park and ride at the station over the road - there were workers there waving us in, so it’s encouraged I think. And FREE

 

[Lazza16]

Impressed with Payne.......could have doubled his mark stats if Dad didnt spoil him so often. Worried about Rich.....speed of the game may have passed him by and McKenna needs to improve heaps...... hopefully in the 2s til/if he gets back to his best..

 

[M Malice]

Tunstill looked good, better than I expected even though there was some poor disposal a couple of times. Dev is solid but not as skilful as others.

Geelong was putting in 3/4 effort for much of the game but the pleasing thing was that ball movement they wanted to do easily, and normally would, came harder. I think they are in an interesting transitional phase. They have the flag that a bunch of them were probably holding out for. Now they are going to be the benchmark and need to prepare for the future in the next season or two before the veterans start to retire.

The trouble for Dev Robertson going forward is that we now have better options for his best position ie. inside mid, he is well behind the likes of Neale, Dunkley, Ashcroft and I was so bloody impressed with McCluggage's inside game last night live, I was in awe a few times with his skill in tight, his days as a permanent winger are over for me, perfect balanced mid type, if Clugga could fix up his goal kicking yips(he certainly gets in position to kick plenty) he could be very close to the best mid in the competition IMO.

 

[LongLion]

Yes we very clearly eschewed competing on the (our) back side of contests we were likely to lose, in favour of getting back in defensive cover. This was pretty clearly represented on the 1st quarter scoreboard of 20 inside 50s for only 2 behinds. This comes back to that balance between on-ball pressure and defensive structure which I've mentioned a couple of times here during preseason.

Essentially it indicates a change in mindset and consequent decision making by players as to where to run. It's not a complicated change, which is a double edged sword. It means it should be relatively easy for the playing group to implement (99 points in 2 games is a good reflection of that). BUT on the other hand it means we are likely to get found out at some stage during the season.

For example, if teams realise we are going to press back hard, they will start taking their time more in midfield and then try to go around us, or try to spear through our zone with kick-mark pinpoint passes. I'm hoping this actually happens as early as possible, as it will give us time to respond.

Ultimately, I think we will end up finding the optimum is a balance between the hard defensive press we demonstrated tonight, particularly early, and the need to exert pressure at the contest, which served us well through 2019-mid 2021. The key will be to learn when each "mode" of play is appropriate, which is easier said than done.




Mmmm, to me we seemed to play a LOT of "tempo footy" in the second half. Try to possess the ball, suck time off the clock, kick up the line and at worst get a stoppage when forced to. I would like to think this was deliberate and simply taking the opportunity to work on the strategy we should have put in place against Richmond in Melbourne last year.

I feel like we left a fair few goals out there in playing this way, and it is far easier to build your percentage when your opposition is already demoralised but you still have your foot to the floor. Again, there's that balance to find, and hopefully we can find it better this year than we did in 2022. If you are right and it wasn't a deliberate ploy, then yes I'm concerned.




One of the great benefits of having a sturdy defence is it allows you to take greater risks when you have the ball, because you know that even if you mess up you'll be well supported on turnover. As long as we don't go too far down the Ross Lyon path of "defending for the sake of defending", being stronger defensively should actually make us MORE entertaining, not less. Ala Geelong in 2022.




Yep kicking for goal absolutely needs some work. It was pretty good last year but it has progressively worsened week by week since we couldn't miss at Wilston Grange a few weeks ago.




Amazing how good Andrews and Payne can and will look when there is pressure put on opposition forward thrusts by our midfield. A noticeable and pleasant change.




Thought McKenna was pretty average tonight, sadly. Wilmot definitely ahead of him if they are competing for a particular spot.




Dev HAS to play Round 1.

It's interesting though to read the amount of conflicting opinions here about the same player. Almost as though we were watching different games! I wonder if part of this is dictated by whether we were at the game or watching on TV?

Was at the game and was impressed with Dev's game. Was running very hard.

 

[FeastOrFamine]

Really solid hit-out

Tunstill and Prior surprised me with their endeavour and attack. Some of Tunstill's efforts in particular were first class - just never gave up and kept putting the heat on. Overall though, I was really impressed with the work rate from the entire team. Seeing Daniher running and pressuring exemplifies this.

Can't wait for round one now. Should have no problem pushing over Port with the way they've played over the past few weeks, although you can't read too much into pre-season form

 

[jjami15]

My take away form the two practice matches is that the inclusions of Dunkley and Ashcroft cannot be undersold. The flow on affect for the rest of the team and especially Neale is evident IMO. Last year during games it basically was Neale or bust. Not this year! The starting midfield of Neale, Dunkley, McCluggage (Simon Black like on the inside last night with his hands) and Ashcroft is pretty potent but what excites me the most is that this should benefit the likes of Zorko, Berry, Bailey etc as the next tier of those who can and will go through the middle at times. I would think that Zorko will start on the bench and should be managed with game time and also actual games but as a rotational player supporting the starting midfield will be quite exciting to see. Berry is another who will benefit as he cannot shoulder the load (see what I did there) of playing in the centre and is beneficial on the wing but as last years final against Melbourne can be a 'break glass in case of an emergency'. I know that some stated that Bailey should be left to play as a forward and I can see the advantage of that but for a rotational player through the midfield and a different type only adds to the mix. Just on Ashcroft (again I know it was a pre-season match) but he actually worked into the game and for me his 3rd and 4th quarters were his best. Usually you would see with first year players for them to drop away in those quarters as they get used to the speed and intensity of the game.

It is also exciting to see Hipwood and Andrews bodies beginning to fill out and as with most talls this occurs in their mid 20s. Andrews doesn't seem to be laboring like he was last year. Maybe a secret trip to Germany in the off-season for someone to look at those knees of his. Gunston is just such a smart footballer who also has excellent skills in the open field. First quarter I think he took a mark on the opposition side of the wing, turned hit up Daniher 50/60m away who then kicked it deep into the forward 50 for someone to kick goal. But that first kick is what set it up.


It is only pre-season and I always wait for about 6/8 games into the season to get a feel for where we are at but I like what I see and it is quite evident to the eye IMO.

 

[rwan566]

He's awesome. Maybe we need to be a little careful in not burning him out. The opposition will be onto him as soon as the season starts, he's only 18 and it's a long season , much longer than anything he's faced in the past.

What’s also exciting is some are saying his brother is as good as will and we have acces to him in 2025

 

[martinson]

A bit of talk about the umps. It's funny ,because I didn't care about the outcome of the match I didn't notice them.

Makes me wonder whether I overreact during the real games.

Well I know I do.

 

[On the quiet]

The trouble for Dev Robertson going forward is that we now have better options for his best position ie. inside mid, he is well behind the likes of Neale, Dunkley, Ashcroft and I was so bloody impressed with McCluggage's inside game last night live, I was in awe a few times with his skill in tight, his days as a permanent winger are over for me, perfect balanced mid type, if Clugga could fix up his goal kicking yips(he certainly gets in position to kick plenty) he could be very close to the best mid in the competition IMO.

I have said previously, that we might be expecting a bit much for an 18 year old to play in the guts the whole year (as good as he is, and IMO he is very good), so Dev should get some opportunities, I probably have Dev now ahead of Lyons.

Only two warm up games, but based on the improvement last year and the past two games can see Payne becoming a very solid AFL player, will make some mistakes, and yes no Hawkins last night but does move well for his size and would love to see him take a player on and run over the top of them, that might come with confidence.

Prior as always was busy and could perform a lock down type medium back role, but we have a few capable of that, but he could also play wing. I am not sure McKenna is a lock for round 1. I cannot see where Answerth fits in this year. I have a close watch on Rich for the first few rounds against our main competitors.

I have said a GF appearance is a pass mark this year, based on our roster, fixture and previous finals experience, i have high expectations barring injuries to key personnel, that we are there the last Sat: in September.

 

[Section 5]

Hippy's collision



McCarthy's hard head accidently takes out Kolodjashnij



Neal's first goal as joint captain from right on the 50m mark

 

[Section 5]

Coleman & McCluggage

Kane Cornes' 2023 AFL All-Australian leftfield candidate

Every year, we see players make a leap and put themselves in All-Australian contention.

www.sen.com.au

 

[lionsrules]

got to work this morning not watching the game. Im the only Lions supporter up here on Eagle St.
two hawks, one north, one cats, one magpie, three tigers (ugh), a crow and a saint...... somehow all watched the game last night.... all kept using the terms "well balanced team" "ashcroft a star" Etc. so I cant wait for the season to start.

 

[rye]

hard to know what to take out of that one when geelongs best tall forward and down the ground option was a spud in rohan. thought jack paynes hands were like vices in humid conditions and he seems to have good synergy with andrews. defensive unit good as a whole and thought prior in particular did a lot of work to get back there and help

mckenna much tidier disposal than last week and not bad defensively, i think he should start round 1 and be allowed to build into the season

geelong inside midfield notably missing blicavs, and potentially bowes if thats where they plan to utilise him. i dont think a blicavs shut down role on neale would completely neuter us as it did last year - dunkley and ashcroft are two absolute game changing additions to our mix and we were comfortably better around stoppage and then transitioning from defensive 50. as said above, ashcroft looks to already have the tank to play out 4 quarters and dunkley is the true bull we have been missing.

daniher my biggest positive once again - just moving very well and competing in the air. looks a bit angrier than ive seen him in the past. maybe hes got the fire he had early in his career back.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Hippy's collision

Another player injured getting tunnelled. Should 100% be a reportable offence.