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I doubt it. When Mal Michael was far and away the best full back in the league for 3 years running, not even he could get a selection, remembering that Matthw Pavlich was named one year as a full back when he didn't even play in that position all year.
One of the key match-ups this Saturday night will see in-form Lions full-back Daniel Merrett lining up against reigning Coleman Medallist Jack Riewoldt who currently sits second on the goal-kicking tally in 2011.
“Daniel has been terrific. I think he’s been one of our best players all year,” Power said of Merrett.
“I’m sure he’ll be priming himself for that job (on Riewoldt) and he’ll do really well.”
“His aggression and the way he’s held things up back there have been fantastic for us. He’s shown great leadership.”
This week you would probably suggest Jack (Riewoldt) is going to play closer to goal (than Nick Riewoldt). Daniel Merrett’s our full back and has been in sparkling form, probably All Australian form so far in the first four games we’ve played, so you would think that he would get the first crack, and as long as he doesn’t allow Jack to jump at the footy he’s going to be in that same frame of form that he’s shown in the first four weeks.
Lions vice-captain Merrett matches up with Riewoldt better than most but still faces one of the toughest tasks in the game.
''(Merrett) is well equipped to handle this task for us,'' Voss said.
"It's going to be a great battle and an absorbing battle - a contest that I'm sure a lot of people will be taking notice of.''
WANT to know what turned this game? Go straight to the ''Sauce''. Daniel Merrett, the man who carries the nickname for being the epitome of Big Red, might feel aggrieved about finding himself at the centre of the defining moment.
With about a minute left in the third term, and a resurgent Brisbane leading by five points, Merrett surged around the back flank and unloaded, kicking it out of bounds on the wing.
But he was pinged by the umpire for crossing the line before he kicked. There would be no boundary throw-in, but a free to Richmond's Jack Riewoldt for deliberate out of bounds where Merrett connected.
With one contentious blow of a whistle, the momentum had swung.
10 Things I liked:
4. Daniel Merrett decision
Hear me out. Merrett has played for 108 games in this, his seventh season, and for all of it has played within the white lines. He can time a run to spoil a ball in a pack of five players and he can judge wobbly punts and mark them under pressure. On Saturday night he ran over the boundary line with the ball, was pinged, and Jack Riewoldt kicked the goal. Struggling to give Merrett the benefit of the doubt on this one.
A desperate Voss rang the changes in the third quarter, finally moving his best defender, Daniel Merrett, back to his rightful place at full-back - after inexplicably starting him forward.
“It definitely hurt,” Merrett said at the team’s recovery session on Sunday.
“I didn’t get much sleep after the game. I just laid there running the game through my head about a million times.”
In a surprise move, Merrett started the match up forward but was forced back to his regular position at full-back after the Lions were under siege early.
“I was put up forward to make a contest, but the ball never really came down in that first quarter so it’s a bit hard to judge (whether it was a successful move),” Merrett said.
Daniel Merrett (Bris Lions) $363,600 Av 88
Never thought I'd be suggesting this, but Merrett has added some attack to his spoiling game. The ball is spending plenty of time in the Lions' backline and don't expect Michael Voss to spring his Merrett-as-a-forward surprise again any time soon.
Good. The less he is recognised the better
Rather harsh.
