Senior Hugh McCluggage (2016-)

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All The Winners 2022 Club Champion

10:15pm - Hugh McCluggage is the Nigel Lappin Trophy Winner - Second place

Hugh McCluggage received the Nigel Lappin Trophy as the runner-up in the Best and Fairest, capping off one of the best seasons of his career.

The 24-year-old finished with 59 votes after starring consistently on the wing which also saw him named in the extended All-Australian squad.

McCluggage’s goal-kicking ability from the midfield was again on display this year as he finished with 20 majors.

The former South Warrnambool junior racked up a career-best 33 disposals against St Kilda in Round 13, and an equal career-best four goals against both the Eagles and Giants.

Overall McCluggage averaged 24.7 disposals, 5.3 marks and 4.8 tackles.
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9:35pm - Hugh McCluggage is the 2022 winner of the Marcus Ashcroft Most Professional Player Award

Hugh McCluggage’s star continues to rise, with the classy midfielder being awarded the 2022 Marcus Ashcroft Most Professional Players Award.

The Most Professional Player award is presented in recognition of the player who upholds the player values and standards both on and off the field – be it at training or in meetings.

The player endeavours to continue to develop themselves in a professional manner.

Like the awards namesake, McCluggage epitomises what it means to be a professional athlete and continues to set the standard for the team in terms of commitment to training and overall attitude and his 2022 campaign reflects that.

Off the field, Hugh continues to make a valuable contribution to both the Club and community groups and has been part of the leadership group since 2020.

On-field, 2022 has been another standout year for McCluggage, with the wingman averaging 24.7 disposals and 3.7 clearances across 24 matches.

He played his best performance of the season in Round 18 against GWS where he kicked four goals and collected 29 disposals and eight marks.

He topped off another impressive season by polling a career-best 14 Brownlow votes.
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Your 2023 Brisbane Lions Captains

Harris Andrews and Lachie Neale will co-captain the Brisbane Lions in 2023, with Hugh McCluggage named as vice-captain.
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Smooth operator: Lions' piano man on flag hopes and the farm

HUGH McCluggage's place among the AFL's best is assured but Brisbane's new vice-captain is only looking to get better.

Ahead of the Lions' clash with Melbourne on Friday night, the star midfielder joins Cal Twomey in Cal's Q&A to discuss the club's round one result, his ascent to a leadership role, the difference between today's draftees and when he was selected, his recent trip to Nepal and why he's a reluctant piano man.

Obvious question first up: what happened on the weekend against Port Adelaide?
It obviously wasn't the way we wanted to start the year, we had some pretty solid form in the practice matches and coming into round one were a step off. It probably wasn't us but at the same time we take nothing away from what Port Adelaide did. They're going to be a really good side, they were quicker than us, they were more switched on and we were really disappointed by it but we think it's an outlier.

How do the premiership hopes sit on the group this year? Is there a weight attached to it?
We embrace the fact we've been able to get in some really good players and we're seen as a team that can challenge for the premiership. I don't think the year's a waste if you don't win it. That's obviously the ultimate goal for every single team but we've seen plenty of teams that have had to bide their time at the top, you just have to look at Geelong last year. They made prelims and finals year after year for seven, eight, nine years before they eventually tasted success. While we don't want to have to wait that long we just have to stay consistent in what we do and keep trusting that we have the right people in the right positions.

You start this year in a different position as well as vice-captain at the Lions. Had a leadership role always been on your radar?
When I first got to the club it was a long way off. As you probably know, I was a quiet kid and I just liked to get stuck into things and let my actions do the talking. The thing that I'm most proud of is I haven't had to change who I am to get to this position. I've just gone about my business and tried to be a good person first and foremost. I probably didn't think I'd be vice-captain by the time I was 24/25 but I'm super proud of it.

You say 'quiet kid'... We went to America for the AFL Academy in your draft year back in 2016 and I can't remember you saying too much on that trip.
That was actually my first trip with the Academy and coming from a smaller town and not knowing too many of the boys was pretty daunting. In hindsight I wish I had have come out of my shell a little bit earlier but it's easy to say now that you're looking back. I remember Mick Ablett, who was a coach then, telling me I needed to come out of my shell and give people a little bit more because he thought I had a bit to offer. Little pieces of advice like that along the way have helped to shape who I am now.

There was an interview process as part of the leadership decisions. How did you fare with that?
It was an amazing experience. We had to nominate to take part in that process. We had 'Fages' (coach Chris Fagan), our chairman Andrew Wellington, (CEO) Greg Swann and a couple of other figures at the club who were a part of our leadership process sitting in on that interview. They asked a series of questions to us – along the lines of what leader we saw ourselves as and what we'd each bring that's different to everyone else. I just tried to be who I am. It was a great process and not just for now but also into the future when AFL footy stops and you go into the real world and you might have to go through that process for another job.

Where do you want to take your game further this season – what's your next step?
Playing a little bit more inside and being able to win my own footy a bit more. I probably showed glimpses of that in the practice matches but then on the weekend I went away from my strengths as a player in hunting and following up and going contest to contest with my work rate. I want to be able to win my own ball but at the same time want to recognise when I might be able to push forward and play there or on a wing.

What have you done to the All-Australian selectors? You've been in the squad of 40 the last four years without getting a nod in the final 22.
To be honest, I still think personally I have more improvement left in me and a little bit of a way to go to get to that really top level of players in the competition. Because of that, I actually haven't been too disappointed. Obviously it is a nice recognition if you are to make the team but I look at the players in there and they're all amazing players. It's something to strive for, as is the fact we haven't been able to take that final step yet as a team. Individually you are proud of those accolades if they come along but at the same time it's not my No.1 priority at all. Winning a premiership is what you play footy for and what would be most memorable.

There's been so much discussion on the new recruits. Give us a word on each of them. Josh Dunkley?
Tough.

Jack Gunston?
Smart.

Conor McKenna?
Exciting.

Will Ashcroft?
Composed.

Will lived with you a little bit last year when he trained with the Lions. How was that and how have you seen him develop since then?
When he came to live with me he blew me away how professional he was, and everyone has spoken about that. He's an extremely level-headed kid. He was probably trying to find his feet in those couple of weeks he was up here then and he did his work whereas when you're drafted you have to come out of your shell a bit more and he's been able to do that. He's having a laugh around the club and enjoying the company of the boys. I've seen a development in the way he's been interacting with all the players already. He brings a lot of value to our club as a player and person, as do all the recruits we've got and I think he's just going to keep improving.

I heard you speak about him looping up a handball to himself over a teammate in a drill recently, and I've seen him do that before at under-18 level. You were a pick No.3 in your draft year – how would you compare yourself to Will at the same age?
When he did that handball, I said 'Mate, what were you thinking then? How'd you do that?' and he said 'Oh, just playing on instinct' but I had a feeling he'd probably done that before and practised it because that's the way he is. The kids coming in these days are so readymade and you can tell they've done the work. They have this confidence that they can go out there against AFL footballers and play well and he's no different to that. I look back to when I came in and I was probably running around like a headless chook trying to impact the game with a light frame.

You were right in the mix for Essendon's No.1 pick that year. At the time how desperate were you to be the top pick?
I was probably a little bit different. Everything happened so quickly for me in my draft year that I never really thought about the fact I could go in the draft, let alone that high. By the time it came around I was just pumped to be going anywhere. I don't think anything would have changed if it had have been pick one, two, three or later down the draft. There's a lot more media around the draft now and a lot more pressure as well so that probably drives the motivation to be the best player in the class and go No.1.

You arrived at Brisbane that year in 2016 and Chris Fagan had just come on board as coach. How did you feel about leaving home and heading to Queensland?
There were a few nerves and the unknown about what the environment would be like. I came in the same time as Fages and he was able to imprint really good values on the place at an early stage and so was David Noble, he was terrific for us in that period of time. It's always hard leaving home but I'd been to Ballarat for school at Clarendon College which made it easier and I was moving up with Jarrod Berry, who was a good mate of mine. I don't think I could have been any more ready or well set up for the move, to be honest. Probably mum and dad were the ones affected the most. You get picked up and then you're on a plane five hours away from home but they've adapted really well.

Were you confident you'd stay as long as you have? You hit free agency next year, do you see yourself staying up there forever?
At the start you come in and want to suss out the environment and Fages was really quick to put in place a leadership program and good people in and around the club. I knew from an early stage it was a place I wanted to be. Ever since then we've kept improving on and off the field and I'm really settled here at the minute. I'm really loving playing footy here and I've got a really close group of mates in the playing group. My life is pretty settled up in Brisbane, so I couldn’t be happier at the moment.

Do you go back and get your hands dirty at the family dairy in the off-season? I've been out to your place down Warrnambool way and you had the gloves on that day helping out milking the cows.
It's probably dropped off as time's gone on and dad just enjoys spending time with me when I'm at home. We've actually been getting out and doing other stuff together and going on a few trips – golf, fishing, all this sort of stuff that I didn't get as much time to do when I was younger. On Christmas Day you can never find workers so we'll get in the dairy milking the cows a couple of times. We have our Chrissy lunch and then have to leave the backyard cricket and head over to the dairy for a couple of hours just to put them through. I actually quite enjoy that because myself, my brother and dad and mum and my sister all get in there and it's like the good old times.

It's a long way from Nepal, where you spent some time in the off-season. Tell us why you headed over there.
At the midway point of last season I was sitting with our careers advisor and I wasn't doing much off-field and I just wanted to try something completely different. My interests were in helping people and that led to the World Youth International charity, who are partners with the club. They run a nurses in action program over in Kenya and Nepal and also have a school over in Nepal. They said 'Why don't you come over and we'll work out something for you to do in the off-season?' We were able to put together a fundraising appeal to donate some sporting and music equipment and ended up getting $30,000 which I was amazed about. I went over there and presented them with that and did a week and a half of teaching and playing cricket and soccer in the afternoons which was amazing fun.

You were also teaching some of the students how to play piano, which has been a part of your life as well. When did you start that?
Growing up my grandparents always played it and mum and dad got me into lessons early on, which I absolutely hated. To be honest I hated it through all my schooling – I'd always try and hide the fact I was off to play piano and do music lessons and they'd say 'stick at it, it's always good to have something other than sport in your life that you can go back to'. I'm so glad I did it now. I don't really play for other people that much, it's more so something I do to get away and relax when I'm at home.

On a finishing note then, what's your favourite song to play?
Maybe the main theme from Toy Story, I can belt that out. It's always a bit of a favourite. Or Chariots of Fire, that's quite easy as well. Every time there's a piano in a meeting room or on a trip we do the boys always try to get me to jump on but I'm a little bit hesitant most times.
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McCluggage Keen to Keep Improving

If you're looking for potential upside from Brisbane's 2-2 start to the season, look no further than vice-captain Hugh McCluggage.

After being named as a member of the All-Australian squad of 40 the past four seasons, McCluggage says he's "not entirely" where he'd like to be following the opening month of 2023.

The smooth-moving midfielder is averaging 19 disposals (down from 25 the past two years), but of greater concern is the inaccuracy with his usually reliable right boot.

McCluggage is going at 44 per cent kicking efficiency, well below the past four seasons when he has always been between 55 and 60 per cent.

The 25-year-old says it's something he's conscious of and working on.

"There's a few little technical things I've worked on over the past week or two," McCluggage said following a Tuesday morning training session.

"Sometimes you just get the ball under more pressure than what you had in the past … I'm not too worried about it, I think I'll be able to fix it for sure.

"I'll just get to work and keep getting myself in those spots where I can use the ball in a damaging way."

Despite his slightly wayward kicking, McCluggage has been a solid contributor in the new-look Lions midfield that is still learning to accommodate Josh Dunkley and Will Ashcroft.

There was an even spread in the win over Collingwood, with Ashcroft (26), Dunkley (25), McCluggage (22), Lachie Neale (22) and Jarrod Berry (21) sharing the workload.

McCluggage said it was taking some time adjusting to the new faces and roles.

"It's definitely a thing," he said.

"When you add two amazing midfielders into the mix, and they're playing large minutes in there, you've got to work out what they do, what they like to do, how they use their hands, where they run.

"So, yeah, it's something that throughout the pre-season, and throughout the first few rounds we've been working on, that synergy … I think we're getting a really good contribution from everyone."

After missing the past two matches with a quad injury, defender Daniel Rich looks likely to return to face North Melbourne at Mount Barker on Saturday after training strongly.

Darcy Gardiner is expected to see his first action of the season at VFL level after overcoming shoulder and ankle problems.
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A Huge Stat for Hughy

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At 25 Hugh McCluggage is not even halfway through his AFL career.


But let’s just say he is. How might McCluggage have reflected at the unofficial halfway mark of his career over the bye weekend.


Given his ever-humble approach, probably not very much. But others will say he’s had a phenomenal start to his career, and statistically at least is set in the second half of his career to challenge the very best of Lions players all-time.


McCluggage went into the mid-season break fresh from a significant career milestone in Round 11, having become just the 16th player in club history to 3000 possessions in his 141st game.


Only two players have been quicker to 3000 possessions – Tom Rockliff (115 games) and Simon Black (134 games). And at 25 years 86 days McCluggage was the fifth youngest behind Rockliff (24/175), Nigel Lappin (24/361), Michael Voss (25/16) and Black (25/42).

Double 3000 and McCluggage finds himself in the truly elite of the club. Only Simon Black (7580) and Michael Voss (6143) have had more than 6000 possessions, while Nigel Lappin (5911), Luke Power (5884), Marcus Ashcroft (5848), Daniel Rich (5618) and Dayne Zorko (5060) have topped 5000.


McCluggage, in the All-Australian squad in each of the past four years without winning a spot in the team, has been nothing if not durable through his six and half years with the Lions.


So durable that his weekend off over the bye was just the 13th of his entire career in-season. And, in proof of his remarkable durability, he’s only had two free weekends of his own doing.


Of his 13 football-free weekends, McCluggage has had seven scheduled byes in the home-and-season like last weekend, two byes during finals campaigns in 2020 and 2022, and has missed just four games.


In his first season, as is the norm with younger players, he was ‘rested’ and ‘managed’ once each, and in five and a half years since then he’s twice missed with a hamstring problem.

Drafted at pick #3 in 2016, behind Essendon’s Andrew McGrath at #1 and GWS’ Tim Taranto (now at Richmond) at #2, McCluggage has been a statistical standout among his peers.

He ranks first for games from the Class of 2016, ahead of Geelong #40 Tom Stewart (136) and Sydney pick #11 Ollie Florent (129), is a close #2 for possessions, seven behind Tarranto, and with 34 Brownlow Medal votes he is first ahead of Taranto (34) and Richmond pick #29 Shai Bolton (31).

He is seventh overall and the highest-ranked midfielder for goals with 87, behind only North Melbourne’s Nick Larkey (150), Sydney’s Will Hayward (146), North’s Cam Zurhaar (127), Bolton (114), Port Adelaide’s Todd Marshall (113) and Hawthorn’s Mitch Lewis (97).

And, having finished third in the Merrett/Murray Medal in 2019-20 and second in 2021-22, he has had more two three best & fairest finishes than any other 2016 draftee.

Coincidentally, as the close bond between McCluggage and teammate Jarrod Berry almost commands, Berry, too, went into the bye coming off a significant milestone.

In his 119th game against Adelaide, Berry, drafted with schoolmate and close friend McClugagge in 2016, reached 2000 AFL possessions. He was the 40th player among 345 all-time.
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Vice Captain Hugh Back to His Best

If there's a silver lining for Brisbane following the season-ending knee injury to young star Will Ashcroft, it's been the return to peak form of vice-captain Hugh McCluggage.

When Ashcroft crumpled to the turf in round 19 against Geelong, the confirmation of a ruptured ACL rocked both the No.2 draft pick and the club, which had quickly grown fond of the ultra-professional 19-year-old.

Following a couple of weeks of adjustment to their midfield rotation, the Lions clicked, putting Port Adelaide to the sword from stoppages in Saturday night's qualifying final win at the Gabba.

They kicked 13 goals directly from clearances, with best on ground McCluggage at the helm.

His 26-disposal outing, including nine clearances and 12 score involvements – both match highs – to go along with a goal, was good enough to get a perfect 10 votes in the Gary Ayres Award.

It continued a fine run of form for the smooth-moving midfielder, who by his own admission was below his best in the first half of the season.

Statistics provided by Champion Data show that McCluggage has increased his impact dramatically in the six matches since Ashcroft's injury.

He is now spending significantly more time in the midfield (65 per cent, up from 50 per cent), with the result being a big jump in clearances, score involvements, score assists and ultimately his Player Rating.

Hugh McCluggage - Time in Position

R1-19

R20-25

Wing %

29.2%

1.4%

Midfield %

49.7%

64.9%

Forward %

21.1%

33.7%

CBA

10.9

14.8

Speaking on Tuesday morning prior to Brisbane's training session, McCluggage said his form is about far more than playing increased midfield minutes, though.

"I think I have definitely improved in my basics of the game in the back half of the year, been a little bit cleaner, my ball use has been a bit better," he said.

"With the positional change, playing a little more inside, you're going to be around the contest a little bit more and it means you're maybe going to have a few more possessions, but I still felt like as a wingman and forward earlier in the year I was letting myself down with a few parts of my game I considered non-negotiables and that has nothing to do with the position you're playing."

McCluggage has set an incredibly high bar for himself, being named in the All-Australian squad of 40 (or 44) the previous four seasons.

Against Port, he showed every bit of his class, with three goal assists to complement his evening, including a trademark pass to Joe Daniher in the third quarter that lured the full-forward to the ball with its deft weighting.

Hugh McCluggage

R1-19

R20-25

Increase

AFL Player Ratings

9.8

14.4

+47%

Disposals

22.2

24.2

+9%

Contested Possessions

9.1

10.7

+18%

Groundball Gets

6.2

8.3

+34%

Clearances

3.4

5.7

+68%

Score Assists

1.6

2.7

+69%

Score Involvements

5.6

7.7

+38%

McCluggage paid credit to his skipper Lachie Neale, saying the 2020 Brownlow medallist had been a great example to his teammates while being tagged most weeks.

"You never like to see one of your best players get tagged and followed around, but when he's able to do the things he did on Saturday night, block for teammates, work really hard and not let it affect his workrate, it definitely helps for other players to get off the chain," he said.

"It doesn't just happen. If Lach just sat back and accepted defeat when he gets tagged nearly every week, it'd be tough for us guys to have any impact.

"It's as much his good work as it is any of the rest of us doing anything extra special when he's getting tagged."
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Lions’ MCG record no AFL grand final hurdle: McCluggage

Brisbane Lions gun Hugh McCluggage isn’t daunted by a return to the MCG despite their miserable record at the AFL grand final venue.

The Lions’ clash with Collingwood in Saturday’s decider will be just their third this season at the Melbourne stadium.

Brisbane have lost an incredible 13 consecutive regular season games at the venue.

Melbourne kicked four late goals to win by one point in their last visit to ensure that stretch, dating back to 2014, lived on.

But the Lions did upset the Demons at the ground in a superb semi-final win last season, while their effort until those final moments in their last visit is also viewed positively within the club.

“I don’t think the MCG holds any fears for us,” McCluggage told AAP.

“We have played some solid football there the last few times, probably bar the Hawks game (in June).

“We played well against Melbourne and let it slip there at the end.

“It’s not that dissimilar to the Gabba, really.

“It’s quite big and open and hopefully we can play a similar brand to what we’ve been playing up here and give it a good shot.”

Minor premiers Collingwood will start favourites with the bookies but have not beaten the Lions in their last six starts, stretching back to 2019.

Brisbane were too good in a 24-point win last month at Marvel Stadium, but sides haven’t played each other at the MCG since 2017.

It’s a replay of the 2002 and 2003 deciders, both won by Brisbane, and marks the first return to the final day of the season for the Lions in 19 years.

“We’re going to come up against a formidable opponent in the Pies and, yeah, you’ve got to enjoy it, embrace it,” McCluggage said.

“I’m not really too sure what to expect but I’m looking forward to it, no doubt, and I can’t wait to get out there and have a crack at the ultimate.”

Brisbane conceded the first five goals in their preliminary final against Carlton but held their nerve to win by 16 points to avoid a third preliminary final loss from the last four seasons.

“To actually get there is brilliant,” McCluggage said.

“I’m glad it wasn’t too close there at the end; we were probably getting a bit nervous halfway through last quarter but we were able to keep a bit of a lead on them and enjoy that last minute or two.

“I can’t wait to soak in a grand final week.”
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McCluggage: The Tiny Things Go A Long Way

Brisbane's rise from rock bottom to a Grand Final can be traced back to the arrival of Chris Fagan as coach in late 2016.

Less than two months after Fagan and football manager David Noble walked through the Gabba doors, they were followed by a crop of draftees the Lions hoped would start turning the club's fortunes, led by fresh-faced Victorian Hugh McCluggage.

The South Warrnambool product came with huge wraps, taken at No.3 in the draft, with his combination of hard work and exquisite ball use catching the eyes of recruiters around the country.

But what was he walking into?

Along with best mate Jarrod Berry, who was taken at No.17 that year, he was coming to a club that had just finished 17th, with the supplements saga-ravaged Essendon the only team below them.

It had been seven years since a finals appearance, just three since the departure of the 'Go Home Five' and two since a change of CEO ushered in Greg Swann.

With huge debt and rundown training facilities, the Lions were in turmoil, floundering on and off the field.

Being his first foray into the AFL, McCluggage didn't know any different though as the club went about establishing a new culture.

"You hear a few things about what the club was like before you get here, and you watch a bit of media, and you see they're not going so well on the field firstly and off the field in a few different areas," McCluggage told AFL.com.au.

"Straight away there was a massive change, and it goes to show no matter where you're at, you can change things really quickly.

"We had a lot of good people here. We probably just didn't have the things in place to make sure we could get to a higher level as a club and team.

"Ever since then I've been involved in a club that's hard-working and has a growth mindset. Everyone wants to improve all the time."

That mindset was driven by Fagan.

He's still the only senior coach McCluggage has had, and the 25-year-old recalls their early meetings and the belief Fagan installed in him.

Not only that, but Fagan was positive about the entire Lions' list, despite the difficult situation he walked into.

"I hadn't watched a whole lot of Brisbane footy," McCluggage said.

"Back home I never had Foxtel, so you never got a Brisbane game. They were always playing on a Sunday at 1.40 or 4.40.

"He filled me with confidence that with guys like Dayne Zorko, Ryan Lester, Harris Andrews, 'Richy' (Daniel Rich), 'Hippy' (Eric Hipwood), that we had a really solid group of people that were here that just hadn't been in the right environment to that point of their career.

"I believed him in that regard.

"I just had a lot of faith in him, he's a really down to earth guy. Everyone uses the term father figure, but it's true, he really took us under his arm, our group in particular, because we came at the same time as him, he obviously took a bit of a liking to us.

"I had confidence we could get to where we are, but I knew it was going to be a long road."

McCluggage and Berry were drafted from country Victoria, along with Alex Witherden and Cedric Cox, as the Lions went about rebuilding.

Twelve months later Cam Rayner, Zac Bailey, Brandon Starcevich and Jack Payne came on-board as a young nucleus was formed.

But McCluggage says it was the relationships further up the list that helped him settle the quickest.

In his first season at the club, it was brothers-in-law Zorko and Lester that helped the young guys settle best.

"It takes everyone a while to fit into a new group when you've got 40 guys to meet, it can be tough," he said.

"They'd lost a couple of guys in their golf group, so 'Bez' (Berry) and I slipped straight into that, and we were out at Brisbane Golf Club with them most Wednesdays.

"That's where you build that rapport and that relationship with those guys.

"They slowly started inviting us to lunches after that with the older guys and soon enough you're part of the group.

"We probably owe a fair bit to 'Zorks' and 'Frog' (Lester) for making that investment in us and inviting us to spend five hours with them on a Wednesday when they didn't have to do that.

"Those things are small, but they go a long way."

It's now McCluggage and Berry, among others, that have extended that hand to the likes of Jaxon Prior and Harry Sharp to help integrate them into the Lions' culture.

All the while those young players developed, with McCluggage making the All-Australian squad of 40 in four consecutive years without winning a jacket.

Brisbane added experienced pieces around their young talent, with Charlie Cameron, Lachie Neale, Joe Daniher and Josh Dunkley all making a huge difference.

But McCluggage says above all else it's the environment that has created the harmony and infrastructure to attract players, keep players and get the most out of a team that is now one win away from a flag.

"The one thing I've noticed that has changed the most is just the acceptance of everyone and every single personality," he said.

"You can see that from the outside, you've got all different personalities that get on really really well.

"There's not much more important than that in an organisation, I don't think."
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Four key pillars in Brisbane's rise from the scrapheap to the GF

Hugh McCluggage (2016)

Next up, the current vice-captain.

It wasn't just the selection of McCluggage at No.3 in 2016 that was so good, it was the nous to keep him despite dropping back in the draft.

The Lions had the No.2 pick that year (behind Essendon and ahead of Greater Western Sydney), and with new football manager David Noble keen to get as many high-end selections as possible to rebuild with new coach Chris Fagan, they traded No.2 for No.3 and No.16.

That turned into McCluggage and Jarrod Berry – best mates who had boarded together in Ballarat.

They also got Alex Witherden and Cedric Cox to implement the plan of recruiting country Victorians to ward against the 'Go Home' factor.
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www.lions.com.au

Club Champion: Hugh McCluggage Speech

Hugh McCluggage has taken home the Alastair Lynch Trophy for third place in the 2023 Club Champion. Hear from the Vice-Captain after accepting his award.
www.lions.com.au www.lions.com.au
 
Need to throw the cheque book at him, give him what he wants $$$ wise. Only 26 and just getting better.
 
Brisbane Lions Announce Updated Leadership Group

Hugh McCluggage, who was sole Vice-Captain last season, will continue to support the pair with the aid of Co-Vice Captain Josh Dunkley.
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