Senior Hugh McCluggage (2016-)
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ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
- Moderator
- #202
2021 Season Review: Hugh McCluggage
The ‘Rolls Royce’ of the Brisbane Lions continues to improve… and is still only 23-years-old.
Averaging 25 disposals a game, McCluggage continued to develop into one of the most damaging wingers in the competition in 2021.
With injury ruling reigning Brownlow Medallist, Lachie Neale out for 5 weeks, ‘Clug’ stepped up.
The silky midfielder averaged 31 disposals through Rounds 6 – 11 while becoming the most effective kick I50 in the competition.
The young star was rewarded for yet another consistent season, being named in the 40-Man All-Australian squad for the third year in a row while only notching his 100th game in Round 19.
He also finished Runner-Up in the Merrett-Murray Medal vote, his third Top 3 finish in as many years.
Speaking at the Lions Best & Fairest count, McCluggage showed his leadership qualities as he humbly accepted the Nigel Lappin Trophy.
“To the coaching staff and all the other staff that have continually helped us out this year, it’s an amazing effort from all of you guys,” McCluggage said.
“I know it’s tough on us players travelling and being away from our families for longer than we probably thought. But for you guys to do it just to help us out on our journey is really special.”
“To the boys, we’ll stick at it. I know it’s disappointing in the way we went out but there’s a lot still to come.
“We’ve got a very young list and a group of great blokes who can achieve a lot I reckon, if we can all stick together and work hard for it. There’s plenty more to come.”
Standout performance: Hugh’s Spin of Greatness
It was hard to choose a standout performance from our consistent star.
Having racked up 28 disposals on seven different occasions, there isn’t necessarily a wrong answer when selecting a standout performance from Hugh.
However, it was the 23-year-olds performance v Fremantle in Round 8 that really caught the eye of spectators across the nation.
With a measly 95 touches across the previous three weeks leading up to the Fremantle clash at the Gabba, one might expect a quieter game from a young player still growing his game.
Hugh, however, had other plans…
Collecting 27 touches, 6 marks, 5 tackles and a goal, McCluggage was a human highlight reel.
A late handball into traffic in the second quarter would usually spell carnage for most players on the receiving end.
In a sign of the stardom to come, McCluggage impressively spun his way around two Fremantle players (one of them being Nat Fyfe), leaving them in his wake as he blazed away Inside 50.
Season Averages
Disposals – 25
Disposal Efficiency – 63.8%
Marks – 5.1
Score Involvements – 6.5
Inside 50s – 4.5
ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
- Moderator
- #204
McCluggage: "Energy Needs to be High Early"
Brisbane is desperate to avoid a repeat of the slow start that dogged its 2021, with wingman Hugh McCluggage saying Saturday night's opener against Port Adelaide is all about "energy".
The Lions lost badly to Sydney in the corresponding match last season and were 1-3 following defeats at the hands of Geelong and the Western Bulldogs, which sandwiched an after-the-siren win over Collingwood.
McCluggage said Brisbane was mindful of that ahead of playing Ken Hinkley's men at the Gabba on Saturday night.
"We saw what Sydney did to us in round one … they picked us apart," McCluggage said.
"We were a little bit flat, so we've just got to be switched on from the start against Port Adelaide, who we think will be thereabouts again this year.
"We want to make sure the energy is high early in the season, which comes with having a bit of fun and having a laugh."
McCluggage conceded the slow start, and another three-match slide late in the season, took energy away from the Lions as they played catch-up.
"We need to make sure we're more consistent this year for sure," he said.
"I don't think you run out there after those losses thinking you've got to play harder or spend more energy, but you probably do naturally because you want to get in the best position possible on the ladder and every game really does count."
ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
- Moderator
- #208
Sharp Shooting McCluggage Continuing to Grow
When Hugh McCluggage coolly dobbed his third goal against Essendon, it was firmly in the shadows of Lachie Neale's match-winning star turn.
But for both McCluggage and coach Chris Fagan, it was a crucial step forward.
The classy Lion has made his mark with his field kicking and workrate across 108 games, but hitting the scoreboard has proved more challenging.
After booting 15.22 last season and 8.21 in 2020 McCluggage homed in on his goal-kicking throughout pre-season.
"I'm getting the opportunities to have the shots but it's just finishing off has been my issue," he told AAP.
"It was just nice to get a couple away (against Essendon)."
Fagan noted McCluggage had nailed two set shots and a left-foot snap against the Bombers, and stressed they were reward for effort.
"That's evidence of growth in Hugh, but that's no surprise to me or to us," Fagan said.
"He's an unbelievable young man who never stops trying to get better. So I hope for his sake and our sake that he does take his game to another level."
McCluggage, 24, has made a name for himself on the wing but expects to branch out this season.
"I'm just going to play a variety of different positions, getting forward, playing on a wing, which I know I can do, and also get through the midfield," he said.
"Just building through the year really, I'll push forward and hopefully kick a few goals.
"But I'm just really looking forward to hopefully developing some more and being part of some team success would be nice as well."
Brisbane are 2-0 for the first time since 2019, something McCluggage believed would hold them in good stead as they attempt to avoid more finals heartbreak.
"Last year we started poorly, we were 1-3 and we've put a lot of emphasis on the fact that you need to have a good start," McCluggage said.
"Because if you start behind the eight-ball then then it can be tough to drag back and we probably ran out of puff a little bit later on in the year.
"So it's nice to just get two wins on the board."
And McCluggage is more than happy to play second fiddle to Neale, who looks back to his brilliant best.
"This year he's just gone to another level," McCluggage said.
"He's as fit as I've ever seen him and you can see the first two rounds he's been hitting the scoreboard as well.
"It's really exciting, he's in great form."
ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
- Moderator
- #217
Stuck in the middle with Hugh: Silky Lion thriving in new role
PRIOR to the season, Brisbane coach Chris Fagan said he was keen to tinker with the midfield mix.
When speaking to AFL.com.au in February, Fagan threw a lot of names around, including Cam Rayner, Zac Bailey, Jarrod Berry and Nakia Cockatoo.
Men that could change the Lions' dynamic with their pace and power to complement the grunt and pure ball-winning ability of Lachie Neale and Jarryd Lyons.
"We just have to work out ways to use that tremendous asset we have against opposition teams," Fagan said.
After three straight years of making the top four but not qualifying for a Grand Final, the Lions coach was looking for a point of difference against the midfield powerhouses like Thursday night's opponent Melbourne.
Another name he mentioned, and the man who has spent more time on the ball than at any stage of his six-season career, was Hugh McCluggage.
McCluggage has made a name for himself as an almost pure wingman in the early stages of his career, but that has flipped in 2022.
The 24-year-old has been named in the 40-man Therabody AFL All-Australian squad the past three seasons without ever cracking the final 22.
Could this be his year to muscle in?
Statistics courtesy of Champion Data show McCluggage has spent more time in the middle of the ground and is a big reason why the Lions have nudged their way to the top of the table.
His time spent on the wing has plummeted from more than 60 per cent two seasons ago, more than 50 per cent last year and all the way down to 16.8 per cent this season.
That's meant his midfield minutes have increased from 31 per cent in 2021 – which included extra time in the seven-game absence of Neale – to 80 per cent this year.
Most of that has come at centre bounces.
While Neale and Lyons still dominate in those attendance for Brisbane, McCluggage and Rayner have often split time as the preferred third midfielder.
This has opened up a wing role that has been rotated among Jaxon Prior, Berry and Callum Ah Chee to partner regularly used Mitch Robinson.
McCluggage has thrived in his new role.
Arguably one of the best kicks delivering the ball inside 50 in the competition, he is equal-second for score involvements and third for goal assists for the most potent attacking team in the League.
McCluggage has polled AFL Coaches' Association votes in seven of his 12 matches and sits just outside the top 10 in that Player of the Year award.
Fagan wanted to shuffle his midfield to match the best engine rooms in the AFL, and there's no greater challenge for McCluggage and the Lions than facing a backs-to-the-wall Melbourne at the MCG on Thursday night.
ZoBlitz
The Ghost Who Walks
- Moderator
- #223
Three Lions Named in All-Australian Squad
Hugh McCluggage experienced one of the best seasons of his career, reminding many why he was taken at pick three in the 2016 national draft.
The 24-year-old has made the wing his own in 2022, with two notable outings this season including a career-best 33 disposals against St Kilda and a four-goal haul against the Giants.
