The positives thread

[Bucking Beads]

We still haven’t seen the best of Cam Rayner. When it happens it’ll be epic

 

[Leuy LongerCombo]

Same can be said for Morris, Lohmann, Wilmot, Ashcroft, Fletcher and potentially a few others.

2023 Draft, First premiership player - Logan Morris
2022 Draft, Equal First premiership player - Ashcroft / Fletcher
2021 Draft, Equal Second premiership player Wilmot / Lohmann

Impressive young group to be a part of a premiership winning team, with a Norm Smith medalist and another polling. They all play a significant role for the team also. Adding in Ashcroft #2 and Marshall this year, that is a ridiculous inclusion of talent over a 4 year period where we’ve finished 5th, 4th, 2nd and premiers.

 

[BuntonRules]

Undersold maybe, but after the board circus a while ago, Andrew Wellington has been at the helm for the whole Lions revival.

Recognition due. Thanks, Andrew.

 

[Nathan Barley]

Pretty cool after scouring through other teams depth for so long a club like Melbourne is coming back for seconds recruiting from our reserves

 

[p4p1]

2023 Draft, First premiership player - Logan Morris
2022 Draft, Equal First premiership player - Ashcroft / Fletcher
2021 Draft, Equal Second premiership player Wilmot / Lohmann

Impressive young group to be a part of a premiership winning team, with a Norm Smith medalist and another polling. They all play a significant role for the team also. Adding in Ashcroft #2 and Marshall this year, that is a ridiculous inclusion of talent over a 4 year period where we’ve finished 5th, 4th, 2nd and premiers.

Our youth is really impressive IMO. What Fages and the team have managed to do or at least it looks like they have managed to do, is ensuring because of our youth we don’t fall off a cliff and drop to the bottom. For a team like the Lions, that would probably kill our chances of getting good players for free agency, trades etc.

 

[Daniel_Rich]

Fagan has taken this club from a basket-case to Grand Finalists where we narrowly lost to a club with every single advantage under the sun.

We're now a destination club and have added ridiculously huge names to our list such as Lachie Neale, Charlie Cameron, Joe Daniher, and Josh Dunkley.

We added two elite talents this year in Will Ashcroft and Jaspa Fletcher. We have another one coming soon in Levi Ashcroft.

At the end of the day, the only side that stood between us and premiership glory was the Pies, who had 8 of their best 22 aged 30 or above compared to our 3. They also had a lot more players with Grand Final experience including the pain of losing a close one. Now most of our list has that experience too.

Since this group shot up the ladder from 15th in 2018 to 2nd in 2019, we've played in a lot of finals "before our time" and generally struggled on our first attempt at each milestone (winning a final, winning a home final, winning a QF to get the week off, winning a PF to make the big dance). Each and every time we've gone back to the grind, won our way back into the same position, and eventually broken through. Now, we're finally in a position where breaking through one more barrier means premiership glory.

When we lost in the PF last year, plenty of media heads were ready to call our window closed. We responded by making the Grand Final.

If you offered me any list in the AFL with the aim to win as many of the next 5 premierships as possible, I would 100% take ours.

We have the talent, we have the depth, we have the young guns coming through and contributing, and now we have the experience on that final Saturday in September.

I firmly believe this group will win a flag and oh, how sweet it will be!

Season 2025 has begun and we're the reigning Premiers!

Next step is hearing this again: "The Lions have gone back to back to back to become the greatest side of the modern era. They are footballs Invincibles!"

 

[Mr Ripper]

Eight premiership points banked and barely going at half-rat pace.

 

[Mr Ripper]

Jack Payne looking more and more like the pre-injury 2023 Jack Payne.

 

[iBeng]

Answerth has come on quite well too, still a little prone to kick in hope disposals but is doing bloody well.

 

[Nunez]

We've won 19 of our last 21.

 

[MSB ROYS]

Perfect season still on.

 

[western royboy]

We’re playing in patches - nowhere near our best (and it’s not the time to be) but still banking wins

 

[Dom PC]

Random stat. But I'm pretty sure Cal AhChee has a 75% win rate while playing for the Lions. I'm not sure there's many (if any) Lions players who've played over 100 games and have a winning % of over 70% (let alone 75%)?

No doubt I've put the mozz on us now and we'll lose 5 in a row. But still found it to be a cool little stat.

 

[martinson]

Random stat. But I'm pretty sure Cal AhChee has a 75% win rate while playing for the Lions. I'm not sure there's many (if any) Lions players who've played over 100 games and have a winning % of over 70% (let alone 75%)?

No doubt I've put the mozz on us now and we'll lose 5 in a row. But still found it to be a cool little stat.

 

[dlanod]

Random stat. But I'm pretty sure Cal AhChee has a 75% win rate while playing for the Lions. I'm not sure there's many (if any) Lions players who've played over 100 games and have a winning % of over 70% (let alone 75%)?

No doubt I've put the mozz on us now and we'll lose 5 in a row. But still found it to be a cool little stat.

Not a bad call. Wilmot and Answerth are 2nd and 3rd amongst current players across all clubs at 72.5% and 72%. Ah Chee is at about 75-76% for just his Lions games.

 

[mpal6]

It's a lot of fun when you know your team can turn it on and when they do, it's an avalanche. It's such an even team too so opposition have no idea whom to control. Hipwood's second half was just majestic.

 

[BrainOfMorbius]

By R5 2024, the top 4 was the same as the finishing top 4, although in a different order. Wonder if that's how it will be in 2025.

 

[Tom14]

Enormous contribution from Cam playing pretty much as a stay at home full forward in the second half. Been a slow start, was a big part of the win yesterday.

 

[BangyBangy]

Given the crap start to the round a lot of results really went our way. I'll take it.

 

[Nunez]

Hipwood 4 goals off #1 in the Coleman.

 

[mpal6]

Hipwood 4 goals off #1 in the Coleman.

Change of guard this season. No Charlie, No Joe kicking 50 goals each? No problem.

Hipwood - 16
Bailey - 15
Morris - 13

 

[Mr Ripper]

Eric winning the Coleman would just about be THE greatest thing to happen in the history of foot-ball.

 

[luthor]

Hipwood 4 AA

 

[Sunny Land]

Feel good about our forward line so far this year.
No Joe (miss him a lot) and Charlie temporarily a bit out of form, we still dominate periods of the game that sets up wins each week.
Sooo Good.

 

[lionshine]

Feel good about our forward line so far this year.
No Joe (miss him a lot) and Charlie temporarily a bit out of form, we still dominate periods of the game that sets up wins each week.
Sooo Good.

And we have hardly had Lohmann out there either. Hipwood, Morris & Bailey have really stepped it up and Day is playing an important role structurally, he is very rarely beaten in contests in the air inside our forward 50.