Delisted Tom Bell (2015-2018)

Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
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IT’S A BIG WEEK FOR …

Tom Bell. The powerfully built midfielder faces his former teammates for the first time on Saturday after deciding to return home to the Sunshine State at the end of last season. Bell is dangerous around goal as he showed against the Hawks last Saturday and will be keen to get on the scoreboard early against the Blues.
 

Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
23,297
Melbourne
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Bell ahead of clash with old side
Former Blue Tom Bell will be reacquainted with his former teammates when he plays his first game against Carlton on Saturday.

The 24-year-old, who was recruited back to his home state in the off season, said that while his former club is enjoying a surge up the ladder, he is committed to the Lions for the long term.

"We have the youngest list in the AFL; we've only got three or four players over the age of 26," he told The Age.

"The more games we get into the young guys like Josh Schache, Ben Keays, Rhys Mathieson, those guys have shown over the past couple of weeks the potential they have to become great players. We'll definitely be a team to watch out for when they get more runs in the legs."

Bell collected three Brownlow votes the last time the two sides clashed at Etihad Stadium in Round 6, 2015.

"I've still got a lot of mates there; I've kept in touch with quite a few of the guys, and I'm sure there's going to be a bit of stick thrown, but I'm really looking forward to it," he said.

Following Saturday's clash against the Blues, the Lions' tough opening draw will ease. They'll play four of their next five matches in Queensland.

"I think the confidence of the group's definitely growing. The whole playing group's really tight-knit, I'm actually really excited about what the next 12 weeks of the year has got in store for us. I'm hoping we can string a few wins together."
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Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
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Melbourne
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Family ties too strong to ignore for Brisbane's Tom Bell
There's not much room left for sentiment in the AFL, but Tom Bell is back home in Brisbane, and very grateful for it. His links to the Lions, the club he grew up supporting, are deep. No one who knows his story would begrudge the former Carlton player the chance to play for them.

Growing up, Bell's parents were close friends with the Leppitsch family, who lived around the corner. After games, the young Bell would kick the ball around the rooms; often he'd walk home with Justin, then the Lions' champion centre half-back, now coach of the club.

It's been a circular football journey for Bell, a former product of Morningside, in Brisbane's inner south-east. After being rookie-listed by Carlton in 2011, he ended up playing 51 games in the navy blue, before being allowed to return home in return for picks 21 and 60 in last year's draft.

Bell was fourth in the Blues' best and fairest last year and was contracted, but the tug of family and home was stronger than most for the big-bodied midfielder, and Carlton were sympathetic. He had already lost his mother, Amanda, to bowel cancer when he was 13.

The turning point came when his father, Steve, was diagnosed with throat cancer. "That's what essentially drew me home, to be closer to my dad and my brother," Bell said. "My dad was a huge influence on me coming home, we're a really tight-knit group. We've always been close, but since mum passed away we're really tight."

Thankfully, Bell's dad has been given the all-clear. "He goes in for the odd check-up here and there, but dad's fighting fit, he's retired from work now [and] pretty much living the life; he's doing things that he probably didn't get to do years ago. He's in good spirits and very happy."

Losing one parent had taught Bell not to take anything for granted, especially time. "I've got amazing memories of my mum, she was a wonderful person," he says, recounting the support she provided as she taxied him from cross-country trials – the basis of his elite endurance – to soccer to surf lifesaving.

Australian football came a bit later, when a couple of ex-Victorian friends brought a Sherrin to school, friends who rallied around him after he lost his mother, and to whom he is still close. "Before then I don't think I'd touched an AFL ball," he said. "They got me into the game, trying out for rep sides."

Bell is open and friendly, and connects with people easily. He misses the newer friends he made in Melbourne, when he was at Carlton. His life experience has made him resilient, but there's an underlying intensity that he says occasionally results in a weakness; an inconsistency in performance that he's trying to address.

Even when he's on the bench, he says, he can become over-involved in games. "I actually spoke to Leppa about it, we just spoke about calming myself. Passionate, I guess you could say the word is. But yeah, I get a bit worked up, so it's just about controlling myself."

He's trying to narrow the gap between his best and his worst, much like the rest of his team, which ran Hawthorn hard last week before the champions eased away in the last 15 minutes. Bell, whose kicking can let him down at times, kicked four straight goals, including a hat-trick in the second quarter.

But he's still settling into the side, learning how the rest of his teammates play, and increasing familiarity is helping him to relax. "Over the past couple of weeks, I'm feeling a lot more comfortable out there, and I think that's showing. I'm kicking a few more goals, I'm getting forward, and I'm really starting to gel with the guys."

He realises, even as the club he left behind is enjoying an unexpected surge up the ladder, that he's joined an incredibly raw group, and he's in it for the long haul. "We have the youngest list in the AFL; we've only got three or four players over the age of 26," he said.

"The more games we get into the young guys like Josh Schache, Ben Keays, Rhys Mathieson, those guys have shown over the past couple of weeks the potential they have to become great players. We'll definitely be a team to watch out for when they get more runs in the legs."

And as up and down as the Lions have been – sometimes pushing the likes of Sydney and Hawthorn, at other times, such as against Collingwood three weeks ago, barely turning up – he has the sense that, like Carlton, a corner might not be far from being turned.

"I think the confidence of the group's definitely growing. The whole playing group's really tight-knit, I'm actually really excited about what the next 12 weeks of the year has got in store for us. I'm hoping we can string a few wins together."

In the meantime, he's got a date with his old club, with the Lions taking on the Blues on Saturday at Etihad stadium. "I've still got a lot of mates there; I've kept in touch with quite a few of the guys, and I'm sure there's going to be a bit of stick thrown, but I'm really looking forward to it."

For Bell, it'll be a sort of homecoming. But it was never quite home.
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Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
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The state of Queensland football
Brisbane recruit and born-and-bred Queenslander Tom Bell has emphatically rejected claims there should only be one AFL club in the struggling state. But Bell, who moved from Carlton to the Lions at the end of last season, said there was definitely room for two clubs in Queensland, and that he was confident the Lions would soon rise up the ladder.

"There is room for two clubs in Queensland," Bell told ESPN. "Both Brisbane and Gold Coast have been playing good football in patches but it has been that inconsistency which nowadays in modern football does hurt you. You can't play two quarters and win a game of football you've got to play four quarters.

"I'd love to see two successful clubs in Queensland and I'm sure that will come, it's just a matter of time." Bell, 24, said he wasn't concerned by the lack of facilities at the Lions, adding he took great confidence in watching the meteoric rise of the Western Bulldogs who emerged as giant killers and finalists in 2015 after consecutive bottom four finishes in 2012 and 2013.

The Bulldogs sit comfortably inside the top eight this season at 7-3 and with a host of young talent look to be a genuine premiership contender for the foreseeable future. Bell says he's "100 per cent confident" his side can follow suit. "You look at the Bulldogs' timeline and it's pretty amazing what they've done in a couple of years to turn their season and club around. I can see a lot of similarities between our club and [the Western Bulldogs] and I'm super excited about the next couple of years," Bell said

"The more games we get with this group of players, the more confidence you get and anything can happen. We've shown that we have some excellent young players at the club and you've seen with the Bulldogs how quickly it can turn. "I'm looking forward to the back-end of this year and next year to see what it has to offer. I think we're going to be a really good team that clubs should really start to look out for."

If they are to turn their club around, Bell says it's critical that football academies continue to operate for the northern states to nurture and retain young players. The access to top talent - particularly the Giants' access to the Riverina region - has frustrated rival clubs, but Bell insists academies are vital for the growth of the game outside of Victoria.

"If you look at the Lions' list you'll see that we've picked up a few academy players over the past couple of years and those players have been great for us," he said. "Ben Keays and Harris Andrews have shown that they're top quality AFL players. It's a great initiative by New South Wales to have those academies which is really helping the growth of Queensland football.

"It's also a good pathway for those younger players to get experience playing football while not yet being on an AFL list, so when they do come to an AFL list their bodies are right to play straight away."
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The Bell tolls for Lions mid, surgery to end season

BRISBANE Lions midfielder Tom Bell will have knee surgery and miss the rest of the season.

Bell missed Saturday's loss against West Coast and coach Justin Leppitsch said in his post-match press conference the 25-year-old was likely to be sidelined for the remainder of 2016.

On Monday the club confirmed Bell would undergo surgery on Tuesday to repair a medial meniscus tear and would remain sidelined for at least eight weeks.

Lions football manager Matthew Francis said the utility would be a "big loss".
 
Player Reviews: Part 2

Tom Bell played 14 games of the 2016 season and averages 16.7 disposals with a season high of 24 against the Sydney Swans. Forecast to miss the second half of the season after surgery to repair his meniscus tear, the 25-year-old made a surprise comeback in round 22 against the Cats.

Coach’s notes:

In his first year at the Club coming across from Carlton, Bell played 14 games and succumbed to a knee injury. He was lucky enough to come back and play the last two games of the season. He had a good impact as a forward, he kicked 15 goals for the season. He had 38 tackles in his 14 games. One thing he did bring to the footy club was his ability to run hard forward of the contest and put pressure on. Moving forward he just needs a big pre-season in his contested ball area but all in all a very good first season for Belly at the Club.

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Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
23,297
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
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Why isn't he getting a game? Out-of-favour stars
Tom Bell - The burly half-forward/wing started the season in Chris Fagan's best team, but has been dropped twice already for poor form. Bell is a powerhouse runner, but put simply, hasn't been as physical as he can be. Ryan Bastinac has been given a reprieve in Bell's absence, while Tom Cutler has also been used in a similar role. Bell has gone back to NEAFL and excelled – he's above that level – and with some more aggression in his game, can certainly win his spot back.
 

Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
23,297
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
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Injury Update: Beams and Bell
In further injury news, Lions midfielder Tom Bell will have surgery to repair a fracture and dislocation to his ankle suffered in the Lions’ NEAFL win against the Giants at South Pine Sports Complex this afternoon.

Bell was stretchered off halfway through the last quarter with the injury and was taken by ambulance to hospital.

It significantly dampened the mood on what was another fantastic performance by Brisbane who cruised to a 22.15. (147) to 7.9.(51) victory.

Bell is expected to have surgery on Thursday, with the Club conceding the 26-year-old is unlikely to play again this season.
 

Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
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Melbourne
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Suspected Serious Leg Injury For Tom Bell
Brisbane's big win in the NEAFL today has been soured by what appears to be a serious leg injury to Tom Bell. The Lions won 22.15 (147) to 7.9 (51) over the Giants, but it came at a cost.

Bell was stretchered off halfway through the last term with the injury. Brisbane's NEAFL coach Mitch Hahn said they weren't sure what the injury was, but feared it was a broken leg. “We’re not a hundred percent sure what the injury is, the suggestion is that it might be a broken leg, but I’m not sure,” he said. “There are real mixed emotions, though, but we have to be positive and support Tom.”
 

Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
23,297
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
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Player Reviews
#7. Tom Bell

2017 was a challenging year for Tom Bell, with a devastating season-ending injury in the Round 13 NEAFL match.

Tom Bell spent the beginning of the 2017 season interchanging between the Senior and NEAFL side.

The 26-year-old played his best games during Rounds 9, 11 and 12 of the NEAFL competition. Bell gathered an impressive 35 disposals, five marks, four tackles and one goal during the Round 12 match against Southport.

However, it was an unfortunate injury that shortened Bell's season during the NEAFL match against GWS Giants.

The midfielder was stretchered off during the last quarter of the match and taken by ambulance to hospital to undergo surgery on his dislocated ankle and fractured fibula.

Bell has had an unlucky past two seasons at the Club with a medial meniscus tear sidelining Bell for the majority of the second half of 2016.

Senior matches: 6, NEAFL matches: 6

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Dylan12

Brownlow Medallist
Sep 7, 2007
22,114
23,297
Melbourne
AFL Club
Brisbane Lions
Other Teams
Chelsea, Boston Red Sox
Tom Bell to miss remainder of season
Tom Bell will miss the remainder of the season after undergoing surgery today to correct an ankle syndesmosis issue.

Bell has been bravely battling the injury for the past month. After further medical assessment earlier this week, it was decided surgery was the best course of action to correct the issue.
Will we see Tom again in Lions colours; I'm not counting on it.
 
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