Brisbane Season Review

[BB67th]

Today I'm looking at my own team, in the Brisbane Lions for my season review. I hope I haven't been too biased! If you enjoyed the article, then head onto my blog which is inside50.wordpress.com where you can see all my other season reviews and articles from the season!

Brisbane Season Review

Season in a Snapshot

Ladder Position: 13th â€" 10 wins, 12 losses (91.01%)
Most Disposals: Jack Redden (549)
Most Goals: Jonathon Brown (47)
Played Every Game: Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden, Joel Patfull, Daniel Merrett, Pearce Hanley
Debutants: Billy Longer (5 games), Elliot Yeo (8 games), Jack Crisp (10 games), Dayne Zorko (16 games)

Stat Leaders:

Kicks: Pearce Hanley (314)
Handballs: Jack Redden (286)
Tackles: Jack Redden (143)
Hit Outs: Ben Hudson (453)
Clearances: Jack Redden (113)
Marks: Jonathon Brown (143)
Contested Possessions: Jack Redden (250)
Uncontested Possessions: Pearce Hanley (305)
Inside 50s: Daniel Rich (97)
Rebound 50s: Pearce Hanley (91)

Best & Fairest:

1. Joel Patfull (34)
2. Daniel Rich (32)
3. Pearce Hanley (28.5)
4. Jonathan Brown (28)
= Jack Redden (28)
6. Tom Rockliff (26.5)
7. Jed Adcock (25)
= Daniel Merrett (25)
= Dayne Zorko (25)
10. Simon Black (22)

NAB Rising Star Nominations:

Claye Beams â€" Nominated for his round 1 performance against the Melbourne Demons. Beams played a key role in the midfield, picking up 25 touches and laying 5 tackles. He went on to play 8 games this year, including the last 4 of the season, and will be looking to further cement his place in the best 22 next season.

Mitch Golby â€" Nominated for his round 8 performance against the GWS Giants. He was instrumental off the half back flank, with 24 touches of the ball. He played the first 13 games of the season, before going down with injury and will be back next season, where he should slot straight into the best 22.

How did the Season go:

The Lions had quite an up and down season, and one that showed a lot of potential at times, but was very disappointing at others. They started the season with a solid 40 point win over an emotional Melbourne outfit, before going back up to the Gabba and being thrashed by Carlton by 90 points. A loss to Fremantle the following week in which they only kicked 5 goals was very disappointing also. Matthew Leuenberger also went down in this match with an achilles injury that put him out for the year, but the team welcomed back Jonathon Brown after more facial injuries. A good win over the Gold Coast was followed by bad defeats to Geelong, Essendon and Collingwood, before a 90 point win over GWS. Around here we saw Daniel Merrett being used up forward with Jonathon Brown as a second key forward, and Merrett did kick quite a few goals. Patfull and Maguire were left to do the key defensive roles, and they held these down pretty well. Ben Hudson was also used as the first ruck, and his recruitment turned out to be a very good one after Leuenberger’s injury. Round 9 brought a very close loss to North Melbourne, where the Lions played great football for three quarters, but they jsut couldn’t finish the game out. Round 11 was probably the highlight of the season, with a 2 point win in a thriller against West Coast at the Gabba. The Lions were trailing by a few goals going into the last quarter, but they managed to come back in a 36 minute last quarter, and a James Polkinghorne torp from 60m sealed the win. This heroic win meant the Lions were 4 and 7 going into the bye, and facing a finish low down on the wrong half of the ladder. They came out after the break with a loss to the Hawks, before good wins over the Bulldogs and Demons. They were bad against the Swans, but were very unlucky against the Saints, going down by only 7 points. They had a very lucky 11 point win over the Suns in a very low scoring affair, before heavy losses to the Eagles, Tigers and Blues. But they finished the season quite well, with close 10 point wins over the Crows and Power. In the end they got 10 wins in a season that was all about development for their youngsters.
The midfield gained some stability with Redden, Rockliff, Rich and Zorko all showing they have the potential to make one of the best mid groups in the game. Down back, Patfull had an amazing year, often going to the oppositions best forwards, which was capped off with his first club best and fairest. Pearce Hanley also had a great year, where he really developed into the running half back role. Josh Drummond did recently announce his retirement though, so there is a bit of a hole left down back for the Lions to now fill. Up forward, a real replacement for Jonathon Brown when he retires is yet to be found. Jordan Lisle, Pat Karnezis and Aaron Corneilius did not come on as expected this year, and it was often Merrett who was sharing the big man duties up forward. Still, it was a good year for Brisbane, and things are looking up for them next year.

Excitement of the Season:

For the excitement of the season it is impossible to go past mature age recruit Dayne Zorko. At 23 years old, Zorko had been dominating in the Queensland competition for a couple of years before being pre listed by Gold Coast at the end of last year. The Lions traded pick 34 in the national draft to get him and it was a great trade in the end. He made his debut in round 7 as the sub, and has not been out of the team since. Every week he has been a key player in the midfield and pushing up into the forward line, dominating in the possession and tackle counts especially. He provided a great link up option down the ground and excelled at whatever role he needed to play. Of his great games this season, one of his best came in the defeat to the Swans in round 15. Zorko collected a career high 31 touches, 10 marks and 8 tackles in a display where he really stood up when his side was clearly outclassed. He had a great first year as an AFL player, and you wonder where he has been all this years playing in the NEAFL. He will make a great player in the Lions’ midfield for years to come.

Disappointment of the Season:

The disappointment for the Lions this year is Todd Banfield. A small forward who was quick and able to have an important impact in his first two years at the club, Banfield looked good going into season 2012, but he failed to have an impact at all this year. He lacked pressure on the contest and his touches just didn’t have the efficiency that they required. He played the first 7 games for the season, before being dropped. He returned in round 16 for the match against St Kilda, but could only managed 5 games before being out of the side again. He returned a total of 6 goals for the season (including 3 in the round 1 match against Melbourne). There has been much talk of him possibly being trade by Michael Voss at the end of this season, but it looks as though there is not much interest for him on the market and I would think that he will probably stay at Brisbane next year.

Where is the club heading next year:

The Lions showed a lot of improvement this year, and with the very young age of their playing group, you would think that they should do so further again next year. They haven’t been as busy this trade period as others, but have still managed to work a few deals that should go in their favour. They have picked up Melbourne’s Brent Moloney through Free Agency, who should provide a strong body inside the midfield as well as a lot of experience from a clearance specialist. They have shown interest in a few key forwards, going after Kurt Tippett, Chris Dawes and now Stefan Martin. Martin would be a potentially good fit at the club, where he could play up forward as a tall target, and do some relief work in the ruck. He looks a bit out of favour at Melbourne too, and may like the change. As the players at Brisbane get more experienced, they should start to run out games better and put in consistent 4 quarter performances every week. If we see what they did against West Coast and Adelaide again, they could have a good year. I would think 12-14 wins next year would be pass mark, and while the club will be aiming for a finals position, a place around 8th-10th is a realistic aim.

Final Say:

A lot of improvement from a young group this year, but they still have quite a way to go. A few pickups in trade week should help them out, as Jonathon Brown continues to be an outstanding leader from the front. I give the Lions a B- for season 2012.

[Ringo]

Nice write up BB and summed the season up well. Only missed the emergence of Josh Green as a real small forward with pace and goal kicking ability.