The Brisbane Lions might be spoiled for choice if they play their cards right at the trade table this coming offseason.
With recent chatter suggesting the Lions are potentially looking to bolster their ruck stocks, three-time Premiership winner Alastair Lynch has called for the club to pursue St Kilda’s Rowan Marshall if the Lions find either Sam Draper or Reilly O’Brien to be out of their price range.
“You’ve got some options out there. Sam Draper obviously had his problems with injury but what they’d do, they’d look at these players and they’re not going to compromise their list build,” Lynch told Sports News’ AFL Tonight on Wednesday.
“They’ve got a salary cap which I’m sure is pretty tight so they’re not going to overpay for a player like this. But what might pop out outside of those two players - maybe even look to someone like Rowan Marshall. If TDK (Tom De Koning) is going to St Kilda, Rowan might be out of a job as far as a No.1 ruck position is concerned.”
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Draper’s initial offer from Essendon is thought to be worth $700,000, with the Lions reportedly willing to offer $100k more for his services in what could turn into a bidding war with the Adelaide Crows.
Marshall, meanwhile, could serve as a potential stopgap for coach Chris Fagan as the Lions look to have some talent on their hands in the form of 22-year-old Henry Smith, who played in four games at senior level during the back end of last season.
With 30-year-old Oscar McInerney struggling to stay healthy and Darcy Fort also aging, Lynch thinks the Lions need to find a serviceable, affordable player as Smith continues to hone his craft.
“They’ve got young Henry Smith ... he looks like he’ll develop nicely but there’s gonna be a bit of a gap in-between the retirement at some stage of Oscar and Darcy, and Henry taking that role,” Lynch added.
Marshall, who is contracted until the end of 2027 at the Saints, is likely to be out of the No. 1 ruck job if De Koning chooses to leave Carlton and sign with the club.
The 29-year-old has been the subject of trade speculation for the last 12 months, but for the right amount of money, he could find himself in an ideal Premiership-winning situation as the Lions continue their search.