Chris Fagan has definitely made them a more competitive outfit that had a series of close losses this year as well as giving Hawthorn a couple of sizable touch-ups.
However they still only won five games, the same number that saw them finish on the bottom of the ladder in 2017.
Recruits Cameron Rayner, Charlie Cameron and Luke Hodge all showed plenty, and while Hodge might not be getting kicks for many more years, his influence on the group is already paying dividends.
There’s been more changes as Fagan shapes the list the way he wants it, but will it be enough to start showing measurable results or will it still be up to the marketing department to sell the future?
List changes
In:
Marcus Adams (Western Bulldogs), Lincoln McCarthy (Geelong), Lachie Neale (Fremantle), Ely Smith (Murray Bushrangers), Thomas Berry (GWV Rebels), Thomas Joyce (East Fremantle), Connor McFadyen (Brisbane Lions Academy), Noah Answerth (Oakleigh Chargers)
Rookies: Ryan Bastinac (Brisbane Lions), Jacob Allison (Brisbane Lions)
Out:
Dayne Beams, Sam Mayes, Jacob Allison, Jake Barrett, Claye Beams, Tom Bell, Rohan Bewick, Liam Dawson, Marco Paparone, Cian Hanley, Jack Frost
Best Brownlow chance:
Lachie Neale $51
After racking up 20 votes to finish eighth in his record-breaking 2016 Neale has seemingly lost his attractiveness to the umpires. His tally of 14 in 2017 saw him slip to 16th and just 11 in 2018 put him right back among the also-rans. The former Fremantle midfielder gets the ball like few others and is recognised by his coaches, winning two best and fairests at the Dockers, but it's hard to get the big Brownlow tallies in losing teams.
Players to watch:
Cameron Rayner, Lachie Neale, Eric Hipwood
The burden of being the number one draft pick looked a little too much early in 2018, but Rayner warmed to the task and showed he had the goods as the season wore on. Will he defy the second-year blues and show what he's fully capable of, because his best will go a long way to getting the Lions steamrolling forwards.
Eyes will obviously be on Neale and he won't disappoint. The former Docker is the consumate professional and, while he's not the match-turning powerhouse Dayne Beams can be, Neale plays in a way that brings out the best in his teammates.
Hipwood has been progressing nicely but it's time for him to kick up a level. The first three years of his career have been tracking in a similar fashion to Jack Riewoldt's, and the Tiger won a Coleman in season number four - the 'Racing Snake' wants to set himself the same lofty heights.
A last chance to watch:
Josh Walker, Luke Hodge
Walker was shifted into defence in 2018 and responded with his best season to date, but it still wasn't much to write home about. The former Cat is out of contract at the end of next season and will want to impress if he's to be guaranteed another deal.
Hodge doesn't need to impress anyone, but he still manages to do so on a regular basis. It's unlikely he'll play into 2020, so a farewell season seems on the cards and Hodge isn't the type to go quietly into that long goodnight. It may be asking a lot, but the three-time premiership captain would like nothing more than to sign off in a finals series.
Brisbane Lions' 2019 list
| No. | Name | Games | Date of birth | Height, weight | Position |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 24 | Adams, Marcus | 27 | 30 Jun 1993 | 192cm 98kg | Defender |
| 19 | Allison, Jacob (R) | 8 | 16 Apr 1998 | 195cm 87kg | Midfield |
| 31 | Andrews, Harris | 76 | 11 Dec 1996 | 201cm 102kg | Defender |
| 43 | Answerth, Noah | 0 | 184cm 80kg | Midfield | |
| 33 | Bailey, Zac | 12 | 23 Sep 1999 | 182cm 81kg | Midfield |
| 38 | Ballenden, Connor | 0 | 29 Mar 1999 | 200cm 95kg | Forward |
| 4 | Bastinac, Ryan (R) | 161 | 22 Jun 1991 | 185cm 84kg | Midfield |
| 7 | Berry, Jarrod | 37 | 5 Feb 1998 | 193cm 84kg | Midfield |
| 13 | Berry, Thomas | 0 | 185cm 76kg | Midfield | |
| 23 | Cameron, Charlie | 84 | 5 Jul 1994 | 181cm 75kg | Forward |
| 3 | Christensen, Allen | 120 | 19 May 1991 | 177cm 80kg | Forward |
| 20 | Cox, Cedric | 12 | 9 Aug 1997 | 183cm 80kg | Defender |
| 26 | Cutler, Tom | 63 | 20 Feb 1995 | 191cm 91kg | Defender |
| 41 | Eagles, Matt (R) | 4 | 9 Feb 1990 | 200cm 99kg | Defender |
| 27 | Gardiner, Darcy | 82 | 22 Sep 1995 | 193cm 90kg | Defender |
| 42 | Hinge, Mitchell (R) | 0 | 26 Jun 1998 | 189cm 85kg | Defender |
| 30 | Hipwood, Eric | 52 | 13 Sep 1997 | 203cm 90kg | Forward |
| 2 | Hodge, Luke | 324 | 15 Jun 1984 | 185cm 90kg | Defender |
| 32 | Joyce, Tom | 0 | 181cm 80kg | Midfield | |
| 1 | Keays, Ben | 28 | 23 Feb 1997 | 185cm 82kg | Forward |
| 35 | Lester, Ryan | 117 | 26 Aug 1992 | 192cm 87kg | Forward |
| 39 | Lyons, Corey | 0 | 31 May 1998 | 184cm 83kg | Midfield |
| 25 | Lyons, Jarryd | 92 | 22 Jul 1992 | 184cm 82kg | Midfield |
| 12 | Martin, Stefan | 158 | 17 Nov 1986 | 199cm 100kg | Ruck |
| 36 | Mathieson, Rhys | 37 | 10 Jan 1997 | 188cm 88kg | Midfield |
| 11 | McCarthy, Lincoln | 29 | 22 Oct 1993 | 178cm 82kg | Forward |
| 6 | McCluggage, Hugh | 40 | 3 Mar 1998 | 185cm 83kg | Midfield |
| 45 | McFadyen, Connor | 0 | 189cm 93kg | Midfield | |
| 46 | McInerney, Oscar (R) | 16 | 10 Jul 1994 | 204cm 107kg | Ruck |
| 25 | McStay, Daniel | 79 | 24 Jun 1995 | 195cm 98kg | Defender |
| 9 | Neale, Lachie | 135 | 24 May 1993 | 177cm 82kg | Midfield |
| 40 | Payne, Jack | 0 | 15 Oct 1999 | 197cm 95kg | Defender |
| 16 | Rayner, Cameron | 22 | 21 Oct 1999 | 187cm 87kg | Midfield |
| 10 | Rich, Daniel | 183 | 7 Jun 1990 | 185cm 88kg | Defender |
| 18 | Robertson, Nicholas | 68 | 3 Jun 1995 | 191cm 98kg | Defender |
| 5 | Robinson, Mitch | 168 | 7 Jun 1989 | 184cm 90kg | Midfield |
| 21 | Skinner, Sam | 1 | 29 Jun 1997 | 198cm 96kg | Defender |
| 44 | Smith, Archie | 9 | 19 Jul 1995 | 202cm 105kg | Ruck |
| 8 | Smith, Ely | 0 | 188cm 87kg | Midfield | |
| 37 | Starcevich, Brandon | 4 | 24 Jul 1999 | 187cm 85kg | Midfield |
| 28 | Taylor, Lewis | 107 | 17 Feb 1995 | 175cm 79kg | Forward |
| 14 | Walker, Joshua | 74 | 12 Nov 1992 | 197cm 100kg | Defender |
| 29 | Witherden, Alex | 30 | 10 Sep 1998 | 188cm 85kg | Defender |
| 34 | Wooller, Toby | 0 | 16 Mar 1999 | 194cm 87kg | Forward |
| 15 | Zorko, Dayne | 144 | 9 Feb 1989 | 175cm 78kg | Midfield |
New kids on the block! 🦁#Uncaged pic.twitter.com/VbjnWpbsND
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) November 27, 2018
Brisbane Lions’ 2019 Fixture
| Round | Date | Opponent | Venue |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Saturday March 23 | West Coast | The Gabba |
| 2 | Sunday March 31 | North Melbourne | Marvel Stadium |
| 3 | Saturday April 6 | Port Adelaide | The Gabba |
| 4 | Saturday April 13 | Essendon | MCG |
| 5 | Thursday April 18 | Collingwood | The Gabba |
| 6 | Saturday April 27 | Gold Coast | Metricon |
| 7 | Saturday May 4 | Sydney | The Gabba |
| 8 | Saturday May 11 | Western Bulldogs | Mars Stadium |
| 9 | Saturday May 18 | Adelaide | The Gabba |
| 10 | Sunday May 26 | Fremantle | Optus Stadium |
| 11 | Saturday June 1 | Hawthorn | The Gabba |
| 12 | Saturday June 8 | Carlton | Marvel Stadium |
| 13 | BYE | ||
| 14 | Saturday June 22 | St Kilda | Marvel Stadium |
| 15 | Sunday June 30 | Melbourne | The Gabba |
| 16 | Sunday July 7 | GWS Giants | Sydney Showground |
| 17 | Sunday July 14 | Port Adelaide | Adelaide Oval |
| 18 | Saturday July 20 | North Melbourne | The Gabba |
| 19 | Saturday July 27 | Hawthorn | UTAS Stadium |
| 20 | Sunday August 4 | Western Bulldogs | The Gabba |
| 21 | Saturday August 10 | Gold Coast | The Gabba |
| 22 | Saturday August 17 | Geelong | The Gabba |
| 23 | TBC | Richmond | MCG |
Games played on:
Thursday: 1
Friday: 0
Saturday: 14
Sunday: 7
Teams played twice:
North Melbourne, Hawthorn, Gold Coast, Western Bulldogs, Port Adelaide
Preview and 2019 premiership odds
The Lions are starting their 2019 campaign at a distant $67.00 but that doesn't mean nothing's expected from them. It’s time to get wins on the board and show there’s a future for Brisbane, especially if they want to keep their interstaters from heading home.
The loss of Dayne Beams has to hurt, but Neale’s not a bad replacement and Marcus Adams will make his presence felt in the backline.
A key for Fagan will be to see genuine improvement from Hugh McCluggage, Alex Witherden and Jarrod Berry. The trio have shown they can be elite and Brisbane needs nothing less if it’s to start entertaining the idea of finals football anytime soon.
Lewis Taylor is another who needs to lift a level and start living up to the promise he showed in his first couple of seasons. Being a handy small forward and occasional midfielder is okay, but the Lions need Taylor to take a page out of captain Dayne Zorko’s career playbook and become an on-ball presence.
It’s going to be a watershed season for Brisbane where either momentum will be gained or the fundamental cohesion of the group lost, with most indicators pointing to the former.