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Can the Lions favourite son take them to September for the first time since 2004?

By Ryan Hadji

It was the 24th of September 2004. The Brisbane Lions were renowned as one of the greatest teams in history having won 3 premierships and looking very good for a fourth.

Most tipped the Cup to go to the Sunshine state, and in the little footy tipping comp the boys and I had going throughout the season in Mr Lawes’ Year 10 science class, I backed the Lions by a country mile.

Port Adelaide were ready from the first bounce, they worked together as a team and ran the Lions off their feet. It was Champaign football in one of the biggest upsets Grand Final history, the boys from Alberton got home by 40 points.

From that day onwards the Lions fell off badly. In fact they went from playing in 4 consecutive Grand Finals to not even playing finals the next year. The lions have untaken a massive generational change in the last 5 seasons, with only 7 premiership players remaining on the list.

On the back of their Grand Final defeat in 2004, they haven’t managed to make the finals since. On the upside the club has had 4 first round picks in the National Draft and elevated 7 rookies. Rich, Rischitelli and Dalziell just to name a few, are some of the club’s electrifying youth the club’s got to offer, and they’ll only get better in time.

For the Lions to make the 8 they have to overcome a major hurdle that has haunted them the past 4 years; consistency. The Lions were very inconsistent in 2008, struggling to string together good quarters let alone matches, and had too many last quarter fade outs. Sure they had injuries, but what club didn’t? Consistency has been dragging the club down and if things don’t change, expect drastic changes to the list.

Michael Voss, the Lion’s favourite son and former Premiership captain has returned to club for the first time since retiring at the end of 2006. What a 12 months he’s had, started the year with his usual Channel 10 commitments, soon became the frontrunner to coach the GC17, then signed a 2 year deal with West Coast, and on September 2nd he was appointed the coach of the Brisbane Lions, dare I say it 2008 was a huge year for the boy from Traralgon.

Vossy must be itching for the season to start. We’ve all read how whacky it is that Voss has been appointed senior coach without first becoming an assistant, but with Voss’s experience and leadership will it really matter? They’ll be arguing for and against till the cows come home on this one, but Michael Bowers and the board wouldn’t have appointed Vossy if they didn’t believe he was the best man for the job.

It was tough to make the 8 Last year, but this year will be even tougher. There will be plenty of upsets again in 2009, and the race for the 8 will be so close that losing just a few close ones will be the difference between making the 8 or missing out.

Best case scenario (a las no injuries) Geelong and Hawthorn will again be the powerhouses of the AFL; Magpies, Bulldogs and the Saints are all going to be in the hunt for the top 4, and love them or hate them but Carlton, Richmond and even that purple mob are all on the rise and will be aiming for a spot in the 8. 

Sydney and Adelaide have both been in the finals mix for so long now, their lists look old. There’s just too many sides coming through to see them playing in September. Essendon are refreshingly talented, but their 2nd tier players just aren’t experienced enough… in time they’ll extremely powerful. Neither North Melbourne or Port Adelaide stand out to me, and West Coast and Melbourne will both show glimpses of brilliance in 2009 but will still struggle to match the rest.

Overall I think this season will be a real big learning curve for the Lions. A very young side with an inexperienced coach, there’s still a lot to learn. With their balanced midfield and tall timber, on their day they’ll be a tough team to match up on. Daniel Rich was a steal at pick 7 and he’ll be a genuine superstar for the club in the future. It’s going to take Vossy another year or 2, to develop the list into a premiership contender. I’ve got the Lions in a sport between 6th and 10th, anything lower and heads will roll.