Lions Castoff Could Be Someone’s Gain – Just Not Ours
Footy’s a brutal business, isn’t it? One minute you’re on an AFL list, the next you’re doing the rounds hoping someone, anyone, picks up the phone.
That’s exactly where this axed Brisbane defender finds himself right now. Delisted, out of a job, but reportedly attracting plenty of interest from clubs that are absolutely crying out for key defensive depth.
Why Would Brisbane Let Him Go?
Good question. Isn’t it always the way with the Lions though? They build these stacked lists, win themselves a flag, and then someone has to make way when the cap bites.
Delisting a bloke who can play lockdown defence isn’t a decision clubs make lightly. It tells you Brisbane’s depth chart down back is seriously healthy, or that the list management blokes reckon they’ve got better options coming through the system.
Either way, it’s Brisbane’s loss and potentially a rival’s gain. Thats footy for you – one club’s rubbish is another club’s premiership piece.
The Teams Who Should Be Dialling His Number
Let’s be honest, half the comp needs a defender right now. Every list manager in the country is sitting there looking at their back six wondering who’s going to stand up in September.
You’d reckon any club that leaked goals like a sieve last season should be first through the door. A proven AFL defender who knows how to shut down a key forward doesn’t grow on trees. Ask any Collingwood fan how hard it is to find a genuine lockdown player – we’ve been there.
Carn the Pies, I’ll say it now, I wouldn’t mind seeing him in black and white myself. But I doubt our list management will be that silly given where our defensive stocks sit. Still, a bloke can dream.
What He Actually Brings to a Contender
This isn’t some fringe player who got squeezed out because of a numbers game. Reports suggest he’s got genuine AFL quality – the kind of defender who reads the ball in flight, takes the right option under pressure, and doesn’t panic when the game’s on the line.
That composure matters. Anyone who’s watched finals footy knows games get won and lost in those split-second defensive moments. A rushed kick here, a missed spoil there, and suddenly you’re three goals down at the final change.
- Experience in a winning system at Brisbane
- Reportedly strong one-on-one defender
- Can play multiple positions down back
- Still has AFL-level upside left in the tank
That’s the sort of résumé that gets phones ringing in recruiting departments around the country.
The Umpires Won’t Make It Easy For Him Either
Look, I’ll have my little whinge here because someone has to. Whatever club picks this bloke up, he’ll find out pretty quickly that defenders cop it from the men in green more than anyone else on the ground.
Every holding the ball decision, every dubious high contact call – it feels like defenders are under the microscope constantly. I’m not saying there’s a conspiracy against anyone, I’m just saying it never feels like it goes our way at Collingwood, and I reckon plenty of defenders around the league would say the same about their own clubs.
Maybe that’s just footy paranoia talking. Maybe it isn’t. Either way, whoever snaps this fella up better make sure he’s got the temperament to cop a few rough decisions and keep his head.
What This Tells Us About the Modern List
Here’s the thing that gets me about this whole saga. Clubs are ruthless now. Absolutely ruthless. There’s no sentiment in list management anymore – if you’re not fitting the game plan or you’re surplus to needs, you’re gone, no matter how many good games you’ve put together.
It should of been a wake up call for every player on an AFL list, not just this bloke. Loyalty only goes so far when there’s a salary cap and a list size to manage. One day you’re a premiership player, the next you’re a delisted free agent hoping for a lifeline.
And yet this is also why the system works in a weird way. It creates opportunity. A player who might have been stuck behind two or three others at Brisbane could walk into another club and become their first-choice key defender overnight. That’s footy giving with one hand after taking with the other.
Who Actually Lands Him?
I reckon this comes down to who’s willing to back their list management and take a punt on a proven player rather than rolling the dice on another draftee who might take three years to develop.
Clubs desperate for finals footy next season can’t afford to wait around for kids to find their feet. They need bodies who can defend NOW. That’s where a delisted Brisbane defender becomes incredibly attractive – he’s AFL tested, he knows what finals football demands, and he won’t need two years of development list football to get up to speed.
Whichever club gets there first, don’t be surprised if this turns into one of those classic
