AFL 25: Callum Dick names his Brisbane Lions team of the century so far

Sixteen players from the Lions’ glorious three-peat feature in Callum Dick’s Brisbane team of the century, so which present day stars made the cut? See the full team here.

Would a starting midfield of Michael Voss, Simon Black and Lachie Neale be the most dominant on-ball brigade of the past 25 years? If not, it would come tantalisingly close.

Sixteen players from the three-peat Leigh Matthews era feature in our Brisbane Lions Team of the Century, accompanied by six current day starters and a former club captain whose best years came when the club was at the bottom of the ladder.

Harris Andrews could retire tomorrow and his place in Brisbane’s hall of fame would still be cemented. Incredibly, he usurps triple-premiership fullback Mal Michael for the starting nod standing behind Justin Leppitsch.

Hall of famers Chris Johnson, Chris Scott, Brad Scott and Darryl White fill in the defensive end.

The centerline of Lappin, Black and Power picks itself, as it did under Matthews’ stewardship.

We don’t have to imagine a three-pronged attack of Jonathan Brown, Alastair Lynch and Daniel Bradshaw because we saw it tear through defences two decades ago. Now picture a trio of Jason Akermanis, Charlie Cameron and Dayne Zorko at their feet. Goals galore.

One of the most difficult calls to make was in the ruck, with no obvious standout among Clark Keating, Jamie Charman, Stefan Martin and Oscar McInerney. But after consulting multiple former Lions greats, Mr. September – Keating – gets the nod, with Voss and Neale at his feet.

The present of the Lions. Picture Lachie Millard

And the Lions’ past feature heavily in Callum Dick’s team. Picture: Craig Borrow

Did Joe Daniher do enough in his four seasons as a Lion to earn a place on the bench? We say absolutely. Few players in the modern era have been as effective in the ruck-forward role as Daniher, who if not for his heroics against GWS last season the Lions’ most recent premiership would still be 2003.

Hugh McCluggage’s inclusion might raise some eyebrows but Brisbane’s future captain has already compiled a stunning CV and will next season pass 200 games at the age of 27. Capable of playing on the wing, through the middle and across half forward he is the perfect sub for this superstar-studded line-up.

Spare a thought for fan-favourite Ash McGrath, who was a victim of the ridiculous goal output of Cameron and the utility of Norm Smith medallist Shaun Hart.

If this was an all-time team then hall-of-famers Marcus Ashcroft and Craig McCrae would almost certainly be in the mix – alas, the bulk of their careers came prior to 2000.

Fellow hall-of-famer Martin Pike had a huge influence on Brisbane’s three premierships, but underlining the strength of the club’s defence under Leigh Matthews, he missed the final cut.

Daniel Rich and Jed Adcock – two stalwarts of the downtrodden years – can also consider themselves unlucky.

Originally published as AFL 25: Callum Dick names his Brisbane Lions team of the century so far