Brisbane 2016 report card: Leppitsch gone, Rockliff may follow
IF they made a movie about the Brisbane Lions in 2016 it would be deeply entrenched in the horror genre.
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IF they made a movie about the Brisbane Lions in 2016 it would be deeply entrenched in the horror genre: Nightmare on Stanley St has a distinct ring of truth.
Coach Justin Leppitsch is gone and captain Tom Rockliff might not far behind him after Brisbane narrowly avoided the wooden spoon.
A diabolic fixture cruelled the Lions from the start, injuries were another kick in the guts and a shameful output from the senior players conspired against Leppitsch.
HOW DID THE LIONS FARE? VOTE AND HAVE YOUR SAY BELOW
A win over Gold Coast in Round 4 – when Steven May flattened Stef Martin – was the highlight ahead of a home win over Carlton. A Round 18 victory against Essendon was celebrated by some of the head-wobblers at the Gabba but the club came crashing back to earth and heavy thrashings from Port Adelaide and Adelaide sealed Leppitsch’s fate.
Brisbane has re-signed a host of young players and the core of the senior players who need to lift dramatically.
A massive task awaits the new coach, who must change captain and stamp his authority on the wayward playing group. A new general manager of football will help shift the power base at the club that will get to spend its full salary cap and football department cap in 2017.
SNAPSHOT
WINS: 3
LOSSES: 19
LADDER: 17th
PERCENTAGE: 61.6%
LAST YEAR: 17th
HIGHLIGHT
Def Carlton 15.9 (99) to 13.17 (95), Round 21, Gabba
Brisbane’s win over Essendon in Round 18 was its most critical, but the Round 21 victory over Carlton came after a week of intense speculation surrounding coach Justin Leppitsch’s future. The four-point win won’t save Leppitsch but at least the team showed grit and fortitude to withstand a blistering Blues fightback after leading by as much as 41 points in the third quarter. As it turned out the result proved to be more valuable when Essendon followed up with a shock win of its own the next day against Gold Coast, and again against the Blues in the final game, with the Lions thus avoiding the ignominy of collecting the wooden spoon.
LOWLIGHT
Def by Adelaide 6.3 (39) to 27.15 (177), Round 20, Adelaide Oval
So many to pick from with the Lions losing 10 games by 10 goals or more, but their 138-point humiliation to Adelaide in Round 20 made coach Justin Leppitsch’s position untenable – and was just a point shy of equalling the worst loss in club history. They kicked just 6.3 as the Crows piled 27.15. The previous weekend was just as ugly with Port Adelaide bagging a 94-point win on the back of 48 scoring shots (25.23).
DRAFT/TRADE REVIEW
The Lions deserve an A+ for last year’s draft selections with Josh Schache, Eric Hipwood, Ben Keays and Rhys Mathieson all getting an opportunity and all showing plenty of promise. Tall forward Schache was no doubt the pick of the crop, kicking 16 goals in 17 games before he was warehoused late in the season after a heavy workload. Key position utility Hipwood booted 11 goals from nine games and will also be a star. Brisbane’s fifth pick, Sam Skinner, was cruelly denied his first AFL game after tearing his ACL. On the flip side, trade acquisitions Ryan Bastinac Tom Bell, Jarrad Jansen and Josh Walker won’t take the club to the next level but they will help it through this difficult period.
WHAT THEY NEED
Brisbane used their early draft picks last year to secure key position talent, so this year the focus must be on selecting the best available midfielders. While Mitch Robinson, Ryan Bastinac, Tom Bell and Jarrad Jansen have been handy midfield contributors after being recruited from rivals clubs, now is the time to invest in youngsters who could potentially turn into elite players. One such player could be academy prospect Jacob Allison. The Lions are likely to shop around for an experienced key defender following the retirements of Daniel Merrett and Justin Clarke, and they’ll look at Collingwood’s Jarrod Witts as a back-up ruckman. A running defender will also be handy.
SUPERCOACH STUD
Dayne Zorko and Tom Rockliff: That pair was head and shoulders above their teammates. After missing Round 1, Zorko began his year on fire with nine consecutive tons including scores of 148, 130 and 120. All up, he had 14 scores above 100 with his best a 151 against Carlton in Round 21. Zorko’s average of 109 was also a career high. Rockliff’s average of 111 is slightly better than but he wasn’t as consistent as Zorko. However, there were some monster scores – 204, 159, 154 and 130 (twice).
SUPERCOACH DUD
Daniel Rich: There were several teammates who scored much lower than Rich, but there were high expectations on the vice-captain with a bigger midfield role forecast during pre-season. The season started promisingly with four scores above 100 in his first eight games, but Rich broke the ton just twice more after Round 9 as he was unable to cope with being tagged.
THE STAR
Dayne Zorko. Head and shoulders above his teammates for the first two thirds of the season before his form tailed off dramatically. One of the few senior players to have a dig. A stunning first half-display against Carlton in Round 21 was a match-winner.
THE COACH
Justin Leppitsch was axed the day after the horror season mercifully came to an end. His final win-loss record of 14-52 was the killer. He lost the players in 2015 and won only some of them back in 2016. Was a dead man walking for most of the year despite a 2017 contract extension.
YOU SAID IT
“We’re the senior part of the team, the most experienced part of the team, and we probably let each other down and the whole team down by performing the way we did on the weekend.”
– Dayne Zorko after the Round 7 loss to Port Adelaide. Could have been after any loss though.
BEST & FAIREST
Dayne Zorko should win by the length of the Eagle Farm straight, with Mitch Robinson a distant second. Daylight third. No four-way tie this year.
Brisbane Convention Centre, tonight.
THE LIST
GONE
No delistings yet.
ON THE BLOCK
Captain Tom Rockliff faces an uncertain future. Has been linked to Adelaide and St Kilda. Is unlikely to captain the club again after losing support within the playing group due to his abrasive leadership style. Pearce Hanley and Daniel Rich are also not untouchable.
PREMIERSHIP CLOCK
A long, long, long way from another flag. As far away as any side in the comp. At least three years before they threaten the top eight, let alone contend. 1pm.
AND THE WINNERS ARE:
GOALS
Dayne Zorko 23
Josh Walker 23
Lewis Taylor 18
DISPOSALS
Tom Rockliff 29.9
Dane Zorko 23.6
Mitch Robinson 22
SUPERCOACH
Tom Rockliff 111
Dayne Zorko 109
Stef Martin 90
Originally published as Brisbane 2016 report card: Leppitsch gone, Rockliff may follow
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