Darcy Gardiner fit to face Collingwood as Tom Doedee eyes Lions debut

Brisbane seemed likely to call up Tom Doedee for his Lions debut against the Magpies on Thursday, but a veteran defender’s return may change those plans.

Conor McKenna will miss games after injuring his hamstring. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images.

Brisbane swingman Darcy Gardiner is fit to face Collingwood on Thursday night after scans cleared the key defender of a suspected posterior cruciate ligament injury.

Gardiner, 28, was subbed out at halftime against Fremantle on March 17 with fears he could be sidelined for a number of weeks with the left knee injury.

However the defender, who has been used at both ends of the ground this season, had scans during the Lions’ bye week which cleared him of significant injury.

It comes as a major boost to the Brisbane back six, which was left reeling after injuries to running defenders Keidean Coleman (ACL) and Conor McKenna (hamstring).

Coleman will sit out the remainder of the 2024 season while McKenna is expected to miss the next three weeks.

New recruit Tom Doedee at Lions training. Picture Lachie Millard

Gardiner’s surprise availability could come at the cost of Tom Doedee’s Lions debut, with the former Crow also deemed fit for selection after getting through his first game back from a nine-month ACL layoff in the VFL at the weekend.

Doedee, 27, was expected to be named to play the Magpies after he was nominated for media duties by the club on Monday.

However, the Lions’ injury report on Tuesday noted Gardiner was “expected to line up against the Pies” on Thursday.

Given Collingwood features one of the smallest forward lines in the competition, it would seem unlikely the Lions choose to play three key talls in defence.

Harris Andrews and Gardiner acted as the tall tandem in the Lions’ four-point grand final defeat to the Magpies last September.

‘HARD TO FILL THE VOID’: LIONS BACKS SCRAMBLING TO COVER INJURIES

Brisbane assistant coach Dale Morris says the Lions will search for a “ball-movement spark” that has been lost after the double injury blow of Keidean Coleman and Conor McKenna.

The grand finalists’ defensive stocks have taken a decisive hit to start the season with Coleman (ACL), McKenna (hamstring) and Darcy Gardiner (PCL) all sidelined.

In their absence, Morris said Dayne Zorko, Jarrod Berry or even Cameron Rayner could be thrown down back for the Lions’ crucial clash with Collingwood on Thursday night.

From back to front, the Lions have been hamstrung by the absence of McKenna and – in particular – Coleman, whose creativity across halfback was sorely missed in the club’s shock Round 1 defeat to Fremantle.

“Kiddy’s weapon is his ball movement – he is the complete halfback flanker,” Morris told this masthead.

Conor McKenna will miss games after injuring his hamstring. Picture: Paul Kane/Getty Images.

“If you look at all the teams in the AFL they’re all looking for those halfback flankers that can really open the game with elite ball use and Kiddy is definitely one of those players.

“We saw last year what he was able to do … in particular during that finals series, so to lose a player of his caliber definitely isn’t ideal.

“To replace someone like that is quite the challenge but it’s a challenge we have to accept.”

It’s new territory for the Lions, who last year had access to McKenna for all 26 games while Coleman missed only three matches during the home and away season.

In fact, the seven defensive 50 regulars combined to miss just six games through injury in 2023.

“You look at last year and the stability of the back six, seven, eight players that rolled through there was quite strong through the whole season and as a team there weren’t many injuries last year,” Brisbane’s backline coach said.

“This year we’ve already copped a few and they’re at the back end of the ground.

“It is hard to fill the void of the players that have gone down, the likes of Kiddy Coleman and Conor McKenna provide that X-factor in the back six with their ability to move the ball and read the game.

“They’re definitely hard to replace but we’ve got some really good depth that can come in and fill that void and make the most of that opportunity in front of them.”

Keidean Coleman after doing his ACL against Carlton at the Gabba. Picture: Russell Freeman/AFL Photos via Getty Images.

The Lions have a glut of young defenders waiting in the wings including Jaxon Prior, James Madden, Shadeau Brain and Noah Answerth – the latter of whom was called upon to face the Dockers.

But while Morris was bullish on that quartet’s future prospects, he said the Lions could also turn to some of their more established stars to fill the gaps against Collingwood on Thursday night.

“That’s going to be an interesting topic and debate in match committee on who comes back into that halfback line to replace Conor and Kiddy,” he said.

“We have played Zorks in that halfback role (before) but you’ve also seen Berry and Rayner go down back as well, so we do have options.

“It depends on the look we want to go for. Everything is open. We’ll trial things and try to find that best mix and set-up for replacing Conor and Kiddy to get our ball movement spark from the back end.”

It’s all a matter of pros and cons for the Lions, who would have to concede a position of strength by moving one of their stars down back.

Zorko has been among Brisbane’s best to start the season playing a hybrid mid-forward role, but he was sent back in the fourth quarter against Fremantle and helped ignite a late Lions surge.

Rayner was trialled across halfback at the start of last season before Chris Fagan abandoned that idea to play the former No. 1 pick as a hybrid third tall in attack. He has also spent more time in the midfield this season.

Berry meanwhile has struggled for form since returning from off-season shoulder surgery and managed just 10 touches against the Dockers.

His place in the side could soon be under threat, particularly after an impressive display from young midfielder James Tunstill (33 disposals and 5 clearances) in the VFL at the weekend.

Getting the backline balance right is crucial for the Lions, who would fall to 0-3 with a loss to Collingwood on Thursday night.

Originally published as Darcy Gardiner fit to face Collingwood as Tom Doedee eyes Lions debut