A big week has given Brisbane Lions hope for the future, writes Jon Ralph

BRISBANE enjoyed its best week in a long time with a morale-boosting win and key re-signings, and with some exciting academy prospects the wheel is slowly turning, writes JON RALPH.

AFL basket case Brisbane has just enjoyed one its best weeks since it knocked off Carlton in a final in 2009.

It’s not a high bar for a team that has finished better than 10th only once in the past 13 years, but a win over Fremantle and extending the contracts of bookends Josh Schache (until 2019) and Harris Andrews (2021) was massive.

The good vibes are about to continue and, critically for a club desperate to tap into the local market, it will involve Queensland players.

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The Lions this year will secure another 200cm academy selection in Connor Ballenden, a New Zealand-born ruckman and forward who moved to Brisbane when he was four and is playing in the NEAFL and for the Allies in the under-18 national championships.

A likely first-round draft pick, he will beautifully compliment Schache (199cm), Eric Hipwood (202cm) and Stefan Martin (199cm).

Brisbane’s big week started with Josh Schache’s re-signing. Picture: AFL Media

Hipwood, a brilliant homegrown prospect like 202cm Andrews, is locked away until 2019. But with huge salary cap room and an inclination to use it to prepay contracts, the Lions are working to sign him for even longer.

It would be a huge coup because the teen from Maroochydore can do extraordinary things on the football field.

The Herald Sun this week reported huge opposition interest in key defender Daniel McStay, but the Lions are confident he will sign a new deal.

And, to cap their “land of the giants” recruiting coup, 195cm key defender Jack Payne is an impressive, draft-eligible academy prospect.

He will be taken a little further down the draft, but the Lions’ key position depth could scarcely be better.

AFL chief executive Gillon McLachlan recently made it clear he wanted a system under which the league’s easybeats rebounded more rapidly.

The Lions are working to extend Eric Hipwood’s contract. Picture: Getty Images

The Lions, with only one final since bottoming out after their 2001-04 dynasty, certainly fit that criteria.

Chief executive Greg Swan said they will continue attacking the draft. They possibly could have four picks inside the top 20, with one likely to be needed for Ballenden.

For a team that has won 16 of its past 63 games, the wheel is slowly starting to turn.

“Hipwood and Andrews are 200cm-plus kids and they are hard to come by, so it’s good to have them homegrown,” Swan said.

“It’s exciting. It allows us to continue to build Queensland content on our list, which helps the go-home factor, and it’s good for the Lions but it’s also good for the code these kids are coming through.”

Securing Harris Andrews’ signature was also huge for the Lions. Picture: Darren England

The AFL and Lions co-fund $600,000 of investment into their academy each year, and have plans to expand it to include a women’s academy.

But none of it matters if you can’t keep your stars, which made Schache’s re-signing so important.

“It stunned everyone that we got him re-signed,” Swann said.

“It gave the place a real lift and then we won and we had a couple of other boys re-sign and hopefully we get a couple more soon.”

“We are on the right path. With the confidence from that win last week, the place has been really buzzing.”