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Once unwanted by Gold Coast, Jarryd Lyons could be on the verge of All Australian selection — and Brisbane has recognised that with a new contract.
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Gun midfielder Jarryd Lyons will remain at Brisbane until the end of the 2024 season after the club extended his contract in what will be a milestone week for the 28-year-old.
Lyons will celebrate his 150th AFL game this weekend, ironically against the Adelaide Crows where he made his first grade debut nearly a decade ago.
The talented midfielder had activated a trigger to remain a Lion for the 2022 season but this week added another two years to lock him in until the 2024 season.
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With the Lions continuing on an upward trajectory, Lyons said he was excited for the future at the club.
“It was a pretty easy decision to make,” Lyons said.
“It’s exciting and I’m very proud to continue playing at this club for another three years because it’s probably revitalised my career.
“Brisbane is such a great family club.
“It’s an amazing club in terms of how everyone just gets along and that’s what’s led to such a rapid rise to success in recent years.
“Everyone strives for that premiership and after the last couple of years, we’re not shying away from the fact we’re right up there.
“It’s something you always dream of and we just have to keep working hard.”
Lyons has rocketed into career-best form this season, topping the club tally for average disposals (28.4) and contested possessions (14.2) in his 14 games so far in 2021.
“I’m just at that stage where I’m able to know my game and know my body,” he said.
“Consistency is something I’ve always pride myself on.
“Being able to do that this year has been nice, especially after the way we started and the way we’ve been going.
“A lot of us senior guys had to drive us back up.
“It doesn’t worry me about how I go, as long as we keep winning as a team.”
Helping him out in the midfield has been 19-year-old Deven Robertson who received the Round 15 NAB AFL Rising Star nomination for his performance against Geelong last Thursday night.
Robertson had 16 disposals and seven contested possessions during Brisbane’s 44-point victory over the Cats.
HOW CATS ARE COMPROMISING THEIR FUTURE
Chris Scott knows the score.
Win with a bunch of old blokes and they are battle-hardened veterans.
Lose and they are an ageing, vulnerable Dad’s Army.
Against Brisbane on Thursday night, the stats sheet provided the ammunition to suit whatever narrative you are pushing.
Joel Selwood (13 possession) was a non-factor after a wonderful season, Tom Hawkins was shut-out by Marcus Adams and Gary Rohan was well beaten after last week’s heroics.
In truth, almost every Geelong fan would back in Scott’s methodology of going all-out for a flag after so many near-misses since 2011.
As long as it doesn’t compromise the club’s future.
And that is the great challenge for Scott, given, on face value, it is hard to see how Quinton Narkle and Jordan Clark remain at the club next season.
Narkle was the sub for the third week running, unused in two of those three weeks and unable to even push his wares in the VFL.
The 23-year-old West Australian was unused in Round 13 and 15, played 40 minutes in Round 8, before, at least, getting a decent run last week when Mitch Duncan went down with a PCL injury.
He is holding off on contract talks until year’s end, and it’s hard to see how a player capable of 34 possessions, 15 contested possessions and six score involvements against Gold Coast earlier this season won’t get three-year offers elsewhere.
If he looks at Jordan Clark, who decided to back his talent at selection after a barren 2020 – and is likely now regretting it – would he see the same kind of year for himself in 2022?
Clark has played nine games, but twice has been the unused sub and played 21 minutes after coming on late in Round 6.
He can’t really complain about not breaking into the senior side – he knew the score when he stayed. He is mentored by Joel Selwood, and he has areas of his game he is still working on.
But in this AFL era where players don’t want to play 50 VFL games – they just want to play senior football – his suitors will start at Fremantle and won’t stop there.
Player managers across the country are dealing with even second-year players eager to know why they aren’t getting a game in a stacked side chasing flags.
If Geelong wins its fourth flag since 2007, and loses the young pair, the fans will be partying so long outside Kardinia Park they won’t give it a second thought.
But if they fall short again during September against a stacked field, then lose Clark and Narkle, how does it affect Geelong’s desire to remain in the flag window long-term without ever bottoming out?
The Cats draft haul for 2021 contains two second-round selections they secured in the Jeremy Cameron trade – 29, 29, 35 and 53 – while their asking price for Clark would likely be a first-round pick.
But Narkle has played only 25 games in four years, and is uncontracted, so he has more leverage than the contracted Clark, who has one more year remaining on his deal.
The perfect compromise for Scott would be playing Clark and Narkle enough to keep them happy while the club wins a flag.
But there are no compromises when it comes to winning a flag, which is why the plus-30s approach Geelong is taking is a hell of a ride, but has risks if it falls even one game short.
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