Brisbane Lions coup: Hamstring injury one day, five-year deal the next for ‘next captain’, Harris Andrews

Lions young gun Harris Andrews has locked himself into a stringent five-week rehab of his hamstring injury, but there’s another reason why fans are salivating about his prospects, reports Mark Robinson.

Harris Andrews has agreed to a new long-term contract

It’s been a week of “fives” for Brisbane’s All Australian backman Harris Andrews.

Distressingly, last Friday night he tore his hamstring and will miss the next five weeks.

Without any further setback, he will return for the preliminary final weekend if the Lions survive that far.

A silver lining is that on Tuesday Andrews revealed he had agreed to a new long-term contract which will keep him at the Lions for the next five years.

“It’s been a rollercoaster week,” he told News Corp.

And, he says, he anticipates being a one-club player.

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“I just love what this club is about,’’ he said. “I’m grateful the club supported me at the start of my career, I love the playing group, the coaching staff and everything about the club.’’

An Academy player — he was taken at No. 61 in the 2014 national draft after North Melbourne made a bid for him which was matched by the Lions — he has been the ultimate bargain get.

Andrews has been identified as the next captain of the club.

Lions’ chief executive Greg Swann is thrilled with the signing.

“He is the next captain,’’ Swann said.

“The way he carries himself, he’s always team first, he’s incredibly popular, he’s brave how he plays and he’s a natural leader.

“You want to know how good he is? Just look at Hodgey’s comments about him.’’

AFL great Luke Hodge said of Andrews: “I would say he’d be close to the best defender I’ve played with.”

Swann: “That’s as high as it gets.’’

Asked how much you pay a 23-year-old dual All Australian who just might be the most valuable player at the club, Swann said: “Enough”.

“Enough that he’s happy and we can bring other talent to the club, that’s what he wants,” Swann said.

A ballpark figure would have Andrews earning between $600,00 and $700,000 in the first season of his contract.

Contracts and finances aside, Andrews has started the laborious rehab of his hamstring, an injury many believed had derailed Brisbane’s season.

Fagan is not one of them.

“For starters, it‘s not a massive blow. We’re a team, not the Harris Andrews Football Club,” Fagan said.

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Andrews agreed. He feels it is insulting to his teammates.

“Someone is going to come and play my role and the back six will respond,” he said.

“We’re not a one-man team, I’m a product of what the midfielders do and the guys around me, like Darcy Gardiner and Ryan Lester, it’s their ability to play their role and get the job done which allows me to play my game.”

This season’s most profound hamstring ping happened in the third quarter of last Friday’s match against the Magpies, when Andrews was involved in a marking contest near the interchange bench.

Luke Hodge and Andrews during their time together at the Brisbane Lions.

He limped off and applied the ice bag, knowing immediately the seriousness of the injury.

Disappointed, he encouraged his teammates from the sidelines and cast an eye on Fagan’s coaching.

“I’m not the person to sook about it,’’ he said.

“There was the frustration when I got home after the game, but you have to move on quickly

“As a leader, you can’t be seen sooking about it.

“I’ve started the rehab program as diligently as I can and I will just try to help out on game days, in meetings, and it’s a good opportunity for me to grow as an athlete but also as a footballer and my understanding of the game will improve.”

His intrigue about Fagan on the sidelines came because Andrews, at only 23, has set his sights on being a senior AFL coach.

A self-confessed “footy head”, he started a commerce degree but left that at the end of 2018 for a teaching degree at Australian Catholic University.

His academic transformation came after talks with Fagan and football boss David Noble and others at the club, all of whom had completed their teaching degrees.

They convinced him that teaching would aid his coaching aspiration.

Lions coach Chris Fagan would be thrilled with news of the contract extension.

“I spoke to them about pathways to becoming a coach … and there’s a lot of different aspects of teaching which can relate to coaching,” Andrews said.

“I’ve a pretty strong desire to coach.”

So, not one to dismiss an opportunity, the purposeful Harris spoke to Fagan on Monday about what role he could undertake over the next five weeks.

“The focus is on getting the body right, but I’m not much use if I just worry about that,” Harris said.

“I’ve got to make sure I’m worrying what other guys are doing, where I can help, just keeping involved. Just doing what I can.

“It hasn’t been specified what I will be doing on game day, but it will be something, whether I’m sitting in the box, or down on the bench.

“It’s a good opportunity for me to be a sponge and take in as much as I can.’’

Harris has captaincy traits all about him: Selfless, a want to improve and learn, and has respect from all at the club.

And while his hamstring injury might be the centre of discussion about Brisbane’s standing as a premiership contender, Harris has a perspective beyond his 23 years.

“There’s a lot worse things going on in life for other people, so it’s important not to get too bogged down with the hamstring,” he said.