From delisted to leadership role: Jarryd Lyons has come a long way with Brisbane

From being dropped 13 times to being delisted by the lowly Suns, Jarryd Lyons has had his fair share of hardships. But in 2020 he will be a crucial cog - both on and off the field. And to him it feels ‘surreal’.

Jarryd Lyons has finally found a home in Brisbane. Picture: AAP

Brisbane midfielder Jarryd Lyons was not just resorting to a footy cliché when he described his elevation to the Lions leadership group last week as “surreal”.

It truly would have been bizarre and a little jarring for the 27-year-old who has been more accustomed to feeling the sharp end of the axe during his stop-start AFL career.

From being dropped 13 times to being delisted by the Gold Coast at the end of 2018, getting called into the coach’s office has rarely ended well for the avid golfer who has spent less time on the links since the birth of his son last year.

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Jarryd Lyons has finally found a home in Brisbane. Picture: AAP

Lyons was outstanding for Brisbane in 2019, averaging 24 disposals and six tackles a game to be a driving force in the club’s rapid climb up the ladder.

He finished fourth in the best-and-fairest count and the widespread respect for the way the former Sandringham under 18 representative conducts himself on and off the field saw him join Hugh McCluggage as a new member of the nine-man leadership group at the Gabba.

Lyons was recruited by Adelaide with pick no.61 in the 2010 draft and made his senior debut in 2012, playing 55 AFL matches at the Crows up until the end of 2016 when he was traded to the Gold Coast.

He was an instant hit at the Suns in 2017, playing 18 matches and averaging 25 disposals per outing in the midfield in the final year of Rodney Eade’s tenure on the tourist strip and finished sixth in the club champion count.

Fast forward 12 months and he was on the outer at the Suns as a delisted free agent.

Brisbane wasted no time swooping on Lyons who enters the 2020 season with 116 senior games under his belt and a spring in his step after the endorsement from his teammates.

“It is a bit surreal in a way. I didn’t expect the move to Brisbane to be this successful, this quickly,’’ Lyons said.

Lyons has his game face on as part of one of the best midfields in the AFL.

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“I’ve been trying to work on my leadership from when I started at the Suns and again last year so it’s a nice acknowledgment from the group having only been at the Lions for a year.

“On-field knowledge is probably the main area I can contribute. I think I see the game really well especially through the midfield. I’ve been around for a while now and understand where we are going and want we want to achieve.

“It’s a big leadership group. Some clubs have five or six in there but it shows at Brisbane there’s a lot of guys who are happy to step up and take on that extra responsibility.

“It is a young team and there are guys who will develop very quickly and take our place soon enough.’’

Brisbane played Gold Coast last night in a scratch match at Metricon Stadium after the AFLW game and Lyons said the Lions players were itching for competitive hit-outs after the summer slog of pre-season.

“We want to put everything we’ve been working so hard on into practice. It’s always an exciting time of the year when the games finally roll around,’’ he said.

Brisbane will play their first official pre-season match against Port Adelaide in the Marsh Community Series encounter at Burpengary next Sunday.

Originally published as From delisted to leadership role: Jarryd Lyons has come a long way with Brisbane