Grant Birchall will go down as one of Hawthorn’s underrated greats from the club’s golden era
As Grant Birchall prepares for his 250th AFL match — and just his second in Brisbane colours — Lions coach and fellow Tasmanian Chris Fagan has lauded the four time premiership star as a big stage player.
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BRISBANE coach Chris Fagan has labelled Grant Birchall one of Hawthorn’s “underrated all time greats” on the eve of his 250th match tomorrow night.
The four time Hawks premiership star will line up for his second start as a Lion against West Coast at the Gabba after joining the club following 14 years at Waverley Park.
Playing alongside some of the greats the game has seen in Lance Franklin, Luke Hodge, Jarryd Roughead, Sam Mitchell and Cyril Rioli may have cast Birchall into a sidekick role to some, but fellow Tasmanian Fagan has no doubt the 32-year-old deserves to sit alongside the quintet.
“Grant Birchall is probably one of the underrated all time players for the Hawthorn footy club,” Fagan said.
“Four time premiership player and if you look up the statistics from those games, his four grand finals as a half back flanker, he averaged 24 possessions per game.
“On the big stage, he stepped up. His average in grand finals is better than his career average which is 22, which is still pretty good as a half back flanker.
“That tells you how good he is and when you look at the guys he played alongside, Franklin, Roughead, Rioli, Mitchell, Hodge, Lewis, he didn’t get the kudos he really deserves.
“But in those big games he stepped up and was an incredibly reliable player for Hawthorn.”
It has been three years in the making for the rebounding defender to reach his milestone game, with a raft of injuries limiting Birchall to just eight matches for the Hawks following a semi-final defeat in 2016.
If this doesn't make you smile.... 😄 pic.twitter.com/k8YmyNErtT
— Brisbane Lions (@brisbanelions) June 19, 2020
A broken jaw in early 2017 sidelined him before ongoing knee problems — which wiped out his 2018 campaign — cost him more time.
Birchall returned in round 17 last year but in round 20 against North Melbourne strained his hamstring in what would be his final match in the brown and gold.
“I did the stats the other day, 16,000 people have played VFL/AFL footy since it started 124 years ago,” Fagan said.
“He is the 246th guy to play 250 games. One point five per cent get to that, that’s elite.
“Big wrap for Birch, he has been a good influence at our club, so glad for him he has got to 250.”
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