With Brisbane coming to the forefront of their rebuild, having won two more games last year then the previous, 2018 could be the year their younger players continue their development and climb off the bottom of the ladder.
Last Season
Having won the wooden spoon last year, last season for the Lions can funnily enough be seen as somewhat of a success. Under Chris Fagan, Brisbane won five games in his first year in charge, which is two more then what they won the previous year. With a new game plan and a lot of young players playing in their first and second year last year can be seen in a positive light
However Brisbane's midfield, seen as their strongest position, really struggled last season. Tom Rockliff, their captain, had a injury prone and inconsistent 2017 where the midfield as struggled to win the contested and uncontested footy all season.
They ranked 18th in clearances and 16th in disposals, which needs to be improved if they want to be winning more games in 2018.
The development of Eric Hipwood last season showed good signs for the Lions, and number one draft pick Hugh McCluggage showed signs of being the ready made player he was touted to be.
McCluggage averaged 15 disposals in his first season, showing positive signs of having a breakout year in 2018.
Off-season grade
In: Luke Hodge, Charlie Cameron, Cameron Rayner (Pick 1), Zac Bailey (Pick 15), Brandon Starcevich (Pick 18), Toby Wooller (Pick 41)
Out: Tom Rockliff, Josh Schache
The loss of their captain to Port Adelaide and former number two draft pick to the Dogs is a big loss to the Lions. The addition of four-time premiership player and two-time Norm Smith medalist Luke Hodge will add much needed grunt and experience to the Lions' side.
The addition of Charlie Cameron will add much needed pace and pressure to the forward line, where an expected push into the midfield will help Cameron add a new dimension to his game.
Grade: C+
Defining Period
The beginning of the season is crucial for the Lions, with only two of their first six games being played at the Gabba. Brisbane face three of the last year's top eight in the first six games (Richmond, Port Adelaide and GWS), while they also face Melbourne and St Kilda who are tipped as the big improvers in 2018.
They also face the Gold Coast Suns in the Q-Clash, which is always a very hotly contested and even contest.
If they fail to challenge or win in any of these games, the morale and confidence of their young group could be at an all-time low and potentially could set the standard for another dismal season for the Lions.
Champion Data suggests...
Having started the 2017 season 1-9 before the bye, the Lions came back a rejuvenated side, as it looked like Chris Fagan was beginning to lay the foundations for the future.
They improved their attacking output from 78.2 points to 91.2 points a game where they only conceded 108.7 points a game on average compared to 122.2 points before the bye.
This led to the Lions winning four of their five games after the week off.
With the addition of Cameron and Hodge and the development of players like McCluggage, Cameron Rayner, Jacob Berry and Alex Witherden, an improved season in 2018 could be on the horizon.
Strengths and Weaknesses
Strengths: With Stefan Martin's ability to feed his midfielders from the ruck, Brisbane will continue to use this as an advantage.
Their midfield on paper is also seen as their strongest group, boasting names like Dayne Beams, Dayne Zorko and Mitch Robinson along with up and coming stars Rayner and McCluggage.
Their forward line smalls also looks like it'll be a massive strength of the Lions this season, with Charlie Cameron, Allen Christensen and Lewis Taylor all capable of kicking goals and applying forward line pressure.
Weaknesses: Brisbane's inability to score provides a stumbling block in the development of the Lions in 2018.
Although an extremely young group, the reliance on Eric Hipwood this season is going to be huge.
Hipwood is a future star of the competition, however they can't solely rely on him to kick a winning score. With the loss of Josh Schache, Fagan will need to instill a lot of trust in journeyman Josh Walker or rely on a model that worked for the Tigers last season and play a small forward line.
The midfield's inability to win clearances and contested footy last season is a weakness the Fagan will be trying to desperately improve this season in order to provide good service into the forward line.
Prediction: 16th
Brisbane play North Melbourne and Gold Coast twice and with games against Carlton, Collingwood at the Gabba, Brisbane could possibly be looking at more wins this season.
