Brisbane academy graduate Ty Gallop has staked his claim as the replacement for Joe Daniher after an impressive pre-season that culminated in a strong performance in Thursday's match simulation.

Gallop, who was taken with Pick 42 in last year's draft, fielded for the Lions against Collingwood during the opening two periods, and proved why Geelong made a bid on him last November.

The 19-year-old finished with three goals on the night, two of them coming against the Pies, both from an excellent aerial contest and follow-up at ground level.

Former Gold Coast forward and Brisbane recruit Sam Day has been initially earmarked to take Daniher's role.

 

Eric Hipwood and Logan Morris will take two of the three forward line positions, and with Gallop's impressive development, coach Chris Fagan must evaluate his options before Opening Round.

"There are two blokes that are going pretty well at the moment," Fagan told SEN Whateley.

"One is Sam Day, he played really well in our practice game the other night and he's fitting in beautifully. He's just a good, smart footballer who competes well for the ball in the area.

"He's a bit different to Joe, obviously, but he's been performing well.

"And there's another young bloke that we drafted this year from our Academy, Ty Gallop. Last week he played our โ€˜A' team versus our โ€˜B' team, he was playing on Harris Andrews, Ryan Lester, Jack Payne and co. and he managed to kick four goals in a team that only kicked nine.

"He performed really well the week before when we actually mixed the teams up. He's a bright young prospect and he'll get a go tomorrow night as well.

"Don't be surprised if he's a person that pops up this year is a pretty good AFL player."

The Lions kick off their campaign on March 6 against Geelong at the Gabba, where they'll unfurl their 2024 premiership flag.