An outstanding draft for the Lions: Allan

BRISBANE Lions football manager Graeme Allan has emerged from the 2007 draft a happy man, after the Lions snared a highly-talented draft class at Saturday’s selection meeting.

The Lions cast the net far and wide and came up with five new players who will fill a range of positions at their new club.

Allan was particularly pleased to have landed Geelong Falcons tall forward Lachlan Henderson with the club’s first pick, No.8, and was pleasantly surprised to see young Tasmanian defender Tom Collier available at pick 25 in the second round.

“We rated Henderson at four in the draft and we rated Tom Collier as a first round selection, so we were delighted with our first two picks,” Allan said from Telstra Dome.

“I think Henderson down the track could develop into a great player. Mickey Turner [manager of the Geelong Falcons] told me yesterday that Henderson will be a marquee player and a captain of your club one day, so he’s an outstanding kid. Mick’s got massive wraps on him and I really respect Michael’s opinion.

“We didn’t think [Collier] would be there. I thought he was one of the outstanding players of the [under-18] carnival and Matty Armstrong, who works for us down in Tassie, is just a massive wrap on him.”

The club rounded out its 2007 draft with Calder’s James Polkinghorne at pick 41, East Fremantle forward/winger Bradd Dalziell at pick 52 and North Ballarat onballer Matt Austin with selection 56.

“Young Polkinghorne, we think, is a great leader and an inside midfielder who we’re very happy with,” he said.

“Bradd Dalziell from Perth comes highly recommended from Graeme Hadley, our recruiting man [over there]. He’s a really good long runner, has got an over 15 beep test and runs a [10.24] three km time trial.

“He’s a 20-year-old, so he’s a bit more mature, plays across [half-forward and on the wing] and he’s been training with Fremantle. Shane Woewodin took him down to East Fremantle Oval for us on Thursday and ran him over six repeat 20s and then he jumped into a three km time trial. He’s been winning all of the three-km trials at Fremantle and I think even North Melbourne might have brought him over as well and he won their trial.

“He’s a really elite athlete, a nice kid, stands at about 185cm and is mature enough to play AFL footy. Young Matt Austin is just a good half-forward, half-back, midfielder who we didn’t think would get down that far.

“We think it’s an outstanding draft for the Brisbane Lions Football Club. We’ve got three mids and two keys, with Collier being able to play key position or on the flanks or even the midfield and be a very versatile player for us.

“Potentially all of them could play senior football in their first year.”