The Brisbane Lions’ NEAFL title defence got off to a shaky start on Sunday at the Gabba, with the Reserves handed a comprehensive 54-point defeat at the hands of the Sydney Swans – 12.17 (89) to 4.11 (35) – in their season opener.

Reserves Coach Leigh Harding said it was a less-than-ideal start for his new-look side.

“The first half was not the way we planned it to go. Sydney just came out and won the contested ball and did the basics of the game really well,” Harding told lions.com.au.

“We were caught napping and were goalless up until after half-time. To their credit, our boys showed a little bit in the second half with four goals. But given the conditions, it was harder to get back into the game considering we had such a slow start.”

The match was played as a ‘curtain closer’ to the senior AFL match – giving many of the young Lions a chance to play on their home soil at the Gabba for the very first time.

“It was a good experience for the young guys to play on the Gabba,” Harding said.

“Quite a few people hung around afterwards to watch as well. It’s just nice for the boys to experience playing at elite facilities – it’s good for their development.”

Please find below Leigh Harding’s appraisal on each of the individuals who played against the Swans last Sunday.

Ryan Harwood

He hurt his shoulder in the main training session and was ruled out on Thursday. But he managed to get himself up for the game, which is a credit to him and the way he’s conditioned. He played across half-back and got a bit of the ball. The ball was down there a bit in the first half, so he was constantly under pressure.

Jack Crisp

Played on a wing early and probably didn’t have the sort of impact he would generally have. He was later moved onto the ball and started to get his hands on it. His second half was better than his first half.

Nick Robertson

‘Robbo’ was on-ball for the majority of the game. He likes to go in and get his hands dirty, so we let him play to his strengths. He’s still working on a lot of things, but taking positive steps forward.

Daniel McStay

Player across half-back, Daniel was under the pump a bit. He rotated on guys like Tim Membrey and Dean Towers, who have had more time in the AFL system, so will learn from that experience.  

Tom Cutler

He played across half-back and saw a bit of the ball. He’s very much still learning the game, and has a few aspects of his game that he needs to tidy up, but we’ll also stick to his strengths. A good learning experience for him.

Darcy Gardiner

It was only Darcy’s second game back, so another good learning for him. Like McStay, he played on Membrey and Towers at times. After playing limited minutes last week, he was unrestricted which was pleasing. The more game time he gets from here on in, the better off he’ll be.

Andrew Raines

Rainsey has been doing the majority of his work on the wing, and performed his role well at times on Sunday. He’s an important part of our structure, and offers that extra bit of experience on how to win the ball.

Jonathan Freeman

Had a very quiet first half, but in fairness the ball was rarely in our forward line. In fact, we only had 10 inside 50s to half-time, so his supply was severely limited. It was good to see him fight back in the second half, and hit the scoreboard a couple of times.

Matt Maguire

Played mainly forward again but also was force dto pinch-hit in the ruck with Sam Michael out. Like Freeman, had limited opportunities up forward, so a run in the ruck helped bring him into the game a bit more. Gave good voice and direction for our young boys.

Jackson Paine

Jackson is coming along nicely after a limited pre-season, and improving each week. He was starved for opportunities up forward, but kept working hard, albeit for little reward. He didn’t get on the scoreboard, but had some chances to.

Isaac Conway

Played mainly on-ball and then we moved him to half forward. It was a quiet game by his standards. We thought the conditions would have suited his game style, but he couldn’t really get into the game. But as an in-and-under midfielder, it was a good learning experience for him to play against a team like the Swans who pride themselves on winning the contested ball.

Nick Hayes

Nick didn’t have ridiculous numbers, but what he does do is quite clean. He can play a majority of roles, but most of the time he was forward or on the ball.

Archie Smith

The pleasing thing with Archie is that he’s shouldered the ruck load for the past couple of week in Sam Michael’s absence – and he’s doing it very well. He’s developing very nicely, and has improved out of sight from where he was 12 months ago. But there’s still a long way to go. 

Jordon Bourke

Was our oldest key defender on the park, which is saying something considering he’s only been at the Club for 12 months. He’ll probably be responsible for leading our young backline this season. He was probably our best player till half time, with Sydney having 40-odd inside 50s in the first half alone. Understandably he started to tire a little bit in the second half, but was able to influence the contest.

Zac O’Brien

Zac played on-ball and a bit on the wing. He works hard around the ground and gets to the contest. Zac’s a bit more mature, having played in the VFL for a few years, and has good endurance. He didn’t have the same amount of possessions he had against Redland last week, but still picked up 20-odd disposals..