Last Thursday night at the Gabba, the Brisbane Lions fielded a side with 10 players that had yet to play 25 games at AFL level.

The only two other clubs that have fielded this level of youth in recent years are the Gold Coast Suns and GWS Giants, and their struggles on field have been well noted since their introduction to the AFL.

What the fans of Brisbane are seeing first hand, like the Suns and Giants fans, is the next generation of players developing who will take the Club forward, hopefully towards the next Premiership.

James Aish and Lewis Taylor have been heavily involved so far during this season in their rookie year, playing all five games to date.

Tom Cutler and Nick Robertson have played two games, and Darcy Gardiner debuted last Thursday night.

Both Michael Close and Jackson Paine have been given opportunities alongside Jonathan Brown in the forward line so far, but have played a total of three and eight games respectively.

Marco Paparone, who is also seeing more regular game time, has now reached double figures with 10 games.

If we look at the next tier of players, it includes some very talented young players including Sam Mayes (23 games), Claye Beams (15), Justin Clarke (19) and Jack Crisp (12).

There is a considerable gap to the next level of players which includes Rohan Bewick (50), Mitch Golby (44), Joshua Green (37), Ryan Harwood (44), Ryan Lester (42), Jordan Lisle (22), Trent West (59) and Dayne Zorko (43). This group has already come through the first phase of their careers at the top level, and should now be getting ready to take that next step towards becoming the future leaders of the Club.

Having said that, they do still lack significant experience at the top level, and their best football will come once they start closing in on their 100 game milestones.

All in all, that is a big group with very little experience on the Lions playing list.

Inconsistency is part and parcel for a team that carries a heavy load of young and inexperienced players, and we have seen that so far this year with the Lions. They put in very spirited efforts against both Hawthorn and Geelong. The Lions competed really well in those games and ultimately just some extra class and fitness from the two premiership favourites saw them victorious in the end.

Those two promising performances were promptly followed by two big losses to the Gold Coast and Port Adelaide where the team looked flat and incapable of winning the ball. Maybe it was a symptom of having played the two best sides in the first two weeks.

Last Thursday night, the performance against the Tigers was admirable and the Lions supporters saw a glimpse into the future when the Lions hit the lead early in the third quarter after having been thoroughly outplayed for the first half.

The Lions hung in when the game looked like it was going to be blown open by Jack Riewoldt and Dustin Martin, which would have made Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch pleased.

However, as is generally the case with young legs, they could not sustain their run and the Tigers ultimately kicked out in the fourth quarter to win comfortably.  

The game against St. Kilda will provide a fascinating insight to football fans as to how the most experienced players on the each team lead their younger players on such an important day on the Australian and New Zealand calendar.

We have already seen the impact that Nick Riewoldt, Lenny Hayes and Leigh Montagna are having on the young Saints draftees from 2013. A very commendable opening five weeks of performances from Luke Dunstan, Tom Curren, Eli Templeton and Jack Billings would be very encouraging for the Saints coaching hierarchy and supporters who were possibly expecting some extended time in the lower reaches of the AFL ladder.

From a Lions perspective, their Captain Jed Adcock, has taken another step this year after being giving the top job outright. Having watched the Lions closely over the first five weeks Adcock has thrown his body into contest after contest and never takes a backwards step. Think of the number of games so far he has finished with a bandaged head and limping from the ground after the final siren.

It is not surprising in the least considering he has played with previous Lions Captain’s Michael Voss and Jonathan Brown and he has followed directly in their footsteps as Captain himself showing total dedication for the cause.

Jonathan Brown made his 250th senior appearance for the Club last week and is a revered figure for the Lions players and supporters. He has given everything to the Lions since his debut in 2000 and the younger players get a massive lift when playing alongside him.

Speaking with Nick Robertson post the Richmond game he said: “It was unreal to be playing with Browny in his milestone game and it was a huge honour to do so”.

When Robertson was questioned about the big group of young players currently playing senior football at the same time he was very circumspect about the situation facing the Lions:

“You have to play the players that are available and we will learn by playing at a high level of football together. We will continue to work on the game plan and move the ball on and if we stuff up, then we stuff up and learn from it”.

Also briefly speaking with Darcy Gardiner after his debut against Richmond he added:

“I couldn’t have asked for a better time to come into the side and play in Browny’s 250th. He is a great leader who wears his heart on his sleeve and had a great game tonight.”

You can sense their enthusiasm about having the opportunity to run out on the same ground as Brown now that he is in the twilight of his career.

The one thing you can take from the early season losses is the player’s commitment and desire to turn around their on-field fortunes as the season progresses.

Lead by Adcock and other senior players such as Brown, Tom Rockliff, Jack Redden, Daniel Merrett and Joel Patfull, the youngsters will have some strong leaders to follow when they take on St Kilda.

The lists at the Lions and St Kilda are at reasonably similar stages of their development, with a crop of new draftees being led by experienced campaigners.

The difference on ANZAC Day will come down to the control that the experienced players can exert on the game in combination with the enthusiasm that the youth will provide.

An enthralling ANZAC Day game awaits the fans from both sides.


Carl Nimb is an independent writer and Lions Member (#2604559) who will contribute to lions.com.au throughout the season.

You can follow him on Twitter @CarlNimb