Justin Clarke was the special guest on last week’s Fancast, with Dom Fay and Michael Whiting speaking with the 20-year-old about his newfound responsibility as the Brisbane Lions’ number one defender.

With Daniel Merrett playing a more permanent role in attack these days, Clarke has been force to match-up on the opposition’s best forward in recent weeks.

And the Booleroo product has embraced the challenge.

Last Saturday, he went head-to-head with Richmond spearhead Jack Riewoldt, and kept the former Coleman Medallist to just two goals, 13 disposals and five marks.

Clarke himself finished with 15 disposals, six marks, six rebounds, and a game-high 11 one per-centers.

His performance earned praise from Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch after the match.

“I thought Clarkey did a terrific job on Riewoldt. There were a lot of ticks for us in defence,” Leppitsch said.

Clarke himself was typically humble when speaking with LIONS TV in the rooms post-match.

“There were a couple of little defensive lapses that gave Riewoldt a couple of goals, and a couple of skill errors, but overall I didn’t do too badly,” he said.

“Every time you get (to play on) a good forward, you get up and about. You want to challenge yourself to get to the next level, and that’s how I’m going to get better as a player.”