The Hyundai Brisbane Lions Academy was launched in 2009 as a vehicle for the Club to develop young Australian Rules footballers and keep them in Queensland.

It came as a direct response to the fact that too many talented Queensland athletes were pursuing other sports, as their programs were not only more readily accessible, but also promoted a greater chance of staying at home.

So the Academy was designed to help create a clear and direct pathway for local talent to potentially work towards an AFL career with the Lions.

For the past six years, the Lions have poured a lot of time, effort, money and resources into the program, and are only now beginning to see the reward for their investment.  

Jordon Bourke made history as the first ever member of the Hyundai Lions Academy to graduate onto the Club’s list when he was drafted with Pick No.63 at the 2012 AFL Rookie Draft.

A further three Academy players – Jonathan Freeman, Isaac Conway, and Archie Smith – followed suit 12 months later, with Freeman the first to form part of the senior list.

It's widely believed that some of these players, particularly Smith, would have been lost to AFL had the Academy never existed.  

Freeman would go on to play four senior games in his debut season (booting six goals), while Bourke also earned a place in the Lions’ senior side for their final match of the 2014 season against Geelong.

Although Conway was delisted last month after just one season in the AFL system, the Club’s Queensland link was further strengthened on Monday when both Liam Dawson and Harris Andrews were successfully acquired at the Academy bidding meeting.

That means a total of six Academy members have been drafted to the Club over the past three years – with potentially more to come via the Rookie Draft in December.

And it’s not as though these players haven’t gone unnoticed by rival clubs either.

Freeman was drafted at Pick No.42 after Adelaide were prepared to use their second round selection on the promising key forward, while Dawson (Richmond bid their Pick No.31) and Andrews (North Melbourne bid their Pick No.40) also attracted plenty of interest.

Dawson and Andrews are now thrilled to not only realise their AFL dream, but do so in a relatively familiar environment.

“I spent a little bit of last summer doing pre-season with the Club. I obviously know some of the boys already, so I’m not going in cold. It’s a great honour and I can’t wait for the pre-season to start” – Liam Dawson.

“It’s been great (being part of the Hyundai Lions Academy). I played at game with the Lions Reserves this year and felt right at home. Everything the Lions have done for me this year has been massive and has put me into the position where I am now” – Harris Andrews.

When the Brisbane Lions revealed their strategic vision a few years back, they boldly predicted that 20% of the Club's playing list would be made up from Hyundai Lions Academy graduates by 2016.  

There is obviously still quite a way to go before the Club reaches it's ambitious target, however the last couple of years would suggest that the figure looks decidely more attainable now...