The Lions have made no secret of the fact that another big power forward is high on the Club’s list of recruiting priorities.

And with Jonathan Brown in the twilight of his AFL career, the Club has long been trying to formulate a succession plan for when the 31-year-old hangs up the boots.

Lions Chairman Angus Johnson told The Courier Mail on Friday that he would personally love to see Brown play beyond this season, but said the decision would rest solely with the three-time Club Champion.
  
"It is entirely Browny's decision. If he feels both physically and mentally right to play for another year, there is no better judge than him,'' Mr Johnson told The Courier Mail.

"In an ideal world, I'd like to see him play alongside either a player from our current list or someone we bring in from another club.

"Browny has carried the load for so long. It would be wonderful to see someone come in and take the opposition's No.1 defender from Browny. That would be a fantastic outcome.''

Although the Lions already boast a number of potential replacements for Brown, all are in different stages of their development and are yet to establish themselves in the AFL competition.

Jordan Lisle (17 games, 13 goals), Aaron Cornelius (25, 35) and Stefan Martin (61, 27) have all been trialled at times up forward, while Sam Michael (2, 0), Michael Close (0, 0) and Marco Paparone (4, 5) are still very green.

So securing another quality big man is very much on the Club’s agenda.

The Lions made a serious play for Kurt Tippett during the 2012 trade period, but ultimately proved unsuccessful in luring him back home, and have since been linked to out-of-contract Hawthorn star Lance Franklin and even 199cm teenage prodigy Tom Boyd, who is almost certain to be this year’s number one draft selection.

Regardless of the eventual outcome, Johnson says the Club will be relentless in their pursuit.

"We are very serious about it,'' Mr Johnson said.

"(Lions National Talent Manager) Rob Kerr is on my speed dial.

"We had a list management meeting last week. We will look at the draft, at our current list and players from other clubs when it is appropriate.''