Senior Players List

Season by Season

• With regular full-back Daniel Merrett pinch-hitting up forward at the beginning of 2012, McKeever found a place in the Lions’ back six for the Lions’ season opener against Melbourne.

• His impressive performance against the Demons saw him earn his first ever Brownlow vote, however a quieter match the following week against Carlton resulted in his omission from the senior side.

• He played a further seven senior matches throughout the remainder of the season, but spent the majority of his with the Lions Reserves side. 

• His senior games included a memorable victory over then ladder-leader West Coast at the Gabba , which McKeever helped achieve by out-running opponent Jack Darling and making a match-saving touch on the goal-line in the dying stages.

• Although he played just nine senior games, McKeever did get to enjoy his first ever Australian Rules Premiership after the Lions Reserves’ defeated NT Thunder in the NEAFL Grand Final.

• He was also among the Reserves’ best players the following week in Canberra, in the team’s Inter-Conference Championship win over Queanbeyan.

• With his first full season behind him, McKeever approached 2011 with great confidence and began being trialled in a variety of roles.

• However, he seemed most comfortable in a key defensive post and proved damaging in the NEAFL competition. Such was his dominance down back, that the Irishman was called upon to represent Queensland in their State game against Western Australia in Perth as a back-up defender/ruckman.

• McKeever was eventually elevated to the Lions' senior list on the eve of the team's Round 14 match against Fremantle in WA. His inclusion added some much-needed side to the Lions line-up which had lost Mitch Clark to an ankle injury the week earlier.  

• The Irishman maintained his position in the senior team for the final 10 matches of the season, finding a niche at half-back. His speed, long-kicking and competitiveness proved key features of his game.

• He booted the first goal of his short career in Round 22 against reigning Premiers Collingwood at the MCG after earning a 50-metre penalty on the wing. While his short-stepped set-shot action raised eyebrows from those in attendance, it proved effective and was appropriately celebrated by McKeever and his team-mates.

• He polled 9.5 votes in the 2011 Merrett-Murray Medal to finish 20th overall and extended his stay in Australia by signing a new contract with the Club.

• Still in the very early stages of his AFL development, McKeever spent most of his first pre-season learning the rops of Australian Rules Football before putting his skills to practice with the Lions Reserves.

• He was played predominantly at full-back during his initial apprenticeship and did everything asked of him in a defensive role. He continued learning more with every outing. 

• He suffered a medial ligament knee injury midway through the season which forced him to miss a month of football.

• He finished the season with 14 QAFL games and was named in the Lions' best on a handful of occasions in what proved a successful introduction to AFL.

• In October, he received his first taste of senior AFL action when he lined up in the Shanghai Showdown exhibition match against Melbourne in China. Playing mainly in the ruck, the ultra-competitive McKeever showed no fear against All Australian ruckman Mark Jamar.