Brisbane Lions coach Chris Fagan has declared debutant Thomas Berry will revel in the physicality of AFL football.
The younger brother of Lions star Jarrod has earned a call-up for his first senior game of the back of superb form in intra-club hit-outs which has convinced the coach he is ready to make his presence felt against Fremantle at the Gabba tomorrow.
Thomas is quietly spoken like his older brother and it is not the only trait they share, with Fagan declaring he is also a hard-nut like Jarrod, who is a member of the Club’s leadership group.
His attack on the man and the ball, combined with electric pace, make him ideally suited to a role in the Lions’ forward line.
“Tom has been selected on the back of form, he had a really good practice match against Carlton in the pre-season and in our two intra-club games he has been excellent,’’ he said.
“He is a tough, quick pressure forward and he will complement guys like Charlie Cameron and Linc McCarthy, Zork and Cam Rayner in our forward line.
“So he’ll bring pressure and he’ll bring hardness at the footy too.’’
Unfortunately, dad Troy won’t be able to attend to see the brothers play at the elite level for the first time due to Covid 19 restrictions.
However, Fagan said while the fairytale of two brothers from country Victoria running out onto an AFL field together was a great storyline, he was hopeful it would be the first of many games they shared.
The Lions have the third youngest list in the competition and Fagan says it is the perfect time for young guns to cement their position and build a legacy together.
“It is great to see the brothers are together, it is a pity their dad Troy can’t get up here to watch the game, that’s a real pity,’’ he said.
“Two lads from Horsham get to play together and hopefully it is the start of a really good partnership, not just a once-off,.
“Hopefully Tommy can cement his spot in the side and play regularly with his brother.
“We’re a really young side, you have to remind people of that, we are getting better as football club and team but we are still growing and developing.
“There is a great opportunity for anyone between the age of 18 and 23 to become a part of hopefully a really string Brisbane Lions outfit for years to come.’’
It has been almost three months since the Lions last played an official match against an AFL opponent and Fagan admits as bouncedown draws closer, some old feelings have returned.
“I’m really excited, I’ve actually got that nervous feeling back again that I haven’t experienced for three months,’’ he said.
“I’d forgotten what that was like, there’s good parts and not so good parts of that.
“But it is fantastic after a long layoff that we get to play again because I wondered if we would and I think the players were too.
“So we approach tomorrow with a sense of great happiness.’’
