Lions insiders have said for two years that as soon as Brandon Starcevich was injury free and could get a run of games under his belt, he’d be a lock in the best twenty-two.
Season 2020 is proving those predictions correct.
The proof of his elevation and the regard he is held in by the coaches can be found within the assignments he is given.
Most weeks he now takes on the opposition’s most dangerous small to mid-sized defender.
The third-year player suffered a six-week hamstring injury last year which robbed him of the chance to string together the type of form needed to break into a winning side.
But a solid pre-season saw his name called out for round one and he’s remained there ever since.
He says he no longer has any concerns over his body and with those worries behind him, he feels confident at the senior level.
He says he also benefits from the clear direction he is given each week which reduces a lot of the stress some defenders feel.
“I’m definitely getting more accustomed to and comfortable at the AFL level,’’ he said.
‘It is really nice that every week I’m improving and getting better.
“We obviously have some quality waiting in the wings which puts the pressure on so that helps as well
“I also get pretty clear roles each week so nothing is too complicated.’’
The Lions have just returned from a two-week stint in a hub in NSW and Starcevich says it had been an enjoyable and rewarding experience for the team.
The Covid 19 break to the season and then the social distancing requirements on the return, including training in small groups, has meant the players no longer get the chance to socialise together as much as a usual season.
Starcevich says for a playing list as close as the Lions’ the separation was difficult and being confined into a hotel together in NSW had actually been beneficial.
“Yeah it has been a good chance for us to build on those relationships with each other.
“We are getting the chance to hang out with guys you might not hang out with a lot.
So in that sense it (the hub) has been great for us, we are spending a lot of time together, we are already a very tight group but even more so after this.’’
The Lions returned home with a 1-1 record from their two away games and Starcevich said more importantly than the win against GWS was the way the side had learnt from the loss to Geelong.
“Against the Cats we were pretty happy with all but one quarter and I think last weekend against GWS we put in a better four quarter performance,’’ he said.
“There were moments, in the third, when they came at us.
“We talked about it during the week what that might look like and when they came pretty hard at us we were able to stand up to it which was very pleasing for us as a group.“
