Latest news with #BrisbaneLions
7NEWS
17 hours ago
- Sport
- 7NEWS
Brisbane Lions frontrunners to sign free agents Oscar Allen and Sam Draper
Brisbane are looming as the favourites to secure the prized signature of Essendon free agent Sam Draper, according to Channel 7's Caroline Wilson. As the Lions hunt back-to-back premierships, they are also set to be a major player in the off-season with two big moves looming. Know the news with the 7NEWS app: Download today Brisbane have long been seen as the likely landing spot for West Coast co-captain Oscar Allen and now it looks like Draper will also head north. Both Allen and Draper are sidelined with injury and remain unsigned at their respective clubs. Allen has previously met with Hawthorn coach Sam Mitchell during the season, while Draper was also heavily courted by Adelaide. However, the Crows now have security in their ruck department with Reilly O'Brien recently inking a three-year extension. 'Look, I think that Oscar Allen, who is a near certainty now to sign with Brisbane, is going to be joined by Sam Draper,' Wilson reported on The Agenda Setters. 'Now, it's been mentioned in dispatches in recent days, but I'm getting more and more confident that that is going to happen for the Brisbane Lions, who, it must be said, have been unbelievable in luring big-name free agents and mature players to the club and developing from the bottom.' The Lions will hope Allen slots straight into the forward line and fill the hole that was left by Joe Daniher's shock retirement after last year's grand final. The likely arrival of Draper will give Brisbane some valuable depth in the ruck department. No.1 big man Oscar McInerney has been hampered by a back injury this year that coach Chris Fagan conceded was 'degenerative'. He has since returned to the side and is playing alongside side Darcy Fort, who incidentally replaced McInerney in last year's grand final team. Both McInerney and Fort are contracted until the end of 2026. Luke Hodge highlighted McInerney's back worries when discussing Draper's likely move. 'Oscar McInerney's been an absolute star for the Brisbane Lions,' he said. 'I think he's averaged 22, 23 games the last six years, but he's played 11 this year and there's a real concern with his back. 'He's a heart and soul player. So if they could get him right, they would keep him without a shadow of doubt. 'I think they're looking as a fallback plan in case this back is a real issue.'
Yahoo
a day ago
- Sport
- Yahoo
Lions forced to 'face the music' before Magpies clash
Lachie Neale reckons it's sometimes best to quickly forget a bad performance. The Brisbane Lions' historic 66-point QClash loss to Gold Coast on Saturday was not one of those times. "We had to face the music," the co-captain and midfield general said on Monday of their match review. "Hard to watch ... embarrassing clips that's not usual for us. "It's good to see some of that … sometimes you can brush over it but, at this time of year, a performance like that wasn't acceptable." Having won 12 of their last 13 encounters, Neale and his midfield group had the tables turned on them by Gold Coast's engine room. Matt Rowell had a career-high 37 touches, only one more than Neale. But the Suns' ball-winner had 15 clearances to Neale's three, a statistic summing up what was the Suns' biggest defeat of the Lions. The two-time Brownlow Medal-winner said "something mentally wasn't quite right" but insisted that wouldn't be the case against Collingwood at the MCG on Saturday. "Hard to put your finger on it; perhaps we got a bit comfortable ... maybe not prepared to go to footy war, roll up your sleeves," Neale said of a loss that snapped a four-game winning streak. "A bit of a kick in the teeth an as a midfield group certainly lowered our colours. "It's a great time for us to play (Collingwood); if we can bounce back and play our best it's going to be a great game. "I wish we were playing Thursday, rather than Saturday." The Lions dipped to third with the loss and have a tricky finish to the regular season with games against the top-placed Magpies, Sydney, Fremantle and Hawthorn. A draw with North Melbourne leaves Brisbane one-and-a-half wins clear of the eighth-placed Dockers in a crowded ladder. "It's very cliche but if you do look at the ladder you can get in your own head and think, we might win this one and lost that one, or win that one," Neale said of his decision not to over-analyse the scenario. "We finished fifth last year and were able to make a run. "We'll try and win out from here. Go into every week with a plan to win. "We'll keep doing that and where we end up we probably deserve and we'll have earned our spot."
Perth Now
5 days ago
- Sport
- Perth Now
We won't tolerate it: AFL fine foul-mouthed Lions star
Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko has copped a $3000 fine for his foul-mouth tirade towards the officials bench last week. The AFL deemed Zorko used "insulting and profane language" as he exited the field of play during the last quarter of his team's 10-point win over the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba. "The AFL reminds all players that the AFL has no tolerance for abusive or insulting conduct towards AFL umpires and other match officials," the AFL said in a statement. Zorko played a key role in Brisbane's premiership-winning campaign last year, and he is averaging a career-high 26.7 disposals per game this season. The Lions sit second on the ladder with a 13-4-1 record, and they'll be aiming to bank their fifth win on the trot when they take on Gold Coast in Saturday's QClash at People First Stadium. Meanwhile, Hawthorn captain James Sicily can escape with a $3750 fine for his off-the-ball hit on Carlton's Blake Acres in Thursday's 24-point win over the Blues. The rough conduct charge was graded as intentional conduct, low impact and body contact.
The Advertiser
5 days ago
- Sport
- The Advertiser
We won't tolerate it: AFL fine foul-mouthed Lions star
Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko has copped a $3000 fine for his foul-mouth tirade towards the officials bench last week. The AFL deemed Zorko used "insulting and profane language" as he exited the field of play during the last quarter of his team's 10-point win over the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba. "The AFL reminds all players that the AFL has no tolerance for abusive or insulting conduct towards AFL umpires and other match officials," the AFL said in a statement. Zorko played a key role in Brisbane's premiership-winning campaign last year, and he is averaging a career-high 26.7 disposals per game this season. The Lions sit second on the ladder with a 13-4-1 record, and they'll be aiming to bank their fifth win on the trot when they take on Gold Coast in Saturday's QClash at People First Stadium. Meanwhile, Hawthorn captain James Sicily can escape with a $3750 fine for his off-the-ball hit on Carlton's Blake Acres in Thursday's 24-point win over the Blues. The rough conduct charge was graded as intentional conduct, low impact and body contact. Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko has copped a $3000 fine for his foul-mouth tirade towards the officials bench last week. The AFL deemed Zorko used "insulting and profane language" as he exited the field of play during the last quarter of his team's 10-point win over the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba. "The AFL reminds all players that the AFL has no tolerance for abusive or insulting conduct towards AFL umpires and other match officials," the AFL said in a statement. Zorko played a key role in Brisbane's premiership-winning campaign last year, and he is averaging a career-high 26.7 disposals per game this season. The Lions sit second on the ladder with a 13-4-1 record, and they'll be aiming to bank their fifth win on the trot when they take on Gold Coast in Saturday's QClash at People First Stadium. Meanwhile, Hawthorn captain James Sicily can escape with a $3750 fine for his off-the-ball hit on Carlton's Blake Acres in Thursday's 24-point win over the Blues. The rough conduct charge was graded as intentional conduct, low impact and body contact. Brisbane Lions veteran Dayne Zorko has copped a $3000 fine for his foul-mouth tirade towards the officials bench last week. The AFL deemed Zorko used "insulting and profane language" as he exited the field of play during the last quarter of his team's 10-point win over the Western Bulldogs at the Gabba. "The AFL reminds all players that the AFL has no tolerance for abusive or insulting conduct towards AFL umpires and other match officials," the AFL said in a statement. Zorko played a key role in Brisbane's premiership-winning campaign last year, and he is averaging a career-high 26.7 disposals per game this season. The Lions sit second on the ladder with a 13-4-1 record, and they'll be aiming to bank their fifth win on the trot when they take on Gold Coast in Saturday's QClash at People First Stadium. Meanwhile, Hawthorn captain James Sicily can escape with a $3750 fine for his off-the-ball hit on Carlton's Blake Acres in Thursday's 24-point win over the Blues. The rough conduct charge was graded as intentional conduct, low impact and body contact.
The Australian
6 days ago
- Sport
- The Australian
AFL: Suns seeking QClash redemption after heavy loss to Crows
Sick of hearing 'how crap' they are, the Gold Coast Suns have the perfect chance to 'change the narrative' by beating premiers Brisbane in Saturday's QClash. While the Suns have won 11 of their 17 matches to remain on track to play finals football for the first time in the club's history, an embarrassing 61-point loss to Adelaide last Sunday has raised doubts about their ability to finish the season in the top eight. Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick believes the ideal way to respond is with a win over the second-placed Lions this weekend at People First Stadium. Gold Coast coach Damien Hardwick wants the Suns to lift against Brisbane. Picture: James Elsby/AFL Photos via Getty Images 'We're still in the race for something that we have never achieved, so we're really looking forward to that challenge,' Hardwick said on Thursday. 'As a coaching group and as a playing group, we've got a big step this week. We've got to take care of this step, then we'll sit there and take the next one this week. 'There's no greater test than the mob we're playing this week. The way they play the game is a great style of footy – combative, high pressure, high contest. 'What's really improved over the last six weeks is their handball game. Those Ashcroft boys (Will and Levi), (Jaspa) Fletcher and all those sorts of players have certainly helped with that, Lachie Neale's always been a star at it. The challenge is firmly set for our midfielders to respond. 'We get to test how far we've come in six days. The great thing about the very best sides is you know exactly how they play. 'Stopping them is the next part of the equation and we're looking forward to that challenge.' Despite having only taken charge of the Suns last year, Hardwick is well aware of how the Gold Coast has been portrayed since joining the AFL competition in 2011. Suns star Matt Rowell (front) is tackled by Brisbane co-captain Lachie Neale during the Lions' QClash win in May. Picture:'Everyone, for a long period of time, has told us how crap we are, (that) we're no good, (that we) don't deserve to be here,' the former Richmond three-time premiership-winning coach said. 'You know what? We're about changing that narrative. It's not the same old Suns, it's the brand new Suns.' Hardwick said the top-eight was now 'probably 90 per cent a race in nine', with the ninth-placed Western Bulldogs trailing the Suns – who have played one game less – by four points. 'We've got a game in hand which is the challenging thing with the ladder and the swings and roundabouts that we have … (but) we've just got to keep ticking off as many wins as we can to make sure that we aim for that first finals campaign,' he said. Hardwick also addressed speculation that Carlton forward Charlie Curnow wanted to join the Suns next season, 'We can understand that people hopefully want to come here and want to join in on this journey. We're looking to bring the very best players to our footy club,' he said. Marco Monteverde Sports reporter Marco Monteverde is a Brisbane-based sports reporter for NCA Newswire. He worked in a similar role for The Courier-Mail from 2007 to 2020. During a journalism career of more than 25 years, he has also worked for The Queensland Times, The Sunshine Coast Daily, The Fraser Coast Chronicle and The North West Star. He has covered three FIFA World Cups and the 2000 Sydney Olympics, as well as a host of other major sporting events in Australia and around the world. @marcothejourno Marco Monteverde
