The Brisbane Lions are in a special place now, and there is this sense of love and loyalty from all involved with the club. As a Lions fan, I am proud at what this group has achieved and excited by what they can do, so why not jump in and share what I love most about my team.
Lions Pride in QLD
The Lions pride is rife in Queensland, which is an impressive position given the traditional following of NRL. To Queenslanders, winning is very important, and with the Lions dominant performances over the last few years, they have capture new generations of supporters and won over a little bit of heart from those not as interested in the game.
Exhibit A, the Gabbatoir.
I love the Gabba on game days, it has this electric feeling that energises the fans and has a threatening presence that lifts players. This hasn’t always been the case, but the packed out Gabba Fortress is tangible proof of the game’s growth in Queensland, which is important for Lions’ fans, AFL fans and footy as a whole.
We love that everybody knows Charlie and Lachie, not just Reynolds and Walsh, and we love the friendship between the two teams. A mutual respect not a rivalry has developed between both games and seen a swing towards a love of footy, not just a love of a code.
Queenslanders know the goal songs rung out through the Gabba and we have turned them into anthems for every player success.
At school, following AFL was just not cool. Not for me anyway, and this is why we love the current position of AFL in Queensland and the Lions contribution to that. The Lions have done more than just win games of footy, they have helped attract a new fan base and a build a new respect for the game that we are eternally grateful for.
Our Fearless Leader Fages
I think it would be a safe assumption to say Chris Fagan has a lot of loyal fans at the Lions. Having dealt with the happenings of last year gracefully and with minimal impact on the club’s performance, Chris Fagan has proved a wise and respected leader who has brought life back into our footy club.
He is an educator and a scholar of the game who has nurtured talent and contributed to an identifiable shift in culture and hungry competitiveness within the Lions group. They are one team and Fagan shoulders the weight off losses alongside the players, openly admitting to decisions that may have cost the Lions games in 2023. His leadership inspires loyalty, evident in the players actions on and off the field.
For a supporter, this is a comfort. It was not 6 years ago that the Lions sat sadly at the bottom of the ladder, consistently. It was embarrassing how bad we were, with no respect from the competition and truthfully not much from fans either. We had long passed our glory years and it was a bitter pill.
Fages has brought our club consistent success, a pointed respect from the competition and a brand of footy that we can be proud of. He has welcomed players in with his warm sideline embrace and given them a reason to stay and we love him for it.
He is our club dad, a kind figure with a stern hand when required and the players don’t want to let him down. We don’t have a premiership, but he’s given us every chance to get there, and I have faith that his vast experience will support the Lions pursuit in 2024.
The Young Cubs
The depth of the Lions list should be envied by a lot of clubs and is one thing that has impressed me over the last year or so. The lions have recruited intelligently and skilfully and have been left with a crop of players very eager to earn a spot in the AFL side.
These first- and second-year players are learning off stars like Lachie Neale, Charlie Cameron and Harris Andrew. Already skilled in their own right, they seem to really be developing confidence and skills to match the established player and the Lions just look as though they are poised for long term success.
Every reserve player has made clear their goal is to put pressure on the top team. Always ready to slide straight into the AFL team whenever they are called up and that creates a top to bottom culture within the club full of drive, commitment, and resilience.
New draftee Logan Morris bagged 5 goals in his first a ‘A v B‘ game. We had three rising star nods last year and Ashcroft in his first year won goal of the year. Players and coaches within the Lions camp have been big in their praise for the younger players performances during this year’s pre-season, meaning we can only expect more.
Our retention is strong, players are driven to wear the maroon, blue and gold and have actually learnt the club song. I love the cub’s commitment to the club and to themselves and as a fan base, we know that we have a solid reserve team in the wings to be called on whenever asked.
Loyalty & Legacy
Countless new recruits and coaches are asked about their first impressions upon entering the Lions camp and their answers all have a similar theme. An incredible culture full of supportive, like-minded and driven individuals. We are watching our club become a destination club, players and coaches coming from all over the country, all putting in the work to make sure they are a part of our history.
No matter where they come from, they have decided to make themselves a Lion and as a fan, this is what I love most. Young guys drafted away from home who would move back as soon as possible now part of a new generation of Lions actively forging a legacy of their own within the club.
They are incredibly driven, but don’t take themselves too seriously. They are mates, who have built this incredible synergy both in football and in life and are committed to making a lasting impact on the club’s history, together. There is so much talent we may see the likes of Voss, Leppa, Black and Browny come through our ranks again. Yea, I might be getting carried away, but we do have a two-time Brownlow medallist so I’m not that far off.
Truthfully, I could have written about how much star talent we have. How I love the Josh Dunkley aggression or how great our defence stands up against the rest of the competition. But everyone already knows that. What you just read is from a fan who loves who the Lions are and what they represent. A fan who loves the energy players bring each week and a fan who appreciates how they have restored pride in the Lions faithful. They are in a perfect position and there is no reason to think they won’t continue this journey towards great success.
