Used to write some huge reviews with All Black back in the day.
The backline is weak, but not just weak it’s embarrassing. Frost slots immediately into the fullback position, a good move for both him and Brisbane as they sorely needed a key back and he was in and out of the side at Collingwood. Harwood is one of the few that moved from fringe to regular in the last few years but has struggled for games and continuity so they need him to help lead down back, injuries keep killing his seasons just as they begin as they lack experience elewhere. Other than that they are playing with bare bones, Sauce Merrett retired but he went 2 years longer due than he should have due to any lack of decent replacements, Hanley is gone and Rich is needed more in the midfield leaving few experienced hands down back. Andrews looks promising & Cutler will get games but neither are nothing but raw talent at this stage. Gardiner should slot straight in as a close checking defender as he did well enough considering he didn’t have much of a pre-season last year and McStay is another who should be getting a lot of game time, basically battling opposition forwards the best they can. One that should be much better this year is Paparone, he went from good rebounding defender in 2015 to down on possessions and struggling for games and when he did he was dropped the next week. Berry looks like a draftee that will get plenty of opportunities too and should find a spot down back with ease with little competition. You can throw a rather large towel over the rest of the names as they’ll be either being gifted games or relying on young 20-21 year olds to do the job. 1/10
Midfield has cause for optimism and will surely be better and keep them in some games. Despite the criticism Rockliff was at times their only midfielder and deserves a copout at what must be almost a hopeless situation, he regularly gathers 35+ possessions and is their best midfielder despite poor efficiency. Beams will take the mantle as best midfielder if he can return from injury, clearly their best player and capable of swinging matches, he’s their best bet to climb from the bottom few but a lot relies on if he can stay on the park. Zorko is a playmaker and helped them win a few games last year but he’s still capable of another gear, it’s a shame he can’t be at his best more often because he can kick goals and play midfield with the best of them. Robinson is a hardened foot soldier and plays above himself often but his experienced body is what Brisbane crave and he’ll be vital until the other kids come on. They do have a promising bunch of young midfielders thanks to a good few drafts, Matheison looks like a Selwood clone and McCluggage you just know will be gathering a ton of touches each week. Throw those two in with Rockliff, Beams, Zorko, Rich, Robinson & Martin in the ruck and they’ll win a few games and upset a few others. They also have Bastinac who tries hard but won’t ever be a star, much in the same mold as Bird for us whilst Bell can play some midfield minutes. The others aren’t much chop, guys like Keays, Jansen, Claye Beams and Bewick or even Barrett all need to step up if they’re to go anywhere whilst Archie Smith in the ruck looks a player but must wait behind Martin for more opportunities. 6/10
Forwardline is full of unrealized potential and raw players. Schache is the one they will build around, but for now must be content with a few bags when he can get them. Christensen is talented abet inconsistent and needs to bridge that gap, whilst Lewis Taylor has had a poor few years after magnificent first season, you feel he’s been overawed by the huge task each week. Josh Walker was a useful pickup and again will be needed to carry the experience up forward, you forget he’s only 24 still and not 30. Otherwise options look bare, Close and Freeman are both raw and both missed huge chunks last year and both need a few years to develop. Hipwood is someone that came onto the scene late and look promising so it’ll be an interesting race between all these youthful raw talls so Brisbane badly need one or two to come on with Schache. 3/10
Predicted Finish: Wooden Spoon - Their midfield will help them sneak some wins but they're at least another 2 years away from getting away from the bottom 4.