B: Tom Collier, Daniel Merrett, James Hawksley
HB: Ashley McGrath, Joel Patfull, Josh Drummond
C: Jed Adcock, Luke Power, Jack Redden
HF: Todd Banfield, Jonathan Brown, Tom Rockliff
F: Aaron Cornelius, Mitch Clark, Brent Staker
FOLL: Matthew Leuenberger, Simon Black, Daniel Rich
I/C: Ryan Harwood, Jared Polec, Matt Maguire
SUB: Amon Buchanan
Injury list
Callum Bartlett (knee) - indefinite
Jamie Charman (achilles) - indefinite
Xavier Clarke (knee) - indefinite
Josh Drummond (quad) - 3-4 weeks
Mitch Golby (knee) - 3-4 weeks
Most valuable player
The Lions have a lot of running players to support superstar midfielders like Simon Black and Luke Power, but they have few top-class big men. That's why Matthew Leuenberger gets the nod as the player they can't afford to lose. The 22-year-old ruckman improved in leaps and bounds last season, and with Michael Voss hoping to use Mitch Clark up forward to help out Jonathan Brown, the input of Leuenberger will be crucial if the Lions are to be competitive.
Track specialist
Daniel Rich won the NAB Rising Star award in 2009 but struggled last year, finishing only eighth in the Lions' best and fairest. Rich is desperate to atone and he's been training the house down all summer. He looks super-fit and was outstanding in his team's NAB Challenge win over Melbourne at Visy Park.
Dream Team special
With the Lions expected to struggle in 2011, their first pick from last year's NAB AFL Draft, Jared Polec, is sure to get plenty of game-time. Polec is regarded as a ready-made AFL player, having been an outstanding performer for South Australia in the 2010 under-18 championships. He's worth $144,500 and shapes as a genuine bargain.
Pivotal match View the full North Melbourne fixture here
Since 1987, the Bears and then the Lions have had Queensland to themselves. But that has all changed with the introduction of the Gold Coast Suns. In round seven, a new rivalry will be born when the two teams meet for the first time in what should be a classic confrontation at the Gabba.
Draftee watch
Rohan Bewick was tied to the Gold Coast Suns but was traded to the Lions, who were keen to inject his pace and accurate kicking into their team. The nephew of Essendon premiership player Darren Bewick, he played senior football in the WAFL last year, so he knows all about clashing with big bodies week in week out.
The Lions will have a good year if…
They can shake off a horror summer, forget all the bad things Brendan Fevola taught them, and get back to playing some good team-oriented football. They also need their experienced stars like Brown, Black and Power to stay fit. If they don’t, it could be an awfully long campaign for Michael Voss' men.
The big issues
Have the dramas surrounding the recruitment and exit of Fevola scarred the team? Fevola was hailed as the club's saviour just a year ago, but his wayward behaviour caused plenty of friction within the playing group.
Do the Lions have enough good players to avoid a bottom-four finish? Not many experts think that's the case, so it will be up to Voss and his men to prove them wrong.
Can Brown's body hold together for another year? The skipper is the heart and soul of the Lions, but injuries seem to come thick and fast these days. Still, Brown finished third in the club best and fairest last year, and it would be a brave man to tip against him doing a similar thing in 2011.
The views in this story are those of the author and not necessarily those of the clubs or the AFL.
