Davis, who joined the Brisbane Lions as Development Coach in November fresh from a two-year stint at the helm of the Northern Territory Thunder, says that he is thrilled to be back in Brisbane and working with the young brood of talent at the Lions.
Davis, a Queenslander who played four seasons with the Zillmere Eagles, has been tasked with working alongside Michael Voss’s coaching team to develop the Club’s highly touted group of youngsters.
“One of the things that struck me really early was how young the group was, but it was a very pleasant surprise, because the young guys are very coachable,” Davis said.
“They’ve got a real willingness and eagerness to learn and improve - and there’s definite room for improvement, which is great.”
Davis, who studied the Lions Reserves as an opposition coach throughout the 2011 season, said that young guns Mitch Golby and Patrick Karnezis were two players who really stood out to him while watching from the other bench.
“Mitch played really well one day out at Sherwood against (Rising Star winner) Ross Tungatalum and was really impressive,” Davis said.
“And as a forward, Pat Karnezis looked very dangerous and it was difficult to keep in him line.”
Davis now has a fresh batch of new Lions to work with, including young defenders Sam Docherty, Patrick Wearden, and Justin Clarke, courtesy of the National and Rookie Drafts.
It will no doubt be an exciting challenge, but three months into the job, Davis has well and truly found his feet back in his hometown.
“For me, Brisbane’s home and I’m really enjoying working with Vossy and the rest of the coaches here.”
