FIRST-YEAR players have been a breath of fresh air in a difficult season for the Brisbane Lions, vice-captain Tom Rockliff says.
The Lions are rock bottom with a 1-7 record following Saturday's narrow loss to Essendon, but Rockliff is adamant the mood is still good.
And he says the core of first-year players have a lot to do with that.
"At times you can get a bit stale, especially when you've been here for five or six years and not winning games," Rockliff said.
"Those boys [are] vibrant on the track, they move on pretty quick and it's a new generation. Not much seems to faze them.
"They have brought a breath of fresh air for us.
"Sam Mayes and his group that came through together (last year), and now the first year boys this year have been really good for this group."
Coach Justin Leppitsch said 2013 draftees James Aish and Lewis Taylor played the best games of their young careers against the Bombers, as did second-year forward Marco Paparone.
Aish and Taylor are just two of an impressive class of draftees that includes robust midfielder Nick Robertson, rugged defender Darcy Gardiner, and half-back Tom Cutler, who has shown glimpses of class in his handful of appearances.
Rockliff said the young group had been among the Lions' best on a weekly basis.
You could be excused for thinking it was a touch of deja vu for the 24-year-old, who has not played a finals game and been through a string of tough seasons in Brisbane.
"We're not kidding ourselves - we know where we're at as a group and where we've got to improve," he said.
"Obviously it's not ideal when you've only won one game for the season, but there's stuff we like and can take out of that game.
"This time you can really see what we're building towards.
"We've had opportunities in the past and probably haven't done it, but you can see Leppa's intentions are two or three years down the track, not right now.
"There's no quick-fix to it and we're all learning a new game-plan and want to improve.
"It has been quite difficult at times to go through it, but I think we've finally got it right and are going in the right direction."
Twitter: @AFL_mikewhiting https://twitter.com/AFL_mikewhiting
