Brown turn back the clock
Media experts had all but written Jonathan Brown off after a couple of lean weeks, but the Brisbane Lions spearhead responded in typical fashion with a vintage performance against Richmond in his milestone match.

It might not have been enough to lift his team to victory, but his 16-disposal, nine-mark (five contested), four-goal effort earned him Channel Seven’s ‘Tissot Man of the Moment’ award post-game.

Brown’s 116 AFL Fantasy points was his best return since Round 14 of 2012.

As the great man said in the lead-up to the Tigers match, he isn’t finished just yet.

Club-house leaders
We’re not even a quarter of the way through the season yet, but Tom Rockliff and Dayne Zorko have emerged as the early favourites for the Merrett-Murray Medal.

It’s still way too early for such predictions, but the pair have been consistently among the Lions’ best in a difficult start to the season.

It was no different last Thursday night as Rockliff led the team with 32 disposals and six tackles, while Zorko added plenty of drive with 28 possessions, seven clearances and four running bounces.

Lester learning
One-time utility Ryan Lester is now a fully-fledged midfielder after spending the bulk of his four matches this season in the centre.

Against Richmond, Lester collected 26 disposals – the second most of his 42-game career – to go along with five clearances, four tackles, five inside 50s, a team-high two goal assists, and kicked a goal himself.

However, he also had a team-high five clangers and ran at a disposal efficiency of just 65%.

Young talent time
Remarkably, five of the Lions’ seven selections at last year’s AFL National Draft represented the Club at senior level last Thursday night – with only Daniel McStay and Jonathan Freeman yet to make their debuts.

Defender Darcy Gardiner was the latest to get a taste of senior action, finishing with 11 touches and four one per centers. He also showed some of the trademark aggression that was a feature in his junior days, when he took exception to something that transpired between him and Tigers midfielder Dustin Martin.

In only their second games, Tom Cutler and Nick Robertson found 21 and 19 disposals respectively and showed that they could see plenty more game time in 2014.

Meanwhile, James Aish and Lewis Taylor are now five-game ‘veterans’ and are expected to play key roles long into the Club’s future.

AFL FANTASY TOP FIVE
1. Tom Rockliff – 116 points
2. Jonathan Brown – 113 points
3. Dayne Zorko – 101 points
4. Ryan Lester – 98 points
5. Jack Redden – 90 points

WHO WAS BEST?
Afl.com.au listed Brown, Rockliff, Lester, Zorko, and Jack Redden (24 disposals, seven clearances, and seven tackles) as the Lions’ best, but who do YOU think were the team’s three best players?

Vote now online for the Club Player of the Year