Irishman Pearce Hanley’s ascendance to become one of the game's most skilled players is truly remarkable, but the vice-captain is all about team, and with 35 wins from his 107 career games, Hanley hasn't had much to celebrate.

He has not played a final, yet.

And after his club finished 17^th last season with just four wins, Hanley wants to buck the trend.

He says following another off-season of change – with 10 players brought in via trades and drafting - the Lions have spoken as a group about stopping the rot.

"We've put a lot of work in this pre-season - (we're) drawing a line in the sand on us going forward," Hanley told AFL.com.au.

"We're going to build and be a good club, we're going to retain players and we're going to play finals soon.

"We're working towards that, training's going well and the club's in a great place at the moment, so everything's looking good."

Aside from veteran fullback Daniel Merrett, Hanley is now the longest serving player on the list.

He played just 11 games last year after a hip operation wiped out the first half of his season.

Hanley says after a deliberately slow start to his pre-season, he is now primed to help drive the Lions back up the ladder.

"The group just feels tighter, our culture has taken a step in the right direction and the boys want to be around the place," he said.

"Everyone has taken more ownership of themselves and the team. The boys are training better, everyone's talking a lot more on the training track.

"More players taking more on has been an emphasis - and growing as footballers and leaders."

The Lions' three best midfielders – Hanley, captain Tom Rockliff and new vice-captain Dayne Beams – played together just three times last season.

"We've got a good list here," Hanley said.

"Yes, we are very young and got hit with a lot of injuries last year, so we ended up bringing a lot of kids in.

"If we can get everyone fit and playing at the same time, we have a very good team and an exciting year ahead."