Brisbane Lions Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch has spoken with lions.com.au about the Club's pre-season and 2016 campaign.
 
Leppitsch said changes to the Club’s staff and playing group at the end of last season, which saw the introduction of 10 new players, had provided the team with a new energy and exciting approach to football.
 
Brisbane’s list has an unfamiliar look about it after a busy off-season; the Lions picked up a former Blue in Tom Bell as well as Geelong pair Jarrad Jansen and Josh Walker and former North Melbourne midfielder Ryan Bastinac. A total of six draftees arrived at the Club, including tall forward Josh Schache (the son of the late former Brisbane Bears player Laurence Schache), Eric Hipwood and Ben Keays from the Club’s Hyundai Help for Kids Lions Academy. Rhys Mathieson, Sam Skinner and Reuben William also joined the Lions in November.
 
“There’s been a fair bit of change over the past couple of years,” Leppitsch said.
 
“We’re really three years into our game planning and what we’re doing.
 
“Given their age they should get better, bigger, stronger and faster every year. We’re at the age of constant improvement.
 
“After the age of 25 is normally the age you’ve hit your peak, we’re still far from that for the majority of our group.”

As the pre-season continues training loads have increased, with the team put through three 3-hour training sessions a week in the steaming Queensland heat.
 
Leppitsch said Sam Mayes and Marco Paparone had set the standard along with a couple of less familiar faces.
 
“Tom Bell in his first season at the Club has led the way on the track,” he said.
 
“Josh Clayton’s got better even though he hasn’t played a senior game yet.
 
“It’s great to see Closey (Michael Close) back training. His physical presence has been certainly there.
 
“It’s actually a bit unfair not to mention all of them.”
 
Leppitsch said all was going well for small forward Josh Green who is in the early stages of his rehab from a fractured foot.
 
“Greeny’s on track. His surgery went well. He should be back right on for Round One. Whether he makes it with his fitness regime, in terms of whether he gets enough time on his legs prior to Round One, will be another question.

“We’ll have to cross that bridge when we come to it.”