Up to 10 Lions could make their debut for the Club this week, with Brisbane set to showcase their draft and trade targets.
One of those is No.2 draft pick Josh Schache, who will join fellow newcomers Ben Keays, Eric Hipwood, Reuben William and Rhys Mathieson in the Lions’ side to play the Gold Coast Suns in Burpengary on Sunday.
They will join second year players Matt Hammelmann and Josh Clayton, along with off-season recruits Tom Bell, Josh Walker and Jarrad Jansen who will pull on the jumper for the first time.
Mitch Robinson will captain the side. The 26-year-old led the way in 2015 with his fearless attack and has been rewarded with the leadership role on Sunday.
“It’s exciting for Mitch, it’s exciting for the players. He really wants to grow his leadership as well so it will be good to get that experience for him,” Senior Coach Justin Leppitsch told lions.com.au
“We’ve got a lot of guys wearing the jumper for the first time – 10 in total.
“It’s a mixture of our first round picks, our trade ins and even (players like) Josh Clayton who’s been at the Club 12 months.
“It’s exciting for the group.”
The Lions’ full 29-man squad will be named on Thursday and trimmed to 26 on Sunday, with an extended bench of eight players and no cap on rotations.
Lions to debut:
Josh Schache
Ben Keays
Eric Hipwood
Reuben William
Rhys Mathieson
Josh Clayton
Matt Hammelmann
Tom Bell
Jarrad Jansen
Josh Walker
