YESTERDAY Pearce Hanley sat in for Tom Rockliff at the Captains Day in Melbourne. The media flocked to ask our Vice-Captain a variety of questions and among these was the question of who he expects to have a breakout season at the Lions in 2016.
His Answer: Tom Cutler
“I’m excited to see how (Tom Cutler) goes. He’s mostly an unknown quantity outside of Brisbane. He’s a terrific player and he’s had an excellent pre-season. I’ve worked closely with him so I’m excited to see how he goes.,” Hanley told Fox Sports.
Standing at 190cm tall and weighing 89kg, Cutler is a dynamic option in the Lions defence. In 2015 Cutler made big strides in his development, often used for his run off half back. He finished the Season having played 11 games and averaged 21 disposals.
Cutler has had a big pre-season, and is looking to lock down a spot and become a defensive cornerstone for the young Lions backline.
In an article written by Michael Whiting earlier in the year, Whiting described Tom Cutler by saying:
"Much like teammate Pearce Hanley, Cutler glides across the grass with ball in hand, has a thumping right boot, and at 192cm is a perfect size to play on either medium-size forwards or smalls.
He has shortcomings – his disposal can be erratic – but Cutler and Sam Mayes running from half-back is a mouth watering proposition for Lions fans."
Cutler looks to lock down spot in 2016
Cutler's main weapon is his run, something that he and Hanley have in common, and he has said that a chat he had with Hanley last Season has gone a long way.
"I try and take elements of Pearce's running game and style into my game," he said to afl.com.au.
"He spoke to me on several occasions (last year) and we broke down film together looking at how I could do certain things."
Cutler is also an AFL Fantasy performer. He was this week labelled by The Traders as an AFL Fantasy quiet achiever. The Traders also expect Cutler to break out in his third year in the system and he is coming off NAB Challenge scores of 83 and 89.
Who do you think will breakout in Season 2016?
More on Lions.com.au
Rocky Charges Through Training
NAB Challenge: What We Learned
