In the second of this three-part series, I’m taking on the task of reviewing the midfielders on the Lions’ list with the aim to pick my starting centre square, wingmen and bench.

I have once again tried to figure out what staring combination Senior Coach Justin Lepptisch might have in mind for a very experienced, big-bodied and finals- hardened side in Hawthorn.

The midfielders on the Lions’ list that I considered were; James Aish, Claye Beams, Rohan Bewick, Isaac Conway (Rookie), Jack Crisp, Pearce Hanley, Nick Hayes (Rookie), Ryan Lester, Matthew Leuenberger, Sam Michael (Rookie), Brent Moloney, Zac O’Brien (Rookie), Andrew Raines, Jack Redden, Daniel Rich, Nick Robertson, Tom Rockliff, Archie Smith (Rookie), Lewis Taylor and Trent West.

Starting with the centre line I have opted for pace on the wings and combined that with ball winning midfielders in the centre.

I expect that Pearce Hanley and Andrew Raines will be named on each of the wings.

Hanley is one of the most exciting midfielders in the competition and provided plenty of highlights last season running along the wing and off the half backline. He is primed to step into the category of AFL elite midfielders and will be one of the first targets for taggers this season.

Hanley has electrifying pace and agility and he is a fantastic user of the football. He is committed to the Lions’ cause, and displayed this by signing a 5-year contract extension with the Club late last year.

Raines is the Lions’ number one tagger and took the opposition’s best midfielder in every one of his 18 games last season. He is disciplined with a fantastic work ethic, and will be vital to the Lions again this year when stopping the influence of the opposition’s star player. There is every possibility that Raines will be given a job on one of Hawthorn’s key play-makers, like Sam Mitchell or Shaun Burgoyne, to prevent clean possession in the middle of the ground.

Vice-Captain Tom Rockliff is another young Lion who looks headed for the AFL elite midfield bracket in Season 2014. He had a very strong finish to the end of last season. He averaged 32 disposals in his final eight games and finished sixth overall in the Brownlow Medal count as a result. Rockliff lead the way for the Lions in disposals, contested possessions and clearances and it is why I think he must start in the centre square.

The next position to consider is the ruck combination.

I believe that Matthew Leuenberger will be the Lions starting ruckman and his support coming off the bench will be Trent West, the new recruit from Geelong.

Leuenberger is the Lions first choice ruckman when fit and is arguably the most important player in the centre of the ground. Last season he showed fantastic tap-work (fifth in the AFL for average hit-outs) and mixed this with great endurance and agility for a player standing at 203cm.

I expect that Leuenberger will both rest forward and on the interchange. Last season saw an improvement from him when resting forward, kicking nine goals and taking contested marks. I think he will improve his goal kicking output this year when resting forward.

I see West as a clever recruit from the Lions recruiting team at the end of last year. He will be a more than handy back-up for Leuenberger this season as the Lions employ a two ruckman strategy. He brings with him experience from Geelong during an amazing period of success and this will be a great benefit to the young ruckmen on the Lions list.

The next positions to consider are the rover and ruck-rover, and I expect that two of the Lions’ big-bodied players in Brent Moloney and Daniel Rich will be starting in the centre square alongside Leuenberger and Rockliff.

Moloney had a strong start to last season and was one of the leaders for the Club in clearances. Although the second half of the season saw a few injuries to both his calf and hamstring, he provides added grunt for the Lions midfield and great power running. These qualities are necessary when facing the reigning premiers.

Rich also provides qualities of strength at the contest and power running with the added bonus of having one of the most penetrating kicks in the competition. The power, distance and accuracy he displays with his left boot provides a quick transition for the Lions from defence to attack.

Rich, like Hanley, has also re-signed with the Club in a great show of confidence for the Lions’ direction and future.

The additional midfielders that I believe will be headed to Tasmania in Round One will be James Aish, Jack Redden and Ryan Lester.

Aish has come to the Club with a solid background having spent the past two seasons playing for the back-to-back premiers Norwood in the SANFL. He played both NAB Challenge games this summer and has looked a natural at senior level. If Aish can maintain fitness throughout the season I think he can have a Jaegar O’Meara type effect on the AFL and, in the process, bring the NAB Rising Star award to Queensland for the second consecutive year.

Redden is a quality midfielder and had a superb finish to last season. He was second for the Lions in disposals, second in clearances and fourth in the AFL for tackles (147). He works great in close at the contest and is another Lions young gun that will be looking at taking that step into the elite midfielders of the AFL.

Lester continues my theme of big-bodied midfielders, but I have him taking the substitutes green vest. He had a breakthrough season last year and his three highest possession games were against competition big guns Sydney, Fremantle and Hawthorn. He has had a fantastic pre-season with 24 touches against Hawthorn and 19 against the Suns in the NAB Challenge and will be duly rewarded for his efforts.

Accordingly, I see the Lions’ starting midfield and the bench looking something like this:
 

I found attempting to pick the Lions’ midfield an extremely difficult task due to the talent in that area of the ground and the fact that the entire list is fit and ready to go.  

In this era of an interchange cap, it will be more likely that teams decide to load up on midfielders in their match-day squads who are versatile and can play through the middle, in front of goals and down back should the need arise.

Having quality depth in the midfield that can come straight into the staring side at a moment’s notice is something that the Lions currently have in abundance.

Any of Claye Beams, Rohan Bewick, Jack Crisp, and Nick Robertson is ready to step into the senior line-up should injury or form become an issue during the season. All have shown that they can win their own ball and have elite endurance, which is a massive plus for the Lions list.

Lewis Taylor was one of the form players at the NAB AFL Under-18 Championships last season for Vic Country. He lead the way as Captain of the team averaging 25 disposals and showed terrific agility, endurance and confidence at taking the game on. Taylor adds a string to his bow at being able to be deployed as a small forward should the opportunity arise. I suspect that he will see AFL action at some stage this year.

I see the Lions list having enormous competition for starting midfield spots and this, in turn, will drive training standards to a consistently high level during the year.

I have no doubt that this competition for a position is something that pleases Leppitsch and his coaching staff immensely.

The rookies including Isaac Conway, Nick Hayes, Sam Michael, Zac O’Brien and Archie Smith won’t come into the seniors unless a long-term injury is suffered. I expect that they will all continue to work diligently on all aspects of their game, including their endurance, their strength at the contest and their ball use in the Lions NEAFL team.

They are all very exciting prospects for the Lions’ future.

Well, that’s my wrap of the Lions’ midfielders and prediction of who will be included to face Hawthorn.?

The final part of this three-part series will be focusing on the Lions forwards and will be published on lions.com.au soon.

Carl Nimb is an independent writer and Lions Member (#2604559) who will contribute to lions.com.au throughout the season.

You can follow him on Twitter @CarlNimb