At the very least there will be one change to Round 23 side that will face third-placed Geelong at Simonds Stadium on Saturday night, with retired premiership player Ash McGrath bowing out after playing his final AFL match last Sunday.
This opening presents an opportunity for the Match Committee to reward those players who have been performing consistently in the NEAFL.
One such player is ruckman Matthew Leuenberger, who is fresh from his best game of the season with the Lions Reserves last weekend.
The Lions have taken a cautious approach to Leuenberger’s return, but will be buoyed by his four-goal performance against the UWS Giants in Sydney.
It might also give the Club a glimpse into how he and in-form ruckman Stefan Martin might work together in the same side.
The other option would be to keep Leuenberger in cotton wool to avoid any potential aggravation of his ailments, and ensure he’s fit and firing for the start of 2015.
Mitch Golby is another player who could be in line for a recall after getting through two NEAFL games on his return from injury.
Zac O’Brien, Ryan Lester, Jackson Paine, Jordan Lisle, and Nick Robertson have also shown promising signs with the Reserves, and will come under serious consideration.
Dayne Zorko, Jed Adcock, Justin Clarke, and draftee Lewy Taylor, if selected, will finish the season as the only four Lions to have played in every game this season.
It will be a particularly huge achievement for Taylor, who is not only in his first AFL season, but had an interrupted pre-season with a foot complaint.
The match could also provide Taylor and fellow draftee James Aish to press their final claims for the 2014 AFL Rising Star award – an honour which both players are legitimate chances of taking home next week.
The Lions’ final Round 23 team will be announced on lions.com.au at 6:25pm on Thursday evening.
