MARVELLOUS MARCO

Marco Paparone produced his second ‘career-best’ performance in succession on Saturday night against Essendon.

Fresh from collecting a career-best 18 disposals and nine marks against the Swans in Round 7, Paparone was everywhere against the Bombers, racking up a new career-high 29 disposals – at a remarkable efficiency rate of 83%.

In just his 13th senior AFL match, the 19-year-old also took seven marks and kicked a goal in a breakthrough AFL performance.

The East Fremantle product seemed to enjoy the open spaces on the wing, yet still ranks fifth at the Club in total goals this season.

You would expect Paparone’s name to come into serious consideration when the Rising Star selectors convene to discuss the potential Round 8 nominations…

GARDINER A TRUE COMPETITOR

Not every act on the football field has a statistic attached to it, and young defender Darcy Gardiner is prime example of a player whose value is far more than the sum of his numbers.

The stats sheet showed that Gardiner had nine disposals, three tackles and two marks against the Bombers, but his performance on Jake Carlisle was super impressive.

In just his fourth AFL game and lining up on an opposition player four years his senior, the Geelong Falcons product didn’t take a step back.

After kicking an early goal, Carlisle was largely ineffective for the remainder of the match, largely due to Gardiner’s close-checking. The fact that Carlisle ‘lost it’ during the third term and gave away a free kick and 50m penalty was testament to Gardiner’s ability to put him off his game.

It’s fair to say Lions fans have warmed quickly to Gardiner’s competitive instincts on the football field.

YOUNG CUBS IMPRESS

Justin Leppitsch spoke post-game about fans “starting a journey” with the Lions’ up-and-coming young players – and what a journey is promises to be.

Paparone and Gardiner (mentioned above) were just two of seven teenagers in the Lions’ Round 8 side, and each looks set for a big future.

James Aish (23 disposals), Sam Mayes (21 disposals) and Lewis Taylor (19 disposals) were all busy against the Bombers, but have already become fan favourites.

Tom Cutler is another who’s developing nicely, with his run, neat skills, and decision-making features of his game.

Last Saturday evening, Cutler had 15 disposals – 93% of which were effective – as well as six marks, six inside 50s and four running bounces.

CONTESTED POSSESSION

It seems that every AFL side mentions contested possession as a key area to success – and that’s because it’s critical in the modern game.

Although the Lions came up short on the scoreboard, they had a rare win in contested possession, edging out Essendon 130-117 in that key area.

That particular statistic would have pleased Leppitsch and his coaching staff, who had trained it hard during the week.

ROCKLIFF…AGAIN

This column might be sounding like a broken record, but it’s hard to ignore Tom Rockliff’s efforts again last Saturday against Essendon.

Rockliff had a team-high 35 disposals (14 contested), eight clearances and 11 tackles to once again be among the team’s best players.

The 2011 Club Champion has now totalled 30 or more disposals in five of his seven matches and now leads the Lions in total tackles.

AFL FANTASY TOP FIVE
1. Tom Rockliff – 147 points
2. Marco Paparone – 99 points
3. Pearce Hanley – 90 points
4. Jack Redden – 89 points
5. Sam Mayes – 82 points

WHO WAS BEST?
Afl.com.au listed Josh Green (three goals and six tackles), Aish, Rockliff, Paparone, and Pearce Hanley (27 disposals) as the Lions’ best, but who do YOU think were the team’s three best players?

Vote now online for the Club Player of the Year