THE STRUGGLING Brisbane Lions have received some words of encouragement from an unlikely source in Geelong coach Chris Scott.
Scott was one of 10 inductees into the Lions Hall of Fame on Wednesday night, and despite his current affiliation with the Cats, had some words of wisdom for the young Lions.
Like fellow inductees Chris Johnson, Shaun Hart and Darryl White, Scott had to battle through some arduous times in his early days before sharing in the club's premiership era from 2001-2003.
Scott described how tough it was to leave Victoria as a schoolboy and be drafted by a club rooted near the bottom of the ladder.
With the Lions currently battling both off-field and on-field – they are last with a 1-8 record – Scott's words were all too relevant to today's plight.
"You have a tendency to look at the premiership years and dwell on the really good times, but I spend more time reflecting on the really tough times when people thought we were so far away it wasn't funny," Scott said.
"Even the Brisbane players today, I guarantee you, if you do get success in the future, it will be so much better to have started from the beginning when things were really tough."
His words were pointed after five young players left the Lions last season, citing homesickness, forcing the club to usher in seven new draftees.
They have been the one bright spot this season, with James Aish and Lewis Taylor receiving Rising Star nominations, and Darcy Gardiner, Nick Robertson and Tom Cutler all showing enormous promise.
The young Lions core will all face the same problems as the battling Bears/Lions of the early 1990s.
Scott said he appreciated the opportunity to get games when he was young, when in stronger teams he probably wouldn't have got those chances.
White explained how difficult it was for him coming from the Northern Territory, and often not returning to pre-season training in Brisbane until February.
Hart recounted how he survived a three-horse race to remain on the Bears list under Robert Walls, before going on to 273 career games, premierships and a Norm Smith Medal.
Johnson came to Brisbane prior to the 1997 season as one of eight Fitzroy players in the new merged club.
He said if it wasn't for then football manager Scott Clayton, he would have been traded back to Melbourne.
Between Fitzroy and the merged Lions, Johnson was part of three wooden spoon teams in his first five years before going on to the premierships and two All Australian selections.
The message was loud and clear from each inductee – ride out the hard times and it's worth it in the end.
Johnson said he saw upside with the current crop.
"They have young kids getting the opportunity to play senior football," Johnson said.
"The Aishs of the world, the Taylors of the world coming through, they've got a lot to offer this club and they're going to be around for a while."
