THE BRISBANE Lions have moved to shore up their ageing backline by selecting two young Tasmanian defenders at Thursday night's NAB AFL Draft.
After giving away their high-end selections to lure prized recruits Dayne Beams and Allen Christensen during last month's Trade Period, the Lions' first live selection was not until the fourth round.
They pounced on Glenorchy's Josh Watts at pick No.65, and followed up with Lauderdale's Josh McGuinness at pick No.81.
Watts is a tall defender who loves to attack, while McGuinness is a rebounding defender who takes the game on.
Both need a bit of work to get up to AFL standard, but the fill positions the Lions need.
After losing Joel Patfull to GWS and with Daniel Merrett and Matt Maguire to start next season on the wrong side of 30, recruiting manager Stephen Conole said the Lions had to address the back six.
"Definitely. Sometimes you can't be selective with all the types you want at the back end of the draft," Conole said.
"We definitely targeted both our Tassie boys who play positions we don't have too many players that play."
The Lions also took half-forward Jaden McGrath to go along with their pre-selected academy players Liam Dawson and Harris Andrews, along with father-son selection Josh Clayton.
Selection No.44 – Liam Dawson (Aspley/Lions Academy)
Recruiting manager Stephen Conole says: "We think Liam was a steal. We think he can play that role across half-forward. He's a beautiful ball handler - aerially and at ground level - he's a one-touch player, he's got good acceleration and he's a difficult match-up, because at 190cm he can play taller and he can play smaller."
Selection No.61 – Harris Andrews (Aspley/Lions Academy)
Recruiting manager Stephen Conole says: "He's a monster of a boy now at 200cm. Harris played down back really well for Queensland, so whether he continues to develop as a backman or goes and plays as a ruck/forward type, I think there's a couple of options for Harris. I'm not sure where his ceiling is, we're pretty excited about potentially where he may end up."
Selection No.65 – Josh Watts (Glenorchy)
Recruiting manager Stephen Conole says: "He's a player we think can fill a role for us. He's a tall defender who loves to attack the game and he's strong overhead. Like a lot of young talls, he's going to have a bit of work to do on certain parts of his game, but we think he's got some attributes that not many in our club have."
Selection No.73 – Jaden McGrath (Bendigo Pioneers)
Recruiting manager Stephen Conole says: "He was an AIS boy for both his 17th and 18th years but had a horrid run with injuries and really didn't get going. Some of his footy at 16 and 17 was exceptional. We know he can play high half-forward and through the wing. He's talented enough, which for us was a really important factor. He's a very clean ball handler, he's courageous and he's really footy smart."
Selection No.81 – Josh McGuinness (Lauderdale)
Recruiting manager Stephen Conole says: "Josh is a rebounding defender. He's a strong offensive player and loves to take the game on. We don't have a wealth of players that play that role, so we're hoping he can. He's a lightly framed boy so he'll have to fill out. We lost Joel (Patfull), but we've still got Jed and some experience in the back half, so he'll be able to learn from players like that for the next couple of years."
Selection No.86 – Josh Clayton (Sandringham Dragons/Brighton Grammar)
Recruiting manager Stephen Conole says: "Josh will probably play high half-forward. He's a terrific athlete and has got some real power about his game. His finals form for Sandringham was very good, he kicked goals and really stood up in times when the game was in the balance."
