LAST September, Bradd Dalziell was playing reserves finals for East Fremantle and thought his chance to become an AFL player might have come and gone.
Come September 2008 and Dalziell could yet be finals-bound with the Brisbane Lions, on the strength of a brilliant debut in Saturday night’s 46-point win over West Coast at the Gabba.
While some of his better-known teammates battled in their first games at elite level – superstar forward Jonathan Brown famously failed to pick up a possession – Dalziell looked comfortable from the outset, eventually compiling a team-high 32 possessions.
“It’s a great feeling – coming off two losses, to get a win was great both for the team and me,” Dalziell said.
“I didn’t expect play as much as did, I thought I’d probably play maybe half a game and just get a taste.
“At the start the ball was flying around and my first thought was ‘I’ve got myself into it here.’ But once I got into the game I began thinking it was going to be alright.”
Dalziell, taken by the Lions with the No.52 pick of last year’s National Draft, started on the ground and picked up two quick possessions – en route to an outing that also included 19 handball receives, two centre clearances and five inside-50s.
His performance both impressed and pleasantly surprised coach Leigh Matthews.
“In your wildest dreams you wouldn’t have thought he’d be able to do that,” Matthews said in praise of the debutant.
“The fact he was able to play big minutes and get involved in the flow of the game – what he did was the type of game he’s been playing in the reserves.
Dalziell has already made a big impression in less than nine months at the Gabba, breaking Simon Black’s long-standing “beep test” record and racking up plenty of disposals for the Suncoast Lions.
If he can hold his spot in the team and the sixth-placed Lions go on to play finals for the first time since 2004, he’ll probably pause to reflect on how much can change in the course of a year.
A relatively “mature” recruit, Dalziell was scouted by the club’s WA-based recruiting assistant Graeme Hadley, father of former Lion Richard Hadley.
“I struggled for most of last year, mainly because I missed half the season with a broken arm,” Dalziell recalled.
“I think I only played three senior games (with East Fremantle) and I’d set myself for a big year, so I was pretty disappointed.
“Graeme Hadley kept an eye on me, was really good to me and got me over here. I thought the chance might have passed me by.”
The 21-year-old became the fourth Lion from last year’s draft to debut in 2008, following Lachie Henderson, James Polkinghorne and Tom Collier.
He said playing the first two thirds of the season in the AFLQ had taught him some invaluable footballing lessons.
“What Leigh and coaches told me was that it wasn’t about getting 30 or 40 touches but sticking to the game plan and what you have to do off the ball,” Dalziell said.
“You have to look after teammates and put your head over ball – and I had to make sure I got that right first.
“(Previously) my game was a bit about getting rid of the ball and then wanting it back again. I’ve tried to get more into giving it and then doing the shepherding.”
