Lappin and fellow senior players Daniel Bradsahw and Jamie Charman were selected in the match in order to could gain valuable match fitness prior to the Lions round 1 clash with Hawthorn on Saturday 31 March.
Lappin played the majority of the match in the middle and would have pleased all Lions supporters with his performance. Not only did he find plenty of the ball, but there were also instances of 'vintage Lappin' runs along the wing.
His elbow injury was tested by his Morningside opponents with a number of tough collisions, however he continued to play almost every minute of the first three quarters before being rested. His successful return gives him a great chance of being selected against Hawthorn next weekend.
Bradshaw's return was soured when he was forced to leave the field half way through the first quarter with a sore knee. He had already kicked a couple of goals in the opening ten minutes of the match before limping from the field. He will have scans this morning to assess the damage and determine whether he will be available for the season opener.
Charman shared his duties between centre-half forward, full-forward and in the ruck and showed that he had lost none of his pre-season form. He controlled the ruck, took a number of contested marks and provided an option up forward.
Albert Proud, who was selected by the Lions with their 2nd pick in the 2006 National Draft made an impressive first appearance in Lions colours. The Queensland teenager lived up to his hype as he continually crashed packs and won the contested ball. The good-sized pacy midfielder made a noticeable impact each time he went near the ball.
Fellow draftee Sam Sheldon was also prominent both in the midfield and up forward while Wayde Mills and Daniel Dzufer were solid down back.
Scott Clouston, playing for the first time against his former side, presented well across half forward and showcased the athletic abilities that saw him drafted to the Lions in the rookie draft back in December.
Ball magnet Marcus Allan racked up plenty of possessions while draftees Chris Schmidt and James Hawksley showed enough to get supporters excited about their futures with the club.
Former Lions rookie Matt Pardew and Jonathan Brown's younger brother Tim Brown were familiar faces among the opposition and were both good contributors.
