The Lions days are numbered

[I bleed Maroon]

No, I'm not talking about the majestic predator of the Serengeti. I'm talking about the Brisbane AFL club, which is pretty much the opposite of a Predator at this point.

They're borderline bankrupt, they can't pay people to turn up to the Gabba, they can't even pay players to travel north from Victoria to live in a much more appealing state and they're getting smashed by 60+ points in every game as a result. Competing against the Broncos in Brisbane is one thing but when you're getting belted around the ears by the local A-League side that shares a similar mascot, you know you're in deep shit. The glory days of the early 2000's seems like an eternity ago.

If I were to put a bit of dosh on it, I give them 5 years. At most. After the money sink that was Western Sydney, I highly doubt the AFL will go out of their way to save them. Aussie Rules in QLD is virtually dead as it is.

 

[Charmamba]

The rise of Rugby and Soccer is having an impact and the success of other codes will draw in the fans, however I don't think they will die anytime soon. I'll welcome this discussion again in 5yrs if they are bankrupt and I'm wrong however. The Roars success is just taking a chunk out of other teams for now, Broncos will have issues as well if they don't find success tho the Origin success keeps the interest up.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Flaming

 

[Broncoman]

I only go to Lions games when they play Collingwood and at that game the Magpies fans outnumber the Lions considerably.

Doesnt seem all that long ago the Lions were the codes powerhouse team that won 3 straight premierships and sold out the Gabba at every game. They have gone downhill dramatically since 2009 with terrible recruitment, player retention and I would imagine morale would be low after the hammering they got yesterday.

Doesn't worry me in the slightest as a Magpies fan I lost 2 grand finals to them so I'm enjoying their decline :p

 

[Old Mate]

I only go to Lions games when they play Collingwood and at that game the Magpies fans outnumber the Lions considerably.

Doesnt seem all that long ago the Lions were the codes powerhouse team that won 3 straight premierships and sold out the Gabba at every game. They have gone downhill dramatically since 2009 with terrible recruitment, player retention and I would imagine morale would be low after the hammering they got yesterday.

Doesn't worry me in the slightest as a Magpies fan I lost 2 grand finals to them so I'm enjoying their decline :p

*roosters/dragons fan.

 

[Bucking Beads]

Doesn't worry me in the slightest as a Magpies fan I lost 2 grand finals to them so I'm enjoying their decline :p

The best part is the Lions might be declining but they will always have those Grand Final wins against Collingwood.

 

[DropBear]

I went to a Lions game once at the Gabba. I was bored after 10 minutes. Nowhere near the live spectacle that is league. They'll bounce back surely but, and no chance they will fold as they seem to have a decent following.

 

[Cult]

I only go to Lions games when they play Collingwood and at that game the Magpies fans outnumber the Lions considerably.

Doesnt seem all that long ago the Lions were the codes powerhouse team that won 3 straight premierships and sold out the Gabba at every game. They have gone downhill dramatically since 2009 with terrible recruitment, player retention and I would imagine morale would be low after the hammering they got yesterday.

Doesn't worry me in the slightest as a Magpies fan I lost 2 grand finals to them so I'm enjoying their decline :p

That's because AFL fans don't follow the team from the city they're from. I actually know 2 other Lions fans and the rest are Collingwood, Sydney or Essendon fans. All from Brisbane too.

 

[Fozz]

The AFL won't let the Lions fold, no point in expansion to western Sydney if you're just going to let Brisbane fold.

 

[pennywisealfie]

that would be awesome to see them go.

 

[subsbligh]

Not a chance in hell.

The player draft and a salary cap means it doesn't matter where the talent comes from.

The club could be based on the moon and have zero juniors.

 

[Renegade]

Don't know much about the game but take a very distant, passing interest in their fortunes.

Someone with more knowledge about the game, what's their problem? Apart the year Vossy lead them into the finals they have just been shit year after year, and their recruitment seems to be more of players leaving than coming in.

Do they need to tank in order to get those picks (which they might've gotten if not for the new expansion sides?), or are they just seen as an unattractive proposition for moderate - elite players?

 

[Bull Shark]

I don't profess to know a great deal about the workings of the AFL so I could be way off track here but I get the sense the AFL seems to be somewhat responsible for the Lions' fall from grace .. They made some pretty swift moves after the Lions won three straight flags to ensure they had their salary cap exemptions removed and the team has obviously never been anywhere near it's heights of 2001-2004 since ... Whether that's entirely to blame or even partially to blame, again, I don't know ... but it seems the AFL certainly got its desired result in diminishing the Lions' on-field strengths.

I'd hazard a guess and say that there must have also been some poor management from the Lions themselves to put the club where it is ...


Another thing I don't really understand with the AFL is why it takes clubs so long to rebuild once their "premiership window" closes...or if they're just coming into the competition... ie the Melbourne Demons are currently talked about as being years away from being a relevant force again, Richmond are just starting to re-emerge after years of disappointment and the Suns and GWS had to basically endure two or three years of absolute annihilations before they started to become even somewhat competitive ... it's almost like the NRL used to be in the early days of the broncos where certain teams were just mired to the foot of the ladder year after year and a handful of clubs were always successful.

 

[Bucking Beads]

The Lions are in such a bad way because they sat on their hands after winning the 3Peat. They also lost a lot of money in the GFC which has put them into massive debt. Their training facilities are years behind many of their competitors. To top it off they bottomed out the years the draft was compromised by the 2 new franchises that were brought in. AFL clubs rely a lot on their drafting to become a good side. It is much harder to sign players to make you better instantly in the AFL. They do have Free Agency now though so clubs should be able to rebuild a bit quicker.

 

[Sproj]

Geelong has been the only club that has managed to rejuvenate itself without taking a fall, though Hawthorne and Collingwood have done a similar job but all of them benefit a lot from father-son rules and very good coaching and management. The Lions screwed up in chasing Fevola but just as Voss was getting them looking good again, they inexplicably sacked him plus losing a bucketload of players who were coming good as a result. The mess the Lions are in is a direct result of very, very poor management and no heads have rolled for it. This season they are basically starting fresh again with the added disadvantage of all those missed draft picks to GWS and GC. I have no sympathy for them at all as they have basically bought all this upon themselves.

 

[Bucking Beads]

The fevola debacle had a massive impact. Lots of salary cap money gone in that decision. The previous List manager did a very poor job transitioning the club after the Premiership success.

 

[I bleed Maroon]

Time to reassess for some people?

Even the AFL guys think they're done:

Brisbane needs help | Page 33 | BigFooty AFL Forum

When it comes to Brisbanes sporting clubs, they're about as far in last place as you can get.

 

[Bucking Beads]

They aren't done. The AFL has just expanded they won't let a club in an expansion area fold.