Jarryd Lyons looms as a semi-final selection heartbreak story, with the Brisbane midfielder facing a second consecutive match on the sidelines – after playing the previous 89 games in a row for the club.
The Lions are expected to make multiple changes for their semi-final against Melbourne, with star Cam Rayner and defender Noah Answerth set to return after serving their respective one-match bans.
No. 1 ruck Oscar McInerney will miss due to concussion protocols, meaning Darcy Fort will likely be re-called to the senior side after being held back from playing in Brisbane’s VFL win over Carlton on Saturday.
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Callum Ah Chee, Darcy Wilmot and Deven Robertson were the three inclusions for Rayner, Lyons and Answerth for the thrilling elimination final over Richmond, with Wilmot and Robertson impressing. Wilmot played with maturity beyond his years in his AFL debut match, while Robertson curtailed the influence of Dion Prestia then Trent Cotchin in an excellent run-with performance.
Ah Chee, who kicked a goal against Richmond but was the lowest-rated player on the ground, could be left out of the best 22, while Jaxon Prior and Mitch Robinson, who’ve both been in and out of the Lions’ senior side this year, might also miss selection.
But Lyons, who didn‘t play in the elimination final due to groin soreness, appears no certainty to return, despite finishing in the top four of the Lions’ past three consecutive club champion counts and being part of the 2021 All-Australian squad.
Before Brisbane’s two-point win over Richmond, Lyons had played in all 89 Lions matches since joining the club as a delisted free agent prior to the 2019 season.
Then after missing the thrilling final, Lyons played limited minutes for the Lions’ VFL team on Saturday, amassing 16 disposals and four clearances for the match. The call was made so Lyons had some sort of competitive minutes under his belt to ensure he’d be prepared to return for an AFL semi-final if called upon. That call, however, seems unlikely.
Asked on RSN Breakfast Club on Tuesday whether he’d face the Demons, Lyons said: “I’m not sure yet. I can’t give you a definitive answer on that yet.
“We’ve got training (on Tuesday), I’ll see how I go and if it’s no good, I won’t put my hand up.
“The club’s bigger than me at the moment. There was a fit 22 boys that got the job done on the weekend and I’m happy to back them in again. I’m not going to be a selfish player in that regard.
“I’m not going to go out there if I’m not 100 per cent, so we’ll just have to wait and see.“
The 30-year-old has been one of the Lions’ most dependable players in their previous three finals campaigns, but struggled since Brisbane’s mid-season bye this year, averaging 19.0 disposals from nine games – well below his 2021 average of 28.1.
Lyons said the heavy hit he copped against Melbourne in Round 15, which saw him subbed out of the game, had consequently affected his training and led to nagging groin soreness.
“It’s been a bit of a battle the second half of the year, but that’s alright. That’s AFL footy sometimes, you’ve got to grind your way through,” he said.
“Everyone thinks everything’s about gameday, but for me I’m a big trainer as well. That’s probably been the hardest part is not training. You lose all continuity in that regard.
“I like to probably push myself in terms of training on a Tuesday or a Wednesday – and not being able to do that really does affect going into the weekend. You can get a bit sluggish because you don’t have the loads in. It makes a big difference.
“I probably played a little bit too long, but when you’re playing all those games and you’re trying to get into the top four, it’s really hard to say ‘no’ in that regard. It was even harder before the weekend, but I’m really glad I was wrong.”
Lyons, who’s contracted to Brisbane until at least the end of 2024, said it was tough to watch his first Brisbane game while on the Lions’ list from the grandstand on Thursday night.
“I haven’t watched a game of footy at the Gabba. I sat up in the stats box and watched it from a coaches’ point of view and you get a really different feel for the game out there,” he said.
“It was hard to watch, but at the same time it actually gave me a really good feel for the game and you can see a lot of things out there that you can’t see at ground level. It was a different perspective.”
