With everyone looking to find something to do, given the early finish to the Melbourne Test, let’s have a look at the back-to-back premiers, Brisbane.
The footy gods (the AFL) must be beside themselves that Geelong didn’t win last year. Maybe that’s a clue, no matter how hard you allegedly try to conspire towards an outcome, that outcome is still uncertain. Anyway…
List:
Coming off a back-to-back, not much is going to change at Brisbane. Although, I am starting to see the same pattern in Brisbane’s list as I have previously seen at Richmond, Melbourne, and Hawthorn. As a club works to continue its premiership window, a gap opens up between its experienced and often twilight players, and its junior players. Those clubs always justify the gap by inferring that the next wave is coming. Of course, time tells on that.
Draper is set to take over from Fort, if the former can hold up injury-wise. Otherwise, Harry Smith looks a good developing tall forward-ruck of the future.
The Brissie midfield’s numbers are very strong with 15 possible rotations. This is the key!
Allen has come onto the list for Day, although, Hipwood could do with more rest time. Coleman will continue in his recovery but will be challenged by others. While Doedee will be looking to have some of the glory that he moved from Adelaide for.
Annable was their first pick in the draft so could come in early. The other one to keep an eye on is the 18yo, 191cm, strong Irish stallion, Ben Murphy, whom the Irish were aghast at losing from their system.
Select 22:
As expected from a back-to-back club, it will go in largely unchanged but will look to include its trading targets early. Allen should start as the key target. Draper should be changing with Fort. Payne takes twice as many intercepts as Gardner, so should be preferred as the other tall defender. And Coleman might fill out the 22, if fit.
As we all know, three-in-a-row is a hard get. For Brisbane, Lachie Neale might be the key. When he was injured, they looked ordinary against the TOP teams; when he was fitter, they lifted a notch. It’s a big ask, but the club looks well-managed and stable. By mid-season, we’ll know if they’ve crashed, or not.
Brisbane 2026 selected 23:
B: Zorko, Andrews, Lester
HB; Wilmot, Payne, Fletcher
C: Berry, McCluggage, Answerth
HF: Dunkley, Morris, Rayner
F: Bailey, Allen (new), Cameron
R: Fort, W.Ashcroft, Neale
I: Coleman, Lohmann, L.Ashcroft, Draper (new), Hipwood
You can follow all my list updates as they become available at https://www.ozfootylistmanager.com/2026-lists-new.html
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About
It was 25 years ago that I began developing a model for analysing footy squad lists for the purpose of improving those lists into a premiership window. Since then, the model has been used to successfully predict premiership clubs and to improve either lop-sided or underdeveloped lists into premiership lists. Indeed, the model was used for an article that I had published as a double page spread in The Age 2005 Pre-Season magazine. Over the 25 years, I have analysed the annual lists of one particular club but have used it for other clubs upon request. It has always been on my bucket list to display the lists of all the clubs, using the model, which I've done since 2021 on my website - OzFootyListManager.com
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