Ever tried to pick a combined Brisbane Lions team from the 2001-02-03 premiership group and the 2024-25 premiership group hunting a third flag this year?
It’s tough beyond tough, and a challenge for another day.
But one current player who would be an absolute certain inclusion in any combined side is Harris Andrews.
Regardless of how good Justin Leppitsch and Mal Michael were in the key defensive posts of Leigh Matthews’ side, Andrews is a must.
And if you had any doubts they would have been set aside after his brilliant performance in the Lions’ two-point loss to Melbourne at the MCG on Sunday.
He shared top ranking in the coaches votes with Demons pair Kade Chandler and Harvey Langford, each picking up eight votes in a game which the Lions would have lost by a lot more without the ever-cool co-captain.
He had 22 possessions – third-most on his 242-game career and behind only Lachie Neale (31), Darcy Wilmot (27) and Will Ashcroft (26) in the Brisbane side – at a 90.9% disposal efficiency.
He was game-high with 12 intercept possessions, three contested marks and 12 1%ers – which was twice as many as any other player. And his 10 contested possessions was behind only to Neale (16) and Melbourne captain Max Gawn (15).
And that’s without considering his leadership and direction, his ability to read the ball in flight and be in the right place at the right time, and all the other little things not recorded on the stats sheet.
It was one of his very best performances, and could potentially deliver his first three-vote rating in the Brownlow Medal in a Brisbane loss.
For that to happen in the medal vote count in September it will probably need the umpires to have sided with Brisbane coach Chris Fagan, who most likely awarded five votes to Andrews and gave four and three to Chandler and Langford.
For the trio to finish with eight apiece this would mean that in the coaches votes Melbourne’s Steven King gave three votes to Andrews, and rated Chandler and Langford above the Brisbane skipper in the reverse order to Fagan.
The only other Queenslander to poll in the Round 6 AFLCA Player of the Year Award was Brisbane goal sneak Charlie Cameron, who picked up two votes for 14 possessions, three goals (including an extraordinary late effort that kept the game alive) and nine score involvements.
Bruce Reville was on track for votes at halftime in the twin milestone game at the MCG, when the Lions were looking for a win to celebrate Lachie Neale’s 300th game and Josh Dunkley’s 200th.
He had an equal game-high 15 possessions at the long break in what was looming as the best game of his career, but played limited minutes in the second half due to injury and cramp.
Still he finished with 20 possessions and 10 score involvements, which was Brisbane’s best and one short of Chandler’s 11 for the Demons.
Two other Queenslanders figured prominently in Round 6 of the season in differing results.
Adelaide forward Ben Keays lived every young boy’s dream when he kicked the winning goal in their one-point win over St Kilda at Adelaide Oval.
And Richmond ruckman Samson Ryan had one of the best performances of his 27-game career. He had 13 possessions, one short of his career best, a game-high 24 hit-outs, a career-best six inside 50s, an equal career-best four tackles, plus eight contested possessions and four clearances.
Jack Bowes continued his run of good form for Geelong as they beat the Western Bulldogs by 75 points in Geelong, picking up 23 possessions and nine score involvements, while Oskar Baker was among the Dogs' best with 13 possessions and two goals.
Corey Wagner had 21 possessions in Fremantle’s 56-point win over West Coast which gave him a 3-0 record in the Perth derby.
And in a Gold Coast side that scrambled to an eight-point People First Stadium win over Essendon, Lachie Weller was a standout with 22 possessions and his side’s only two goals of the final quarter off the wing. Ethan Read continued to impress with a career-best 16 possessions and two goals.
