The tide is turning at the Brisbane Lions in relation to youngsters deciding to stay, rather than bolt the club, and it is no accident according to their CEO.
After the Lions endured a slew of departures from 2014-2016, the team set out a plan to create a positive culture that players wanted to be around. The process required an all-in mindset, and Greg Swann has revealed the mechanics behind building that environment.
“It is a holistic approach,” he told SEN Breakfast.
“With Fages (Chris Fagan) coming in as coach and Dave Noble as the footy manager, we have changed our welfare.
“With the way we accommodate them, we are trying to match that up better with families and other teammates. We are bringing the families along closer, for them to understand what is happening up here, we have a lot of interaction with them.
“We challenged ourselves, because it’s easy to sit there and say, they all keep going home, but that’s because of the environment.
“We had to change a lot of the things we were doing and I think that looks like it is paying good dividends for us.”
Swann, who has extended his contract with Brisbane until the end of 2019, conceded the past has been tough, but is confident the current crop of youngsters are buying into the club’s message.
“It has certainly been a battle for us, the go home five started it and it has been a challenge,” he said.
“Since the season finished, Jarrod Berry, Hugh McCluggage and Cam Rayner (have re-signed), and it is really positive.
“This group of young blokes, they haven’t made a pact, but they’re pretty tight and they’re looking to all stick together.
“Hopefully they form a nucleus of a pretty good team in the next few years.”
Along with Berry, McCluggage and Rayner, other Lions to recently pledge their commitment to the club include Jacob Allison, Archie Smith, Corey Lyons, Oscar McInerney, Mitch Hinge, Jake Barrett, Matt Eagles, Eric Hipwood, Daniel McStay, Cedric Cox and Nick Robertson.
Fagan has been a vital piece of moulding that culture, and it goes beyond the playing group.
“He is a great people person and people manager,” Swann said.
“That’s helpful as well. He has players over at his place for dinner because nearly everyone here is from somewhere else.
“We have a few locals out of the academy who are great, but everyone from coaches to staff, are pretty much from somewhere else.
“We want to build that community when you get here and Fages has been a great driver of that.”
Brisbane begins their 2018 campaign against St Kilda at Etihad Stadium on Saturday March 24.
Did you miss Greg Swann’s chat on SEN Breakfast with Garry Lyon and Tim Watson? Listen in the player below!