Former list manager Stephen Silvagni says he isn’t worried about Brisbane recruiting two injury-prone players this off-season.
After Joe Daniher joined the club as a restricted free agent, the Lions were able to add to their haul by recruiting Cats midfielder Nakia Cockatoo on a two-year deal, who has notably struggled with several soft-tissue complaints in recent seasons.
Speaking about their two recent acquisitions, Silvagni said it was obvious the Lions were missing forward support for Eric Hipwood during the recently-completed finals series, where they were beaten by Geelong in the preliminary finals.
He also welcomed the calculated risk Brisbane is taking in recruiting Cockatoo, who hasn’t played senior footy since early 2018.
“My understanding with Nakia Cockatoo is he was close to playing this year,” he said on AFL Trade Radio's Late Trade.
“They’re backing themselves in and they’re in the window, at some point you need to take the punt.
“The Lions have gone to the last two finals series, they’ve right in their window and brought Joe Daniher in … when you go away from their finals campaign, they did need another quality tall.
“I think Eric Hipwood has enormous talent, but can’t do it on his own and isn’t his own physical presence. To bring in Nakia Cockatoo, he brings a bit of speed in that lineup.
Brisbane recently solved Lincoln McCarthy’s fitness issues, with the former Cat not missing a game through injury since joining the club at the end of 2018.