Brisbane continues to dominate the off-season, with former Bomber Conor McKenna opting to revive his AFL career with the Lions.
McKenna departed Essendon after 2020, but has since elected to return to the game, with Port Adelaide, St Kilda and the Bombers among the teams interested.
He joins Jack Gunston and Josh Dunkley, who joined the Lions in the trade period, as well as prospective number one draft pick Will Ashcroft and another first rounder Jaspa Fletcher, both of whom will join as father-son prospects.
David King believes they “clearly” had one of the best off-seasons we’ve seen in recent years, but says they still have a lot of work to do over summer.
“Dunkley is going to have a massive impact on that midfield that in the end wasn’t tough enough,” King told SEN Breakfast.
“Their backline failed. They didn’t really have the defensive gridlock that they had in the first half of the season.
“And they didn’t have a record against top eight teams last year.
“They have to get better and be better to contend and contending, in my opinion, you have to finish top four at the end of the season … they have to maximise their home ground advantage.
“I think they’ll have a new captain next year. It’s time now. (Dayne) Zorko had his own challenges with sledging and stuff and I just don’t think you need that distraction from your number one man.
“I think that Harris Andrews will probably be captain next year and he’d make a good captain I reckon and it could be good for him to take on greater responsibility.
“I’m excited about what Brisbane can do in 2023, but they’re just amongst a group of five or six teams that are going to be at the pointy end of next year and going all out to win it. It’s going to be another fantastic season.”
King believes the additions of Dunkley and Ashcroft will free up Cam Rayner and Zac Bailey to play more in the forward half.
“I don’t think Cam Rayner is a midfielder at all. I think he’s a centre-forward player. He’s that hybrid forward that can take a contested pack mark and can crumb and create scores,” he said.
“He’s a forward 50 player. They’ve tried to make him a midfielder because they’ve been light on midfielders. They haven’t got 10 guys they can throw through the midfield, they’ve only got six to eight.
“So they’ve had to use Rayner in there and Zac Bailey in there.
“Now Dunkley comes in. Will Ashcroft will spend time on a wing and gives you McCluggage inside even more. They don’t have to challenge their forwards to be midfielders anymore.”
Gunston meanwhile could reshape the Lions’ forward line, according to King.
“How many goals will Gunston kick next year? He’ll get a lot of supply down that end of the ground,” he said.
“If he kicks 40-plus they’re a top four lock.”
The Lions finished the 2022 home and away season in sixth position before winning two finals on the way to a Preliminary Final defeat to eventual premiers Geelong.