Brisbane Lions News

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss has confirmed the club will delist Troy Selwood at season's end.

"The best way for him to finish, we thought, was to play in the seniors," Voss said.

"He had earned that right anyway but I thought it gave him the opportunity to be able to finish how he should. He has been an outstanding person over such a long period of time for our club, the boys love him."

Brisbane Lion Troy Selwood will miss the final game of the season with rib cartilage damage after colliding with young Bomber Kyle Hardingham in their clash at Etihad Stadium.

"He's not in a great way... but he's as brave as they come," Brisbane coach Michael Voss said.

"All the players look up to him and I'm sure the guys will get around him, knowing he's in a fair bit of pain at the moment."

Brendan Fevola is at odds with the Lions after being told to stay in Brisbane for rehabilitation despite wanting to return to Melbourne to spend time with his family.

"Because of the significance of the injury he has to spend some time in solid rehab just for his own career's sake. The early weeks of rehab are pretty crucial," Lions captain Jonathan Brown said.

"He needs to tick all the boxes in this rehab to get back to the Coleman Medal winning form. He's had a year of injury problems so the off-season needs to be used as a mental freshen up but also as a time to get his body back on track."

Brisbane Lions captain Jonathan Brown will play his 200th game against Essendon at Etihad Stadium on Sunday.

"To get through with the one club and the club I love and grew up barracking for is significant," Brown said.

"I think my body has been able to show a fair bit of resilience over the last four years after a bad two or three-year patch where I missed a lot of games."

Brendan Fevola speaks to channel 9's The Footy Show about his battle to overcome gambling and drinking demons to get his life back on track.

"I haven't had a punt for a good six months probably, which is good," he said.

"Money that I didn't have in the first place was going not through my hands - straight to the bookies. I have probably been gambling since I was 17. So every year or every game of footy I've played, I've been worried about who won what race and stuff."

Mitch Clark kicks five goals against the Crows and is hoping to cement a spot as a forward in the last two games of the season with more game time.

"I love the game time and I think most of the boys do, but that's the way footy's going these days," he said.

"I like the old school way of taking your opponent on one on one and trying to run them into the ground. I can't impact the game as much if I'm playing 50 to 60 per cent game time... that's the way it's gone this year."

Lions spearhead Brendan Fevola says rumours he is homesick and wants to leave Brisbane are false.

"My mum rang me today and said on 3AW there was a rumour that I was homesick and I want to go home. It was the first I'd heard of it," Fevola said.

"She was saying, 'Why do you want to come home?' I said, 'I don't want to come home, Mum. I'm staying in Brisbane'."

Jack Redden becomes the third Brisbane Lion to win a NAB AFL Rising Star nomination in 2010 after notching 22 disposals in a loss to St Kilda.

"Late last year I finished off playing the season in the ones. My main focus for 2010 was to play consistent senior footy," Redden said.

"My main focus was to build up in the gym so I could stand up for myself in different situations. I put on about six kilos over summer."

Embattled Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss has given little credence to recent criticism levelled at him by former assistant Wayne Brittain regarding the management structures implemented by former Olympic canoeist Dan Collins.

"I don't know why I have got to answer questions for people who aren't here when they are the past and not the future," Voss said.

"It's quite clearly a personal reference to one person, it's a personal conflict. Sort it out one on one, go catch up, get a coffee, do it that way, there are better ways to do it."

Former Brisbane assistant coach Wayne Brittain condemns the management structure at the Lions and says Michael Voss has problems communicating with his players.

Brittain asserts that the appointment of Olympic canoeist Dan Collins as Voss's right-hand man has caused fractures within the group.

"Dan Collins' structures put Vossy in a position where he's so busy he doesn't get enough time to recover the little things you need to get your people performing well," Brittain said.

"In a footy club you have to genuinely care about the people who are giving for you and then they are prepared to give a bit more."

Perseverance has paid off for young Brisbane Lion Tom Rockliff, the latest recipient of a Rising Star nomination.

"Once you get to the footy club, everyone's on a level playing field," Rockliff said.

"I had a lot of work to do on my fitness, but I didn't feel that I was coming from any further back than anyone else or any other first-year players. It's always going to be hard work, and it's always going to be hard work to consistently play good senior footy. It's never really easier."

Michael Voss has hit back at critics of his recycled list consisting of several players acquired via trades during the off-season.

Voss believes the club's new recruits have filled important gaps and were not part of a drive towards a premiership.

"I actually don't believe that was the motive, the end outcome was hopefully that would happen, but I don't think that's the premise of what we recruited for," Voss said.

"The guys that we recruited were never meant to be part of our core but in essence because of some of the injuries we have had they have become that."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss admits Jonathan Brown should have been rested earlier instead of being played while suffering from an abdominal injury.

"We took a couple of weeks longer than what we perhaps should have, but we had to make the call on the information that was in front of us," Voss said.

"He made some ground that looked promising ... but then he hovered for a couple of weeks and because of that it clearly showed he needed a rest to be able to recover."

Brendan Fevola feared he would never reach his 200th game, but now that it's here, the Lions' spearhead believes he has plenty more football ahead of him.

"I'm 29, in my peak," Fevola said.

"Two more years after this and then hopefully play till I'm 33, 34 so hopefully I can play another hundred or so games.

"As long as I keep my pace and look after my body I think I can play for a lot longer than what my contract is at the moment."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says former teammate Daniel Bradshaw has lost respect for him after the key forward left the Lions for the Swans via the pre-season draft.

"I think Daniel's lost a fair bit of respect for me, which is disappointing," Voss said.

"I played in premierships with Daniel and it was unfortunate that he ended up moving on. In my limited experience as a coach that is absolutely the most difficult thing to be able to do, and how you do it is not always done exactly how you'd like to, but you also know it's part of the job."

The Brisbane Lions have confirmed that defender Matt Maguire has contracted a staph infection.

Brisbane midfielder Simon Black says he is remorseful after accepting a fine for abusing umpire Mathew Nicholls.

Black was incensed after the Lions lost by a point to North Melbourne because he was pinged for throwing the ball late in the game.

"It was very late in the game and I was still pretty annoyed with the call. Emotions got the better of me and you say things you regret later on," Black said.

"You probably shouldn't speak to the umpires like that and I like to think I generally treat the umpires with respect over my career."

Albert Proud has taken some time away from football to deal with issues of a personal nature. His leave ob absence is granted by the Brisbane Lions football club.

Brisbane Lions coach calls for a lift in work rate from star full-forward Brendan Fevola after four straight losses.

"His work rate is not high enough, and as a result you always look a little bit sorer and don't look like you're as into the game. That's something he has got to address quite urgently," Voss said.

"He's had a couple of little ailments that have prevented him from training."

Brisbane Lions defender Josh Drummond has had radical LARS surgery on his damaged anterior cruciate ligament.

Brisbane Lions defender Matt Maguire will miss his side's clash against Fremantle after the tribunal found him guilty of engaging in rough conduct against Sydney's Jude Bolton.

Todd Banfield is the NAB AFL Rising Star nominee for round six after tallying 15 disposals and kicking three goals in a loss to the Swans.

Banfield says he has formed a close friendship with teammate and last year's rising star winner Daniel Rich.

"I'm really close with Richy," Banfield said.

"He taught me a lot last year and when I played against him back in year eight he was always the guy who you know would lift for the other team. He's got great leadership qualities and he talks to me and helps me improve my game."

Lions captain Jonathan Brown says that he misses former teammate Daniel Bradshaw but that Brisbane's decision to recruit Brendan Fevola and Sydney acquiring Bradshaw has benefited both clubs.

"Braddy's a close mate of mine so at the end of the day, I'm just happy he's playing good footy," Brown said.

"It's always disappointing to see a great player go and a great mate go, but … the players play and management manages. We go along with the decisions that have been made and it's worked out well for both clubs… that's the business of football."

Veteran Brisbane Lions midfielder Simon Black continues to struggle with a calf injury.

"The fluid has now got in his calf and it's hanging around, so it seems to be affecting the dynamics," Lions coach Michael Voss said.

"We'll make sure that he's fit and healthy before we put him out there. At this stage we're certainly not going to risk it ... we'll be more on the conservative side than necessarily the aggressive side with him."

Lions rookie Todd Banfield has had a start most rookies dream of, with six goals in his four games working alongside the competition's top forwards in Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola.

"It would be good to just keep my spot in the side and do my thing for the team,'' he said.

"I couldn't ask for much more than to work with the best forward and centre half-forward in the competition."

Brendan Fevola says he is determined to beat his gambling addiction which has significantly impacted on his life.

"Now that it is out I feel better that it has come out ... just play good footy and hopefully get off the punt and win some games up here and hopefully play some finals footy,'' he said.

"I've probably been a bit fortunate where it really hasn't impacted on my footy. I've still played really good footy. Once you cross that line you're in footy mode, you get here and do what you do best.''

Blues coach Brett Ratten says he questioned Brendan Fevola about his gambling habits when he was still playing for Carlton.

"We asked the question, but he denied it so that's all you can do and try to be there for support. It's good that he's come out and admitted it, so hopefully he gets over that really quickly and we wish him well," Ratten said.

Brendan Fevola admits to a gambling addiction which Lions coach Michael Voss says he became aware of in January.

"We were aware there were things going on but as you're aware it's pointless unless the person comes to you and says I want to do something about it. That takes courage to be able to do it and it takes courage to be able to say it publicly. I commend him," Voss said.

Andrew Raines says he is enjoying his move from Richmond to Brisbane with the Lions now having won 3 games on the trot to start off 2010.

"I got to 50 games fairly quickly, at 21 years of age. At 24, I'll hopefully reach 60 this week," Raines said.

"Now I take a different attitude towards taking it a week at a time because I've been through a fair bit with injuries.

"After almost two years out of the game, it's been good to get a bit of continuity in playing games and being part of a winning culture is great, something I'm not used to that much."

Jonathan Brown says his brilliant goalkicking form can be put down to the work of his newest teammate, Brendan Fevola.

"He's just a really smart forward; he's easy to work with, you know where he's going to lead, and we're really enjoying it - enjoying working down there," Brown said.

"He's certainly given me a lot of space. He's working very hard defensively as well, getting tackles and giving off those goals."

Brendan Fevola will not be punished by the AFL over his involvement in the Lara Bingle nude photo affair.

"Given the evidence currently available to us and the time elapsed since the alleged behaviour, the AFL has not established that a breach of our rules has occurred," AFL football operations general manager Adrian Anderson said in a statement.

"However, we will continue to monitor whether there are legal proceedings arising from this matter and the AFL remains willing to speak with Ms Bingle."

Brisbane Lions defender Jed Adcock has been sidelined for up to five weeks after suffering a quad tear in last week's win over Carlton.

Jared Brennan faces a two-match ban, one with an early guilty plea, for bumping Carlton ruckman Matthew Kreuzer.

Despite the charge, Lions assistant coach Adrian Fletcher says Brennan has matured this year and has become a leader at the club.

"He's a mature man, he's a leader of the footy club, he understands that you have to play inside the rules and the boundaries," Fletcher said.

Brisbane Lions forward Brendan Fevola admitted that the build-up to Thursday's win over Carlton had weighed heavily on his mind but that it was eased after a meeting with skipper Jonathan Brown.

"He made me a cappuccino and he said, 'How you going big fella?' and I said 'I'm bloody nervous', and I don't get nervous so he sat me down and I don't know what we talked about but I left and I wasn't nervous any more after that," Fevola said.

The Herald Sun reports that star Brisbane recruit Brendan Fevola is unhappy with Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss over his gag order ahead of the match against his old club Carlton.

Voss had claimed that it was Fevola who initiated the media ban as a means to relieve the "emotional load" he was carrying from the Bingle affair.

Fevola's manager, Alastair Lynch, however, claims that Fevola is quite prepared to speak to the media about the match but has been prevented from doing so by Voss.

Lions small forward Amon Buchanan is likely to miss more than a month of football after suffering a broken thumb in a victory over the Eagles.

Jared Brennan wants to nail down a midfield spot as he aims to become a leader of the Lions in 2010.

"I think it frees you up a little bit and you're in the action a bit more. When you're in the forward line you're floating in and out, (but) when you're in the midfield you're around the ball, so hopefully Vossy can keep me there,'' he said.

Paul Roos says the decision to ignore pursuing Brendan Fevola helped deliver Daniel Bradshaw for free to the club.

"If we were to chase Fevola hard it would have deflected us from Seaby, Mumford, McGlynn and Kennedy," Roos said.

"What you end up doing is have so many balls in the air, you get nothing done by the end of trade week. Then at the end of the the week the fact we didn't go after Fevola helped us get Bradshaw.

"You can't waste effort on something you are 99 per cent sure won't happen."

Teenage speedster Todd Banfield will make the step up from the Queensland State League and Lions coach Michael Voss likes the way he looks.

"He certainly adds some blistering speed and at the same time he's finding the footy, so he has become quite dangerous down there," Voss said.

"It's good to be able to have a player who comes in and sort of says: 'Pick me, I want to be picked, put me in the team,' and he has done that. He has earned his spot."

Ex-Saint Matt Maguire finally reaches the 100-game milestone after being selected by his new club, Brisbane, to play against West Coast at the Gabba.

A 56-point thumping of Richmond backs up Carlton's claim that it can still kick winning scores without Brendan Fevola.

"Today we had that nice spread of three blokes getting three goals which is fantastic for us," Carlton coach Brett Ratten said.

"I think it just makes us a little bit more unpredictable. It is only one game that we've had the success with that so the challenge now is to back that up."

Brisbane Lions recruit Brent Staker is looking forward to facing his old club, West Coast, in round one and says he chose to move north to better his career as a footballer.

"It's one of those tough decisions in life that have to be made in a career you want to cherish," Staker said.

"To make my career the best I can I had to make a tough decision. I thought the best move was to move interstate and play some more football."

Chris Judd reveals that he tried his best to pull Brendan Fevola in line as the wayward forward began a series of drunken escapades that ultimately led to him being traded from Carlton.

"A lot of people have asked me since, `Why didn't you say something to him?'" Judd explained.

"I did have words with Brendan on Brownlow night and managed to stop him doing 'Street Talk'. We had a bit of an argument over that, at which time I grabbed (girlfriend) Bec and went up to bed.

"I'm completely comfortable with my behaviour on Brownlow night and what I did to help Fev. I don't feel responsible for Brendan's actions."

Wayne Carey says Brendan Fevola should take responsibility and accept the blame for his own actions.

"He may be sitting there pointing the finger or thinking I haven't done this or that, or it's not that bad," Carey said.

"But once again it's laying the blame on someone else. He is a victim of his own profile, but at the same time he has to take ownership of that and realise any little thing he does he will come under more scrutiny than any other player."

Last year's NAB Rising Star Daniel Rich clashes heads with teammate Daniel Merrett at training and will require 22 stitches above his eye.

"He's alright; he's a pretty resilient fella and he's pretty tough, so I think he'll probably even play tomorrow," teammate Simon Black said.

"His eye is shut over at the moment, so (in) another 24 hours, it might open up a bit."

AFL operations manager Adrian Anderson says investigations into Brendan Fevola's unauthorised picture of Lara Bingle have stalled due to a lack of co-operation from Bingle's management.

"The only stumbling block from our point of view in this investigation which we commenced straight away is that we do not have co-operation from Bingle's people (management) to be able to talk to her and we are continuing to seek to do so,'' Anderson told SEN radio.

"It is fundamental in any professional investigation to speak to the alleged victim and hear her version of events."

Brendan Fevola has been dropped from a campaign to promote rounds one and two of the Brisbane Lions 2010 season after being recently implicated in the unauthorised distribution of a compromising photo of model Lara Bingle.

Adrian Anderson says the AFL has taken a serious view of Brendan Fevola's alleged involvement in the release of a nude photo of Lara Bingle.

"Let me just be clear that from an AFL point of view, taking photos of women without their consent and circulating them in that situation is unacceptable," Anderson said.

"We are speaking to the club and we're speaking to the player and we'll make those enquiries before we decide any particular action in this case."

Blue-turned-Lion Brendan Fevola is greeted by boos in Friday's NAB Challenge match at Visy Park.

"You expect that. You get booed by most other team's [supporters] as well, so it's nothing - its water off a duck's back," Fevola said.

"I was a little bit nervous this morning before the game but once you're out there you just play footy."

Fevola kicked two goals in Brisbane's loss to Carlton.

Carlton's Andrew Carrazzo says the Blues have been trying to play down the hype surrounding Brendan Fevola's return to Visy Park in a NAB Challenge match with Brisbane.

"We've talked about it a little bit - it should be interesting. Obviously we haven't played against him before, but we'd just like to see it like any other game," Carazzo said.

"A few of the boys are still pretty close with Fev and he is that sort of guy who you can have a bit of a joke with, but it should be business as usual when we get out there."

Simon Black concedes that, at his age, his years as an AFL footballer may be numbered.

"Another couple of years would be great. Anything else would be an absolute bonus," Black said.

"I'd be disappointed if this was my last year but you never know once you pass 30.

"That's the reality of football but I'm not thinking it's my last year. I reckon I'll go at least one more after this one and then we'll see what happens."

Western Bulldog Jason Akermanis has his doubts as to whether Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola can work together in the Brisbane Lions' forward line saying that Daniel Bradshaw was a better complement for Brown.

"Bradshaw was a great sort of swingman for 'Browny' and 'Browny' was happy to play the lead role," Akermanis said.

"What will happen if two guys are playing the lead role? 'Hang on man, this is my show'. I know they are both very dominant guys, so they're both going to want their piece of the pie."

Jarrad Waite says he is excited about Carlton's new-look forward line after the departure of Brendan Fevola.

"It is really exciting because for the last 10 years that Brendan's been there, we've had one forward," Waite said.

"All clubs used to know to drop off `Fev', now we have a very potent forward line with Fisher, we'll chuck Kreuzer down there, Wiggins.

"We don't really want someone who's going to kick 80 goals, we want about four or five who are going to kick 30-35 ... and make it hard for oppositions to defend us."

Essendon defender Tayte Pears says it has been his intention to bulk up during this pre-season leading into 2010.

"It's been a big pre-season in the gym. I haven't wanted to put it all on at once, so I've put on a little bit and hopefully that helps this year," Pears said.

"My playing weight was around 89-90kg last year and I'm looking to play about 94 or 95kg this year."

Brendan Fevola says he hopes he can be part of a Brisbane side that can crack the top four in 2010.

"Hopefully I can add a bit of a different mix down there with Brownie and hopefully kick a few goals," Fevola said.

"Hopefully we'll finish top four. That's our expectation and if you finish top four, you've got every chance to win a premiership."

Brendan Fevola has revealed a little known ambition to become a policeman.

"Three years ago I actually studied for three months at Griffith University, here in Queensland, to be a policeman,'' he told students Cooroy State School on Queensland's Sunshine Coast.

Lions midfielder Daniel Rich says he learnt more from his side's defeat to the Western Bulldogs in the semi-final than his personal achievements in 2009.

"To play in the finals and having that feeling of losing, that's what spurs you on," he said.

"Individual stuff doesn't matter. That's what I learnt from my first year - just that hurt of losing."

Rich says he is prepared to handle a tag from opposition teams after a stellar first year.

"If it happens, you take it as a compliment and it will be a good learning curve for me," Rich said.

"There are plenty of good players in our team if I get targeted. You've just got to work a bit harder and communicate with the other boys, sort out your blocks and things like that. It comes down to work rate and it's down to pre-season and getting fitter and stronger"

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss is confident boom recruit Brendan Fevola will be ready to go for the NAB Cup clash with the Western Bulldogs.

"He's had a full pre-season. I think he might have missed one session since we started, so his work and his training has been really, really good," Brisbane coach Michael Voss said.

"You get to this time of year and if you get the opportunity to play, you probably want to play. Fev's no different. While I'm sure he's done well in training, I don't think training is necessarily his favourite part of the week."

Brisbane coach Michael Voss says gun recruit Brendan Fevola has recovered sufficiently from minor shoulder surgery over the pre-season and will be fit to play in the coming NAB Cup.

"Brendan can handle it fine. He's applied himself really well to his training. He loves to play and will certainly be putting his hand up, I'd have thought," Voss said.

Brisbane Lions ruckman Jamie Charman has bounced back strongly from the serious ankle injury that ruined his 2009 season with a strong pre-season that will hold him in good stead in 2010.

"Things are flying. I've never started a pre-season and I did six or seven weeks before Christmas so it was good going into the break knowing I had a base," he said.

"For most of last season I wasn't playing and I missed all the hype with Vossy's (coach Michael Voss) first year and the finals and everything so it has really motivated me and kept me hungry."

Brisbane Lion Aaron Cornelius has his sights set on breaking into the team's star-studded forward set-up after improving his size and strength this pre-season.

"Playing in the reserves or the under-18s, I suppose talent can get you through, but when you get to the highest level you need to be physical with the bigger guys, so the gym isn't really something I can choose, I had to get in there and do the work," he said.

"It's been enjoyable to see the improvements in the gym, in the weights, and I'm looking forward to getting into the games to try out the new weight and strength that i have, to see how much I've improved."

New draftee Claye Beams says he was made to feel welcome at his new club, the Brisbane Lions.

"I was pretty nervous when I showed up, with guys like Jonathan Brown and Brendan Fevola there," the Gold Coast product said.

"But they are all really good blokes and all came up and talked to us and made us feel welcome. They made it a hell of a lot easier to settle in.

"I had a meeting with the Lions and they got in touch with me after the national draft and said they were interested, so it was great to get picked up by the club."

The Brisbane Lions select Japanese-born Sean Yoshiura in the 2009 rookie draft.

Yoshiura represented Queensland at under-16 level and played with Mt Gravatt in the 2009 QAFL state league grand final.

"As a family, we are pretty big with AFL," Yoshiura said.

"Dad is always excited and he's very happy now. We have been Lions fans since we got here, and it is a great thrill to be chosen by them."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says he was sad to hear of the passing of former Brisbane Lion Brent Green who drowned on the Gold Coast recently while surfing.

"I grew up playing football either with or against Brent since I was 11 years-old, from the Queensland junior ranks to our time together in the AFL," Voss said.

"He was a gentle giant but showed some serious aggression out on the footy field.

"Our thoughts are with his family at this incredibly tough time."

Blues recruiting manager Wayne Hughes explains his decision to draft 3 smaller players, including Kane Lucas, Marcus Davies and Rohan Kerr, at the 2009 NAB AFL draft rather than a tall player to replace the now-departed Brendan Fevola.

Hughes' explanation comes in the wake of some backlash by Carlton supporters over his decisions at the draft.

"We rated Kane Lucas higher than any of the tall players left in the draft at pick 10 as John Butcher had already gone to Port Adelaide. You will find the draft full of tall players taken first round who didn't work," Hughes said.

Key position player Bryce Retzlaff went from shattered to elated in a matter of minutes on draft night after being overlooked by the Brisbane Lions at pick No. 73 before being selected at pick No. 84.

"My number got read out and I said 'that's my number' and the house nearly fell down," he said.

"We were running around and jumping around. It was crazy. Initially it was bad when I thought I missed out but it ended up being better because it wasn't expected. It was unbelievable."

Ex-Saint Matt Maguire is looking forward to a new start with the Brisbane Lions after playing 99 games for St Kilda.

"I think about all the great times and playing with great players of the game like Harvs and modern day greats like my mate Nick Riewoldt. I played 99 games and had fun and feel I've been very lucky but I'm looking forward to going to Brisbane and making a name for myself there," Maguire said.

Rhan Hooper says he wants to leave his frustrations from his time at the Brisbane Lions behind him after being recruited by the Hawks in the 2009 national draft.

"That's all in the past now. I just want to move forward and hopefully get into the finals this year," Hooper said of this time in Brisbane.

"Right up to the end I wasn't quite sure who I was going to go to, but Hawthorn is a strong club and I look forward to playing a couple of senior games this year if I can force my way through."

Geelong Falcon Callum Bartlett didn't play a game in 2009 after damaging his ACL, but after completing rehab with the Cats he is still rated highly.

"It was a change of direction thing I've done a million times, except this time I was unbalanced," Bartlett said of his injury.

"It was frustrating. The next thing I knew I was at the doctor and physio and getting MRIs."

Joel Macdonald is not among the delisted players looking for new homes in next week's NAB AFL Draft heightening speculation of him having agreed to a deal that will see him signed to a club via the pre-season draft.

Sydney Swans assistant coach Peter Berbakov says prospective recruit Daniel Bradshaw has been put in cotton wool ahead of next month's NAB AFL Pre-Season Draft.

"Hopefully once he gets over the line in the pre-season draft, we can really ramp him up but being an older player, we can afford to take our time with him," he said.

"He's had a lot of pre-seasons to get some good conditioning and he won't take long to get up to speed. He's just being cotton-woolled at this stage."

Brisbane Lions coach Michael Voss says he has moved on from full forward Daniel Bradshaw leaving the club.

"As a coach you make decisions on what you think the best direction of the football club is and we've chosen this direction and Braddy has moved on," Voss said.

Brett Ratten says he hasn't spoken to Brendan Fevola since the key forward was traded and is disappointed he hasn't cleared the air with the now-Brisbane Lion.

"Do you call him and have a chat about it or do you expect that at 29 he might get on the front foot and talk about it? But that wasn't the case and every individual is different," Ratten said.

"Maybe he just needed some space and to reflect on it later in life."

Former Lion Daniel Bradshaw says he feels like a new draftee now he has started training with the Swans.

"It is a bit strange. It's hard to explain; it's a bit like being redrafted," he said.

"It will take a few weeks to get to know everyone's name but I'm really looking forward to it. It's a fresh start and it's really exciting."

Former Brisbane Lion Daniel Bradshaw reveals he did not anticipate being offered as trade bait to Carlton for Brendan Fevola.

"It's fair to say I wasn't over the moon about it. I didn't really see it coming," Bradshaw said.

"I probably thought two months ago that Brisbane was going to be the team where I was going to end my career but that's the way footy is now and I've sort of moved on."

Former Lion Daniel Bradshaw will begin training with the Swans this week despite uncertainty about his future.

"He's uncontracted now so we can put him on our training list and he can train with us," Sydney coach Paul Roos said.

"We'll get him down here, make sure he gets involved and meets the players and we'll move forward on that basis."

Sydney coach Paul Roos believes Daniel Bradshaw will fit in perfectly at the Swans next to young forward Jesse White after the departures of Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin.

"Bradshaw is just the perfect player who can play out of full-forward with Jesse White next to him, so being able to emulate what Mick's been able to do and kick goals and help Jesse and tackle and set up things," Roos said.

"In terms of the number of goals, who knows? But in terms of the amount of experience, we know he can be a quality player and person who can provide some experience that we've lost."

Daniel Bradshaw's manager has informed the Swans that he wants to play in Sydney in 2010 and beyond.

Lions CEO Michael Bowers says the Lions tried to keep Daniel Bradshaw, but he wanted a longer, more lucrative deal.

"Through his manager, we understand that he is seeking a longer and more lucrative deal," Bowers said.

"It was not a situation where we wanted to get rid of Daniel. Not at all. We wanted to keep him. We offered him a contract and he made the decision to reject it."

Ex-Lion Daniel Bradshaw is seen as a key target to fill the holes left in the Sydney Swans' forward line by the departures of Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin.

"We are certainly interested in Daniel Bradshaw, as we've had some discussions with his management and they will be ongoing," Swans CEO Andrew Ireland told the Herald Sun.

"We lost Barry Hall and Michael O'Loughlin - two key forwards over the past year - and we've got high hopes for Jesse White. We think he is going to be a player, but he's only a youngster, so we think Daniel would complement our set up well."

Daniel Bradshaw is looking for a new home after rejecting Brisbane's two-year deal.

"He's advised them he wouldn't accept any offer from the club and he was going to have a week off and look at the market place," Bradshaw's manager Colin Young told the Courier Mail.

Joel Macdonald is already attracting interest around the league after being delisted by the Lions this week.

"Certainly Fremantle have expressed interest in Joel. He'll have to come back to Brisbane and then he'll meet with the appropriate people involved with Fremantle, as he will other football clubs, and then he'll assess his options from there," Macdonald's manager Marty Pask said.

"There are other clubs that are looking at Joel, and we'll need to assess the right fit, but certainly Joel will be meeting with Fremantle when he gets back."

The Lions have delisted senior players Joel Macdonald, Scott Harding, Rhan Hooper, Jason Roe, Scott Clouston, Kieran King and Matthew Tyler, and rookies Daniel Dzufer, Pat Garner, Daniel Murray, Adam Spackman and Joel Tippett after a huge cull of Brisbane's list instigated by coach Michael Voss.

Lachlan Henderson says he put his hand up to move to Carlton after sensing he may have had a lack of opportunities at Brisbane if Brendan Fevola moved north.

"When I first heard about bringing Fev up north, I knew it would put me out for a couple of years," Henderson said.

"I spoke to Vossy on Thursday night and then again on Friday morning after the decision was made.

"He said they didn't want to lose me but it was my choice and he would understand either way. So from there it came down purely to opportunity."

Michael Rischitelli's reluctance to join the Blues puts the trade involving a swap for Brendan Fevola with him and teammate Daniel Bradshaw in jeopardy.

''He's staying in Brisbane,'' Rischitelli's manager Rick Olarenshaw said.

''He's got a Queensland girl, long-term partner, and he's happy in Queensland. And he loves playing for Vossy.''

Brisbane Lions Daniel Bradshaw and Michael Rischitelli were given a tour of Carlton's headquarters at Visy Park after being linked to a trade involving Carlton spearhead Brendan Fevola.

Bradshaw will have to pass a medical examination before Carlton accepts the deal.

Homesickness was only part of the reason behind Bradd Dalziell's return home to play with West Coast.

"Playing games in Brisbane I was enjoying myself, but being left out of the side got my thinking about other things other than football," Dalziell said.

"I was just a bit frustrated towards the end of the year, not being able to play senior footy [while] playing good footy in the local league.

"This is a good opportunity to come back home and play some good senior footy."

West Coast, the Sydney Swans and the Lions look to have arranged for four players to change clubs.

Amon Buchanan and Brent Staker will head to Brisbane, Sydney will acquire Mark Seaby while the Eagles are set to gain Brad Dalziell.

"It's a good opportunity for him (Buchanan). We had some discussion with him at the end of the year - both us and Amon were undecided - should he stay at Sydney or should he go," Sydney coach Paul Roos said.

"He's a premiership player and a fantastic player, but probably his past couple of years he's been battling a little bit.

"Brisbane was interested, so we were happy to facilitate that, which means we can get Seaby in."

Brisbane Lions captain Jonathan Brown won the club's best and fairest count by one vote from a fast-finishing Simon Black to claim his third straight club champion award for the club.

Richmond's 2009 caretaker coach, Jade Rawlings, has quit the club to become an assistant at the Brisbane Lions.

Former Brisbane Lions coach Leigh Matthews reveals he tried to get Damien Hardwick as an assistant and says that Hardwick will succeed as the new head coach of Richmond.

"I offered Damien a job with the Brisbane Lions when he retired from Port so I have a great regard for his character and capabilities," Matthews said.

"I would think he should do very well."

Carlton captain Chris Judd has made an unsuccessful appearance before the AFL appeals board on Thursday night and his three-match ban for making contact with what Judd described as Lion Michael Rischitelli's "pressure point" will stand.

"I'm disappointed with the result," Judd said.

"Obviously the act itself was less than a second's worth of stupidity. Probably even more stupid were my comments in the press the next day with reference to a pressure point.

"It was a comment which evoked a lot of passion amongst both the media and the public alike. I've since watched a couple of Steven Seagal movies and realised that pressure points are no laughing matter."

Carlton aims to overturn captain Chris Judd's three match suspension for misconduct against Michael Rischitelli.

Carlton is appealing on the basis that ''the decision was so unreasonable that no tribunal acting reasonably could have come to that decision having regard to the evidence before it''.

Judd has earlier claimed he was attempting to inflict pain on Rischitelli by making contact with a "pressure point" on Rischitelli's face but later claimed it was just a "poorly timed joke".

Carlton captain Chris Judd will miss the first three matches of the 2010 season after being found guilty of misconduct for making inappropriate contact with Lion Michael Rischitelli's face.

Judd was initially offered a two-match suspension but chose to contest the charge unsuccessfully resulting in his three-match ban.

"Obviously I'm disappointed with the outcome but now we'll go and assess our options and we'll make further comment at a later date," Judd said after the hearing.

Brisbane utility Tim Notting has announced he will retire from playing at the end of the club's AFL finals campaign.

"I've been thinking about retiring for a while now," Notting said.

"I eventually came to the realisation that I probably didn't have the drive to complete another pre-season.

"I'm incredibly proud to have been a part of this football club for the past 13 years and I'm really going to miss being part of it all."

The match review panel charges Carlton's Chris Judd with misconduct for making unnecessary contact with Lion Michael Rischitteli's face.

Judd can accept a two-match ban for his transgression.

AFL Ron Barassi slams Carlton captain Chris Judd over his maneuver involving facial pressure points on Brisbane's Michael Rischitelli.

"It's disappointing because this guy is a hero for many, many people, including myself. Because he's a great player, he's got strength, skill, the whole lot. And he seems to keep himself in good shape mentally and physically and he says the right things. He'll regret this day for a long while," Barassi said.

Chris Judd's is expected to face an eye-gouging charge against Brisbane's Michael Rischitelli despite the Carlton captain claiming he was only making contact with Rischitelli's pressure point.

"I was pushing my thumb into the pressure point behind his ear," Judd said.

"It's a pretty stupid thing to do. I haven't actually seen it on the footage, but I assume my hands are close to his eyes. I don't know if the pressure point was really hurting him, but it was a dumb thing to do."

Carlton captain Chris Judd is seen to have made questionable contact with Lion Michael Rischitelli's face as the two struggled while on the ground in the elimination final between the two sides at the Gabba.