Connor Ballenden Biography

The Lions temporarily delist Grant Birchall, Connor Ballenden and Rhys Mathieson from the senior list. The trio will be added to the rookie list for 2021.

Connor Ballenden makes his AFL debut for Brisbane with 6 disposals (3 kicks and 3 handballs), 3 marks, a tackle, 2 hitouts and a goal in a 63-point win over Essendon.

Connor Ballenden showed his excellent foot skills for a key position prospect by posting a perfect score in the kicking test at the NAB AFL Draft Combine.

He was the only player to ace the kicking test, which sees prospects kick to targets at different distances on their preferred and non-preferred foot.

The Brisbane Lions' rebuild is likely to receive a boost this year with academy key forward Connor Ballenden emerging as one of the top tall prospects in the draft pool.

The 198cm marking goalkicker has been a part of the club's local academy since he was 12 years old, and the Lions will get first access to him at November's NAB AFL Draft.

His size, marking ability and prowess around goal has already seen recruiters assess him as a possible top-10 selection.

Ballenden spent two weeks training with the senior Lions squad over summer as part of the NAB AFL Academy program, and said the experience had made him even keener to join the club.

"It was really exciting to spend two weeks with them through the AFL academy program. It opened my eyes to how much it takes day in and day out to be an AFL player with preparation, diet, recovery and all of that," Ballenden said during the NAB AFL Academy's training camp in America.

"I spent a bit of time with Josh Schache and Harris Andrews, and see them as young blokes who I look up to. Hopefully I get to play with them in years to come. It's pretty exciting times at Brisbane, I think, so if I was lucky enough to get picked up by them I already would have spent some time with them.

"I've been told a few times that they're interested and they'd like to have me at the club, but we'll see how it goes later in the year. If they were to pass on me and I was to go somewhere else that would be fine as well."

New Zealand key forward Connor Ballenden looms as one of the top picks for 2017.

"My dad is South African and mum is from New Zealand and we now live in Brisbane, so it's a bit of a multicultural family but I've fallen in love with the game," Ballenden said.

Next year's draft is already considered a strong one and Ballenden will have many eyes on him after a number of impressive performances at last year's NAB AFL Under-16 Championships.

"As a tall player everyone wants someone who's hard at the footy and takes some good marks and I want that to be a big part of my game," the 17-year-old said.

"I'd like to think my skills as a tall player are pretty good, and I try to lead on the field as well."