AND LOVING IT

Best with country

St Joseph’s junior who dropped a few places because of a broken leg, but joined Brisbane in the second round of the 2016 draft (23 overall) Drafted to Adelaide with pick 10 in the 2007 draft, causing hysteria in South Australia after the Crows overlooked Brad Ebert. Returned home at the end of 2015. Grandson of Geelong premiership player Peter Walker. Lara junior, rookielisted out of the Falcons at the end of 2010. Traded to Brisbane in 2015. Father-son selection in the 2011 draft. ning games earlier in the year they were exciting to watch.

There was an ordinary loss to Richmond in Round 4 and a couple of disappointing results in other games along the journey, but at their best, Chris Fagan’s men have looked menacing and Witherden said while they were still in a learning phase, the playing group was confident it was on the path to something special.

“It was a pretty tough first Taken by the Cats in the rookie draft at the end of 2016. Has held the Cats’ defence together this year in the wake of big injuries and retirements. two or three months of the season because we thought we were playing some pretty decent footy but we just weren’t able to get across the line and play hard enough for long enough, so we fell short on a lot of occasions,” he said.

“The last month we have tidied up a few areas, especially our first quarters because I don’t think we had won one up until the bye and I think now we have won the past three or Birregurra product, drafted to Brisbane with pick eight in the 2007 draft. Then traded to Carlton, now at Geelong. four. So we have been able to start games better and then stay in the game. We didn’t get the result on the weekend (against Adelaide) but we know why and have addressed that during the week and will hopefully put in a strong performance against the Cats.

“It’s just composure and understanding certain parts of the game and the trends of the game.

“We always wanted to play Played at the Falcons, then slipped out of the system and into local footy ranks at South Barwon, before a breakout year with Geelong’s VFL side in 2016 changed it all. fast but then when we tried to go slowly we went too slowly, so we have got a better balance now with our ball movement and understand when in quarters to pull the trigger and when not to.

“A lot of the time we might try to go really quickly at the start and then we burn out in the middle and then try to go quickly at the end and are still pretty fatigued, so we have still got to find when the right time Father-son selection out of the Falcons in 2001. is to do it,” Witherden said.

It is unquestionable that the rise of the Lions this year has correlated with Witherden’s growth both on and off the field, with the teenager seen as a potential future club captain.

But while many former Falcons return to Geelong citing the go-home factor, it appears unlikely this will be a problem with which Brisbane has to contend.

Witherden is already home. GEELONG Falcons talent manager Mick Turner says the Brisbane Lions’ drafting strategy of targeting Vic Country kids is paying off.

The Lions will field seven former Falcons — Luke Hodge, Josh Walker, Alex Witherden, Allen Christensen, Lewis Taylor, Darcy Gardiner and Rhys Mathieson — against the Cats on Saturday afternoon, while Geelong will also have six ex-Falcons — Gary Ablett, Patrick Dangerfield, Jed Bews, Lachie Henderson, Tom Stewart and Jack Henry — line-up at GMHBA Stadium.

But the Lions also have a number of young ex-North Ballarat and Gippsland kids on their list, which Turner believes has alleviated the gohome factor.

“I think one of the ways to stop talent leaking is to draft country kids. They haven’t done that exclusively, but they have drafted a lot of Falcons and North Ballarat and Gippsland players because most of these boys are coming from small country towns and once they go to Brisbane, I think there’s less chance of them wanting to come home again,” he said. “It’s not a bad place to go. “For Lewis Taylor, for example, to go from Mortlake to Brisbane — where you can go to the Gold Coast or up to Noosa — it’s a pretty good environment.

“I think, strategically as far as recruiting, that would have been in their minds to rebuild their team so that they didn’t lose talent.”

Walker, 25, has been one of the Lions’ success stories this year.

After being rookie-listed to Geelong before the 2011 season, the 196cm utility played 33 games with the Cats before being traded to the Lions.

He has played 36 games for Brisbane, including the past five and was instrumental in the side’s win over Hawthorn a fortnight ago when he logged a career-high 20 touches.

Meanwhile, Witherden and Henry shape as Rising Star contenders this year, an award Taylor won in 2014.

“To have 13 Falcons graduates in the Geelong-Brisbane game is great for us and great for the region,” Turner said.

“I wouldn’t think that would happen again for any (TAC Cup) club.

“We’ve obviously done really well in the draft and have well over 30 players playing AFL each week, so I wouldn’t think any club has ever come anywhere near that, so it’s pretty amazing really.”