EX-CAT LAPS UP LIFE WITH LIONS
Allen key as Brisbane find their rhythm
AFL: Allen Christensen sits in silent protest.
Well, relative silence. Music blares out from the headphones he’s got covering his ears.
The one-time Geelong premiership player loves the Brisbane Lions; the players, the staff and the supporters.
But the 27-year-old is no fan of the direction the club is heading in when it comes music selection in the dressing room before games.
“Charlie (Cameron) was doing it before he got injured,” Christensen says of the playlist. “Eric (Hipwood) seems to run it now.
“I don’t listen. I just chuck the headphones on. It’s garbage, dance, I don’t even know what the genre would be.”
Christensen is renowned for his love of music, particularly metalcore.
Queensland band The Amity Affliction is a favourite. Christensen says the rockers’ song Give It
All can be an anthem for this promising Lions team.
His teammates might not be able to appreciate the sound, but the words would resonate.
“The chorus goes ‘when I fall I get up and give some more,’” he explains.
“We are such a young, emerging side that not everything is going to go perfectly. But we keep getting back up and moving forward together.”
Musical taste aside, the Victorian is right at home in Brisbane.
After 65 games with the Cats, including their 2011 grand final victory, Christensen relocated north in 2014 for a lifestyle change. He experienced just five wins in his first 33 games with his new club before this season but his belief in the Lions never wavered.
“Never had doubts … never regretted it for a second,” he says.
Christensen has total faith in the rebuild being undertaken around him by football boss David Noble, head coach Chris Fagan and list manager Dom Ambrogio, and “the sort of players they want to bring into the club, which has made it a lot easier to keep improving”.
Due to a broken collarbone suffered in round 11, 2016 – after being collected by a “perfect bump” from Carlton’s Andrew Walker – Christensen hadn’t played a game under Fagan, or alongside teammates Hipwood, Hugh McCluggage and Jarrod Berry, up until round one this season.
He would eventually undergo four operations, the last in April last year after a crack in a surgical plate was discovered.
“It was one-in-a-thousand sort of stuff. (But) I just copped it on the chin and got on with it,” he said. “Here I am.”
Christensen wouldn’t play again until this season’s opener, lining up alongside not only Hipwood and McCluggage, but also new arrivals Cameron and Cam Rayner.
“It was a completely different line-up,” he recalled.
“Just getting used to playing with all these guys, it’s been challenging, but it’s been fun.”
Christensen, who became heavily involved in local indigenous programs during his time on the sidelines, exceeded expectations in his return to the field.
He has played all 20 games and reminded everyone what a creative small forward he can be. A contract extension came in June.
“Once I got into pre-season and got a bit of contact and all that, I knew I was going to be right,” he said. “I’m pretty stoked with how the year’s gone.”
A win in today’s QClash at Carrara would top it off.
One spot separates them on the ladder but the Lions’ form appears miles ahead of the Suns’. Gold Coast did, however, get the points in round five.
“We were pretty disappointing with the way we played against them last time,” Christensen said. “We’ve got a bit to prove. They hold the bragging rights at the moment.
“They seem to lift for these games so we need to be wary.
“They are injury-depleted but the midfield still has a really good crack. They really hunt the ball.
“There’s been a bit of chat this week, it’s good for the rivalry, good for the fans.”
Certainly Christensen’s extended family will have a keen interest. His cousin is Suns midfielder Sean Lemmens, who has recovered from a hand injury and will take his place.
“He actually dropped me on my bum last time, I couldn’t believe it,” Christensen said. “I looked around and it was him.”
But, as we know, Christensen is not one to stay down for long.