Former Falcon’s star on the rise
BIG game hunter Darcy Gardiner is fast becoming a dependable troubleshooter for Lions coach Chris Fagan.
The external spotlight is shining on defensive linchpin Harris Andrews after AFL player rankings listed him as the second best defender in the game behind Tigers All Australian mainstay Alex Rance and his elevation as vice-captain of the Lions.
But inside the Lions, former Geelong Falcon Gardiner is held in equally high esteem.
It may have surprised Lions fans on Saturday when it was Gardiner, not Andrews, who went to Lance Franklin but when he kept the Swans’ superstar to one goal in their 18point win over Brisbane it proved to be a masterstroke by Fagan.
He has demonstrated his versatility by completely outplaying GWS gun Jeremy Cameron earlier in the year and also enjoying past successes on mid-sized forwards such as Suns ace Jack Martin.
“He is the ultimate competitor,’’ Fagan said.
“He does his homework during the week on the guys he plays on, he wasn’t the least bit perturbed by the fact he was going to play on Bud.
“He just went to work and tried to find out all the ways he could beat him.’’
Fagan said playing defence for Brisbane in recent years would be one of the toughest gigs in footy and it had forged Gardiner into a reliable and unflappable competitor who was equally adept playing on talls and smalls.
“He has had a baptism of fire from the time he arrived here playing down back for our side,’’ he said.
“And he has shown great resilience to come through those years.
“It is a pretty hard place for a young bloke to earn his stripes, in some ways it is better to play in the midfield or up forward not where the spotlight is on you.
“He often has to play in the cage on the good guys, so, yeah, I couldn’t speak more highly of Darcy Gardiner.’’
Gardiner batted away compliments after the game in the same manner he refused to allow Franklin to take a contested mark, suggesting the weather and his teammates were the reason for his success.
“It always helps defenders when it is wet so I was thankful for the rain,’’ he said.