There is life after Hipwood – Fagan
Chance for others to step up
BRISBANE Lions coach Chris Fagan says the Lions can recover from the seasonending injury suffered by key forward Eric Hipwood to contend for the AFL premiership.
Hipwood will be sidelined for up to a year after rupturing his left anterior cruciate ligament in the Lions’ 32point loss to St Kilda at Metricon Stadium.
But while it is a premiership blow, Fagan is confident the Lions will bounce back.
“It’s a bit like earlier this year with (Brownlow medallist) Lachie Neale out for six weeks and all you guys were saying, ‘that’s the end of the Lions’ – well, we won six from six,” the coach said.
“Every team gets injuries, it’s all about your ability to cover. Last year we didn’t have (star defender) Harris Andrews for four weeks and the world was going to cave in, but Jack Payne came in and played a role and we’ll have the same this year with Eric.
“It’s amazing sometimes when opportunities pop up how you discover you’ve got another good player on the list.
“We haven’t got a direct replacement for Eric Hipwood, but we have other guys who can play that role.”
They include Tom Fullarton and Connor Ballenden, although Ballenden must overcome a hamstring injury he suffered in a weekend VFL match to be in selection contention for the Lions’ battle with Richmond at the MCG on Friday night.
Hipwood’s absence could also put more spotlight on forward Joe Daniher, who has
been scrutinised in recent weeks for alleged staging.
Daniher was fined over the matter in Brisbane’s recent win over Geelong but escaped punishment for a similar incident in the loss to the Saints.
“Hopefully, the umpires umpire the game fairly and
don’t hold that against him,” Fagan said.
“If it’s a free kick it’s a free kick. And if he stages, then that’s no good either.
“We have had a chat about that, he’s aware of it. It’s a little habit that he has got and he’s trying to change it.
“He was disappointed with himself the other week, but it’s not a big issue. People want to talk about it, but it’s not a big issue for us.”
And neither is Brisbane’s poor record at the MCG, where it has lost nine straight matches since 2014.
“It just another challenge,” Fagan said.
“It’s just a ground. It’s about 4m longer than (the Gabba) and about 3m wider if truth be known.
“Let’s not make too much of it. We don’t play there much.”